Children's Home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 1 SC397092 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 was registered with Ofsted in July 2009 and is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to three children with complex social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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 inadequate

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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: Declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A compliance notice under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard and under regulation 12, the protection of children standard was issued at the interim inspection on 29 March 2022. Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 14/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/12/2019 Full Good 05/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 3

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improvement to be good

There were no children living at the home during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences in the home are variable. Children continue to share that they have poor relationships with some staff, and this has impacted on their experiences of living in the home. Consequently, children do not always feel happy and safe in their home.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently support children to understand the impact of their behaviour on each other. There is no evidence that staff are addressing and challenging poor behaviour from one child to another. As a result, relationships between children continue to be poor and the negative impact is evident when they talk about their experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently keep children well informed about important issues in their lives. In relation to one child, there is little evidence that staff are having regular conservations with them about decisions that will affect them. On one occasion, this resulted in a serious incident in the home when the child displayed behaviours that placed others at harm. Poor preparation by staff does not support cohesive planning for children.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of moving on from the home are variable. One child experienced a positive move from the home, and they informed the inspector that they felt well supported by staff. Staff completed direct work with the child to prepare them for their move and they were suitably matched to their new home. However, the experiences for one child were poor and were not well planned. As a result, the outcomes for the child have not been as positive.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote children’s education. They ensure that they make continuous effort to improve the experiences for children who may struggle at school due to their emotional and behavioural difficulties. School staff are positive about the communication from the staff and the support offered to children to make good progress. This reflects that staff are aspirational for children.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are met. Children are supported to attend health appointments and there is good communication with health professionals when children present with new health issues. This ensures that the well-being of children is promoted. Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 4

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently follow children’s risk assessments. For example, on one occasion, staff did not consult the local authority to discuss changes to arrangements for a child to spend time with their family. This omission was immediately escalated to managers by another member of staff, and action was taken to prevent future shortfalls. However, this practice could have placed a child at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not keep accurate records of children’s day-to-day lives. Children’s records do not fully reflect actions taken by staff and omit important details. Consequently, some children’s records are confusing documents that lack clarity and raise concerns about the action taken by staff to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff now ensure that physical restraint is used as a last resort. However, the recording of incidents is variable and lack sufficient detail. The manager’s oversight of incidents is inconsistent, and shortfalls are not immediately identified or rectified. Furthermore, the recording of sanctions also lacks detail on debriefs completed with children and the effectiveness of the sanction. This impacts on the monitoring of the use of restraint and sanctions on children.

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improvement to be good

The quality of risk assessments is variable. Some risk assessments have been updated. However, some continue to lack important information and do not provide staff with sufficient guidance to manage risks to children or presented by children. Staff and the manager are not fully triangulating incidents to help inform risk- management plans. Consequently, the assessments are not consistently effective in managing risks to children.

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improvement to be good

The manager and leaders are now ensuring that more timely and immediate action is taken when allegations against staff’s practice are made. Investigations into staff’s practice and risk assessments of staff have improved, and they consider the impact on children as well as the well-being of staff subject to allegations. This practice helps keep children safe from further harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff now ensure that they follow safeguarding procedures when responding to concerns about the safety of children. Child protection concerns are immediately shared with relevant agencies, including children’s social workers and the local authority designated officer. There is good communication with the provider’s lead safeguarding officer who provides advice and support to ensure that children are kept safe. This ensures that action taken to safeguard children is effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last full inspection, inspectors have found that the leadership and management of the home continue to be poor. Two compliance notices were issued at the last inspection, one in relation to regulation 13 was not met and has been reissued, alongside an additional compliance notice under regulation 13. The Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 5 manager has also failed to address all the requirements from the previous inspection. These concerns hinder the overall experiences and progress of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s external and internal monitoring and reviewing systems are not consistently effective. While some progress has been made since the last inspection, these are not consistently identifying shortfalls in staff’s practice. In particular, the concerns about the inconsistent quality of staff recording and variable quality of risk assessments remain. In addition, there are repeat recommendations from the independent visitor’s report that have not been actioned in a timely manner. This practice impacts on the overall quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not sufficiently skilled, trained and experienced in the home’s therapeutic model of care. This is not embedded in staff’s practice and this is evidenced in how staff inconsistently respond to children’s needs. Consequently, lack of skilled and experienced staff has impacted on the progress made by children and the effectiveness of the intervention provided by the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is failing to evidence their decision-making about children’s care planning and actions to improve the outcomes for children. For example, the rationale for one child’s unplanned move and the escalation to the local authority was not fully evidenced. Consequently, the outcomes achieved were not child centred and had an impact on the child’s overall well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is insufficiently staffed. There are three permanent staff in the home. One member of staff is currently suspended, pending an outcome of an investigation about their practice. Therefore, they are not able to complete their duties. As a result, there are not enough staff to provide care for the number of children the home is registered for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s review of the quality of care provided to children lacks sufficient detail and analysis. This also lacks consultation with staff, families, children, and partner agencies. The manager does not fully consider appropriate actions necessary to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior leaders are reflective and transparent; they are taking steps to address shortfalls identified by the inspector. They have made changes to the management of the home and completed learning reviews to help prevent future shortfalls. Leaders have a vision to help improve the outcomes for children and are child- focused in their thinking. However, these changes are in their infancy and are not yet embedded in the staff’s practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11(1) (a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(viii)(ix)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered persons should ensure that staff have the skills to develop positive relationships with children and to respond to their needs appropriately. 29 July 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. 29 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2) (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered persons should ensure that staff are able to manage risks effectively and support children to understand the impact their behaviour may have on each other.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, staff and the manager should ensure that they follow children’s risk assessments.

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 29 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 8 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered persons should ensure that there are effective monitoring and reviewing systems of the quality of care provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered persons should ensure that the home is sufficiently staffed.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated, as shortfalls were still evident during this inspection.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered persons should ensure that they have a good understanding of the care provided to the children in the home, and that they have systems in place to ensure that children continue to make good progress. 29 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 29 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 9 In particular, the registered persons must ensure that they evidence that sufficient steps have been taken to ensure that children have a positive experience of moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. 29 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 10 (Regulation 35 (3) (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) (c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated, as shortfalls were still evident during this inspection.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered persons should ensure that staff provide sufficient detail when recording physical restraints of children.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the manager should ensure that staff record debriefs and the effectiveness of the measure when consequences are issued on children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered persons should ensure that staff maintain an accurate record of children’s day to day experiences. 29 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”). (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)) 29 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 11 In particular, the registered persons must ensure that they complete a detailed review of the quality of care provided to children and that the actions are linked to their findings.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC397092 12

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Stephen Travis Rhian Hopkins

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Inspector

Mazviita Makiyi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC397092 13 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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