Children's home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 1 SC366112 Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide residential care for one child who has experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2019. The manager has the level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2019 Full Good 07/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/02/2018 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 3

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improvement to be good

This is the home’s first inspection since June 2019. Since the last inspection, one child has left the home and one child has moved into the home. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education progress varies. One child is accessing full-time education and is making good academic progress. However, another child who has recently moved on lacked the motivation to attend education on most days. For example, one staff member informed the inspector, ‘[child] can be hours late most days despite encouragement from staff.’ Because of this, not all children make academic progress and are sometimes left without meaningful activity during the day.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not ensure that children receive care from a stable and consistent staff team. Managers rely heavily on cover staff from other homes within the organisation to fill gaps in the home’s rota. The inspector found that, over the 10-day period around the inspection, cover staff from other homes were required for seven days. This prevents managers from ensuring that good standards of care are consistently maintained.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always provide children with a homely and well-maintained environment to live in. For example, the inspector found that areas of the home appeared bare, standards of cleanliness around the home required improvement and there were rips on chairs. This does not show a caring and proactive approach to meeting children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health and well-being is promoted well by staff. Staff ensure that healthcare plans identify children’s individual needs. Statutory health assessments have been completed and children attend required medical appointments. Children have access to specialist help when needed, such as the organisation’s clinical team. This multi-team approach ensures that children’s health needs are promoted effectively.

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improvement to be good

Children build trusted and secure relationships with some core staff. The child living at the home informed the inspector that they have adults around them that they trust and can speak to if they are upset or worried. This helps children to feel confident about their relationships with staff and supports their progress.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not ensure that allegations are thoroughly investigated in line with child protection procedures. For example, following an allegation of harm made against a staff member by a child, this was not investigated until highlighted by the Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 4 independent person visiting the home, who made recommendations for this to be completed. It took a further five weeks for the child to be spoken to and investigations to begin, during which time children were potentially at risk of harm. Delays in implementing safeguarding procedures do not fully protect children.

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improvement to be good

Managers did not inform Ofsted of this allegation and this lack of due diligence does not promote children’s safety and welfare.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always follow children’s missing from care plans. For example, one child’s plan informs staff to report the child missing to the police after 15 minutes. However, during one missing episode, the police were not contacted for almost two hours. Managers failed to recognise this shortfall in staff practice. Staff’s failure to follow an agreed strategy placed the child at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that the home environment is safe for children to live in. A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose risks to children. Children take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency.

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improvement to be good

Children are protected by the organisation’s safer recruitment practice. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote children’s safety, ensuring that adults who work with them are safe to do so.

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improvement to be good

The child living in the home informed the inspector that she feels safe. This is because, despite changes in staffing, staff do provide consistent boundaries which help the child to live in a predictable and relatively stable environment.

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good

Management arrangements at the home have not been wholly effective. Since the last inspection, the registered manager has been absent from the home. Interim management arrangements are in place.

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good

Managers do not effectively monitor and review all consequences and incident reports. This lack of effective oversight prevents managers from being able to clearly identify and act on shortfalls in staff practice, identify patterns and trends and make improvements to the way staff manage children’s challenging behaviours.

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good

Furthermore, managers do not implement agreed actions to improve staff’s knowledge. For example, when staff did not follow a child’s missing from home care plan, the manager highlighted actions to address this within one-to-one supervision and team meetings, but no action took place. As a result, managers do not take prompt action to bring about improvement.

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good

High turnover of staff has resulted in the home not having enough core staff to meet children’s needs. During this inspection period, 12 staff have joined the home Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 5 and 12 staff have left. This means there is a lack of continuity of care for the children.

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good

Most staff hold the required level 3 diploma. One staff member is currently working to achieve to this within the required timescales. Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and helps them to meet children’s individual and diverse needs. This provides staff with some of the skills and knowledge for their roles.

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good

Managers and staff have developed positive relationships with children’s families and professionals. A social worker said, ‘They understand the importance of family and facilitate family time well.’ Children see staff and their families working together, and this enables children to spend time and maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 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 improving standards to the home environment. 3 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 3 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 7 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that leaders, managers and staff respond to allegations and safeguarding concerns in line with the organisation’s child protection procedures. In addition that staff follow the guidance set out in children’s risk assessments and missing from home plans.

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care for each child;

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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)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the home not having enough core staff, and ensuring that managers provide effective oversight which helps to identify and address shortfalls without delay. . 3 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 3 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 8 This specifically relates to ensuring that Ofsted is informed of all allegations of harm made against a person working in the home

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, when children are not participating in education, they would be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities during the school day. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 24, paragraph 5.15) 

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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 for children’s home: SC366112 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fitzroy Academy, Cruckton, Shrewsbury SY5 8PR

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Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC366112 10 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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