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

Inspection report children’s home: SC396721 1 SC396721 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

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced manager, who registered with Ofsted in December 2012.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 19 and 20 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 10 December 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC396721 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2019 Full Outstanding 03/12/2018 Full Good 30/01/2018 Full Good 01/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC396721 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first full inspection since December 2019. The home received an assurance visit in October 2020. Since the assurance visit, no children have left the home and no children have moved in. At the time of this inspection, one child lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a good standard. Canvases and artwork are dotted around the home. Books and games are easily accessible in the lounge and help to create a homely environment. The child helps to make decisions about decor, and personal space is individualised to her own taste. This allows for the child to have a sense of pride in her home. The child informed the inspector, ‘This is not just a house, this is my home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is positive about the care that she receives and builds trusting relationships with staff. The child informed the inspector that she feels confident to talk to any member of staff about anything. The child is supported and encouraged by the staff to engage in leisure activities. This enables the child to improve her self- esteem while having fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child makes good progress in important aspects of her life. This is because of the close relationships that she has with staff. A small and consistent team provides a nurturing environment for the child. The inspector observed the natural caring engagement between staff and the child during the inspection. The organisation’s therapist said, ‘The team are therapeutic and resilient with [name of child].’ Consequently, children’s life chances are increased.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are ambitious and support the child with educational targets. During the last academic year, the child achieved several entry level qualifications and two Duke of Edinburgh awards. Staff provide good support and guidance to the child to help them make decisions about their future. Currently, the child does not attend college and has achieved full-time employment within the hospitality industry. Staff remain hopeful that the child will return to college through evening classes to fulfil her desires of further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s views are central to the running of the home. Staff consult the child in all aspects of care and support her to take increasing control of decisions that affect her life. The child confirmed that staff listen to her. This ensures that children feel that their views are valued and provides them with a degree of control.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide support to help the child with her independence. However, the preparation for the child’s future transition is limited. Staff encourage the child to develop her skills, yet this is promoted in an ad hoc way and is not adequately planned. In addition, there is limited intervention when a child does not follow a Inspection report children’s home: SC396721 4 suitable or healthy meal plan. This has the potential to jeopardise her future success when she leaves the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff keep the child safe. More importantly, the child says that she feels safe. Reviews of risk assessments and the individual management plan are regular to adapt to the approach to reduce risk. The child’s social worker said, ‘They provide her with the tools to keep herself safe, which has only improved during her time at the home.’ Because of this approach, staff understand the child’s needs and are clear about how to respond and protect her.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff de-escalate incidents well, which means the need to physically intervene to keep the child and others safe is low. The manager reviews the staff’s handling of challenging incidents to continually improve practice. Reflective debriefs take place with staff members involved. This helps staff to reflect on incidents and continually improve their practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Good links between the organisation’s therapeutic team and the staff help to improve staff’s understanding and responses to the child’s presenting behaviours. This helps to strengthen how the staff respond to incidents. Because of this coordinated response, the number of incidents in the home remains low.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff ensure that the home environment is safe for children to live in. A range of health and safety checks are carried out to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose risks to children. The child takes part in regular fire drills to ensure that she knows how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers recruit staff safely. Staff are thoroughly vetted and assessed before any appointment is confirmed. These safe recruitment procedures make sure that children are protected by preventing unsuitable adults from working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A highly experienced and qualified registered manager leads the home. She is supported by three experienced members of staff. The registered manager keeps a good oversight of the service through her auditing tools. She implements continued improvement effectively in the quality of care provided to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager keeps the child at the heart of all that she does. She is inspirational and ambitious for the child and ensures that the ethos flows through the staff team. The manager has a good knowledge of the child’s starting point and what she has accomplished since living at the home. This is echoed by the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Management oversight and monitoring processes are highly effective. The registered manager ensures that debriefs take place following any incidents, which provides the opportunity to discuss views of behaviours displayed. As a result, the registered Inspection report children’s home: SC396721 5 manager has an exceptional insight into the home’s strengths and areas of development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff enjoy working at the home and are positive about the support they receive from the registered manager. Staff informed the inspector that the registered manager is ambitious for the children and is passionate about staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff hold the required level 3 diploma. Senior staff members are also provided with the opportunity to complete the level 5 diploma. Staff are provided with a wide range training that informs their practice and meets the child’s individual and diverse needs. This provides staff with the essential skills and knowledge for their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision is regular and of high quality. The sessions help staff with their development and help with good practice. The registered manager uses team meetings that are practice informed and as an added form of development for staff. This ensures that children receive high-quality care from skilled and well-informed staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and the three staff members have excellent relationships with people who the child is closest to and with professionals to ensure that the child’s needs are met effectively. When talking about communication, a social worker said, ‘They are extremely good, too good sometimes. I cannot think of anything that they can improve on’. This partnership working results in the child receiving good- quality and coordinated care. Inspection report children’s home: SC396721 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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to supporting children with appropriate life choices and helping them to follow a healthy lifestyle. 1 April 2022

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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: SC396721 7

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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: Cruckton, Shrewsbury SY5 8PR

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Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC396721 8 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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