Children's home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 1 Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide residential care for up to six children with learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently left this home. The provider has appointed a new manager who is due to start imminently. Interim management arrangements were in place at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2021. This is the first inspection of this children’s home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first full inspection. Since the home was registered, two children have moved into the home and no children have moved on.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children thrive from the stable routines that staff provide. Staff are committed and dedicated to the children. As a result, relationships between children and staff are trusting, loving and caring.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to use their preferred methods of communication, make choices and have their say. Staff receive training from the organisation’s speech and language therapist, which helps with their understanding of different communication styles. This ensures that staff can communicate well with children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s menus are available in different formats. During the visit, the inspector was shown a large food menu of written text and photos. This is placed visibly in the kitchen area. Staff use this to help children who have limited verbal communication to choose their meal. This approach promotes children’s independence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good support to ensure that their complex needs are met. In-house placement plans are reflective of the local authority care plans. Staff keep these plans up to date and implement them well. Children are supported by staff to attend all routine health appointments.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children attend education. Staff and teachers communicate with each other exceptionally well. They are in touch daily, which this means that information is shared and everyone is kept up to date.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a range of activities both in and out of the home. For example, children enjoy playing with toys on the floor, colouring, going to parks and zoos. Children are encouraged and helped to take part as far as is practical, depending on their individual needs and abilities. This interactivity between children and staff encourages confidence and helps to form friendships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence is promoted at a pace that is right for each child. Staff encourage children to meet their agreed targets such as independent self-care or using their preferred style of communication to make a request. When goals are achieved, children receive praise in recognition of this.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to stay in touch with people who are most important to them. One social worker informed the inspector that, ‘Staff are really proactive with arranging family visits and are very flexible to meet the needs of the family.’ This good work enables children to continue to have positive experiences with family and friends. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 4 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, with no pictures on walls, no photos of children and areas of damage that have not been repaired in a timely fashion. This does not show the caring and proactive approach to meeting the children’s needs that is shown in other areas of the children’s care.

p.3

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

Staff know how to keep children safe. They understand the safeguarding policies and procedures in place to enable them to safely care for children. Staff manage children’s vulnerabilities appropriately. As a result, children are protected from harm.

p.4

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

Risk assessments provide staff with clear guidance on how to manage known risks. Individual management plans are updated regularly to include any new information that can reduce risks. Risk assessments are completed with the individual child in mind. Staff follow the guidance in children’s plans and assessments well. Consequently, children are well supported and are protected.

p.4

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

Incidents requiring staff to physically intervene to keep children and others safe have drastically reduced over time. Staff understand how to manage children’s behaviour effectively. They successfully de-escalate any challenging behaviours. Staff praise children in recognition of socially acceptable behaviour. As a result, positive relationships develop.

p.4

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

Managers ensure that adults who work in the home are vetted thoroughly before they work with children. This helps to keep children safe.

p.4

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

Staff know how to evacuate children safely in the event of a fire. Staff help children to undertake regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to respond to the sound of the alarm.

p.4

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

Managers ensure that the home is free from hazards. Routine health and safety monitoring keeps the home maintained to a good standard. This helps to keep people in the home safe. However, the inspector found that food hygiene procedures are not always followed when it comes to storing food in the refrigerator. Poor food storage has the potential to cause foodborne illnesses caused by harmful bacteria.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has implemented development plans to improve the home. This is fed through to staff via team meetings and supervision. The quality of records and the general organisation of the home are better as a result. Because the home is well managed, staff can focus on the things that matter the most to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 5 Management oversight shows that managers are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Managers ensure that debriefs are completed following incidents, providing the opportunity to discuss what has happened and what can be learned. As a result, managers have good insight into the home’s strengths and areas of development.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak well of the support provided by the interim manager and they receive regular supervision. This means that staff gain valuable feedback about their performance and individual training needs. A staff member spoke about the support they receive from the interim manager and said, ‘[The manager] has helped massively since she has come back in, and we have our structure back.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and focus on staff’s learning and development. The meetings are used well to update practice guidance and inform staff of latest research in the sector.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers have good relationships with children’s families and professionals to ensure that children’s needs are met effectively. One family member told the inspector that communication could be better because they don’t always receive weekly updates on time. However, on balance, they feel that they are working well together to deliver good care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is relatively new. Half of the team has been working at the home for less than six months. This high staff turnover has not had a significant impact on the quality of care. However, if regular staffing changes continue, there is a likelihood that the quality of care will be reduced. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to damage to the environment in the home. 30 June 2022

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff comply with relevant health and safety legislations. This specifically relates to food hygiene procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that, to meet Regulations 13(2)(d) and (e), the home is to employ a sufficient number of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced persons in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.37) Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 7

p.6

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: 2655354 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9