Children's Home, Residential special school run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 1 Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 12 children with special educational needs and/or learning disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and registered with Ofsted in July 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 25 February 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 3

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improvement to be good

The home is a large building, which was formerly a hotel. Some aspects of the home mean that it still has the appearance of a hotel and not a home. Managers do have a refurbishment plan in place, which is due to start over the coming weeks. However, the cleanliness of the home needs improving. Shared areas of the home need to be made more homely as there are few curtains at windows, no window coverings in the bathrooms and the carpets are tired and stained. Some children’s bedrooms are in need of redecoration and personalisation.

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improvement to be good

Inspectors observed some lovely interactions between staff and children, which showed that children have positive trusting relationships with staff. These trusting relationships mean that staff have helped children to make some progress. For example, one staff member has been able to cut a child’s nails without the use of medication to calm him first. A staff member also mirrors activities such as brushing teeth and trying new foods, and now the child is less wary of doing these things.

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improvement to be good

Staff have developed personalised plans for children. However, these plans do not give sufficient detail to provide staff with the information they need to offer a consistent approach. This lack of detail means that staff are not always clear about the plans or how to achieve the children’s goals. This may result in children not making as much progress as they could have.

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improvement to be good

Staff have engaged children in fun activities at the home when they have not been able to go out and about as much due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One child told the inspector about having a paddling pool in the dining room that was filled with bath gel and painting staff with paints. This sounded like great fun.

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improvement to be good

Staff have considered how to meet the care needs of children. However, they have not considered how to meet the needs of children who may face discrimination within the wider community.

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improvement to be good

Many of the children use alternative methods of communication, such as leading staff to what they want and using objects of reference and signs and symbols. Staff’s use of these systems and making sure they are always available is limited. This means that children do not consistently have an opportunity to express their views.

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improvement to be good

The home has an education provision on site, which all children attend. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has continued to remain open and provided consistency for children. As a result, children have been able to maintain their routines and continue to progress in their education. Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 4 Staff are creative in making sure that children understand when it is time for school. Many will go out through the front door and walk round the building to school instead of using an internal connecting door. For one child, they get into the car and staff drive a short distance before taking him in to school. This creativity means that children have time to process the transition and understand it is time for school.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to participate in activities away from the home, such as going to the park and trips to the countryside. One child has joined a local youth club. However, not all children have frequent opportunities to experience a variety of activities or interests away from the home. For those children who are reluctant to leave the home, plans to help them access the wider community are slow in being introduced. As a result, many children’s experiences are restricted to the home, the grounds and the on-site school.

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improvement to be good

Staff have helped children to stay in touch with their families. Staff support home visits, and those children who live a long way from the home meet their family part way to enjoy a day out. When physical visits were not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff used technology to help children keep in touch with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children at the home are kept safe. They are cared for by staff who know them well, and the high staffing ratio means that children get the attention they need from staff to keep themselves and others safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff have developed risk-management plans, which identify risks to and from children, along with the action staff need to take when children become anxious or agitated. However, staff have not considered children’s health needs or conditions when developing physical-intervention plans. This may mean that staff could use interventions that may not be appropriate for that child.

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improvement to be good

On the occasions that staff have needed to use physical intervention, it has only been used after staff have exhausted all efforts to de-escalate situations. Records show patience and resilience from staff to try and calm children without the need to use physical intervention. When such interventions are used, they are appropriate and recorded well.

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improvement to be good

Children do not go missing from the home. Staff have developed plans that inform staff of the action they need to take if a child was to go missing.

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improvement to be good

Staff monitor children’s access to technology to make sure they are not exposed to sites or others who could take advantage of their vulnerability. The home also has safeguards on the Wi-Fi. As a result, children are kept safe.

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improvement to be good

Managers generally undertake safer recruitment checks, ensuring that new and agency staff are suitable to work with children. However, on one occasion, managers Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 5 had not checked why a worker had left their previous employment, which involved work with vulnerable adults. This omission could have resulted in a worker being employed who was unsuitable to work with children.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of the home’s safeguarding procedures and were able to tell inspectors what they would do if they had a safeguarding concern. However, some could not say who they would contact outside of the organisation if they had a concern. This lack of knowledge could compromise safety.

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good

The home is managed by an experienced, child-focused practitioner who is aspirational about the care of the children. She has a vision and lots of ideas about what she wants for the home and the care given to the children.

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good

There are shortfalls in managerial oversight of the home, which has meant children’s plans are not as robust as they could be. The environment is deteriorating and there has been slow progress in making improvements.

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good

Staff say that they feel well supported by managers and that they receive regular supervision. New staff do not always receive supervision in line with the organisation’s policy and, as a result of this, staff are not getting the opportunities they need to reflect on their practice.

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good

Staff receive a variety of training. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most training has taken place online. More recently, staff have been able to undertake face-to-face training, which they say is beneficial to their learning. Despite this, staff have not had training to meet the needs of all children living at the home. Staff have not had training in attention deficit disorder, Down’s syndrome, global developmental delay or specific safeguarding training for children with disabilities.

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good

Managers have developed positive links with the clinical team and are developing new ways of working to address children’s behaviours and needs in the home, not just children’s needs in school.

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good

The home’s independent visitor as part of regulation 44, visits the home each month and sees and speaks to children and other professionals. The visitor has not contacted families of children living at the home. This is a missed opportunity to gain feedback that will inform her evaluation of the care given to children. Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the cleanliness of the home is improved, damage to furniture and furnishings, such as carpets, are made safe, repaired and replaced promptly, and that the bathroom windows have blinds or a way of obscuring the view.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the planned refurbishment taking place with minimal impact on the children living at the home. 12 November

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 12 November Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 7 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s communication systems are available at all times and are used as directed.

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 12 November Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 8 This specifically relates to all children having opportunities to enjoy social opportunities and interests away from the home.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager’s oversight of the environment and children’s plans. That staff have training that meets the needs of the children living at the home, such as traing in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, global developmental delay and Down’s syndrome, and safeguarding training is specifically looking at children with disabilities.

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Requirement Due date

Part of this requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 12 November

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that plans for children provide sufficient detail that shows how staff work with 12 November Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 9 children to provide consistency of care and enables children to reach their full potential.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff receive supervision in line with the organisation’s policy.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 12 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that personalised care meets each child’s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account of the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. Ensure that all adults are aware of who outside the organisation they can report safeguarding concerns to. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that they have explored the reason agency staff working at the home left their previous employment which involved working with children or vulnerable adults. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. In particular, they should seek views Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 10 from families of children living at the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 11

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Inspectors

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Alison Cooper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2501555 12 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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