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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 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 operated by a large private company. The home provides care for up to two children who exhibit complex behaviours because of their childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted on 13 January 2022.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/10/2021 Full Inadequate 30/06/2021 Full Inadequate 06/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child had been living in the home. However, they left the home shortly before this inspection took place and there were no children living in the home during the inspection. Despite the child moving on, the registered manager supported the inspector to talk with them so they could share their experience of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s transitions from the home are well managed. For example, the child recently moved to another of the provider’s homes. The move was well planned and staff ensured that the child was well prepared. Furthermore, the child’s key worker also transferred to the sister home, to continue to support the child. This means that the child receives consistent care and maintains positive relationships with those staff who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide continuous nurture and support to children. They do this in the form of verbal praise, positive gestures and larger celebrations. As a direct result of this approach, children grow in confidence and thrive. These relationships mean that children’s day-to-day experiences are positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are child-focused and encourage children to participate in activities inside and outside of the home. For example, staff arranged for the child to join army cadets. The child told the inspector that they had made new friends and that they were ‘really enjoying it’. These experiences have helped to raise the child’s self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A clinical team supports staff to care for children, using a therapeutic approach. A psychologist attends regular staff meetings. They offer support and advice to staff to assist in their understanding of the child’s needs and their presenting anxieties. These systems support children’s progress and promote their welfare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have successfully maintained the child’s place in mainstream education. This is because staff work closely with education partners to ensure that children receive the support that they need. Despite a decline in the child’s attendance, staff have attended meetings and maintained good communication with leaders in the school. For example, they have shared risk assessments so that school staff can respond appropriately to the child when in crisis. This proactive approach provides reassurance to the child when they need it most.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a pleasant and welcoming home environment. Since the last inspection, the home has undergone decoration work. Children’s bedrooms are decorated beautifully and are suitably ready to welcome children into the home. However, there is excessive signage, such as fire exit signs throughout the home. This has the potential to create an institutionalised feel to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 4

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

Staff have an excellent understanding of children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities, which promotes their safety and welfare. Since the last inspection, the registered manager has developed bespoke, high-quality risk assessments in conjunction with professionals, psychologists and the child. As a result, there is a shared knowledge of risk and the child is more aware of behaviours and situations that could cause them harm.

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

The registered manager encourages staff to reflect on children’s behaviour. As a result, staff have become skilled in looking beyond the immediate situation to identify specific risk factors that may result in children harming themselves. This approach helps staff to devise highly effective behaviour management plans. These are reviewed after every incident and provide staff with detailed strategies for managing incidents. Consequently, staff manage risk very well, which reduces the need for them to issue sanctions to children. This promotes children’s safety and protects them from harm.

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

Children very rarely go missing and there have been no such incidents since the last inspection. Staff ensure that up-to-date protocols are in place for children, which provide clarity to staff. Also, staff have excellent relationships with local police services, the placing authority and other professionals. This helps them to identify and minimise any potential risks for children.

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

Leaders and staff have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of child protection thresholds and referral processes. This means that they respond immediately when children make allegations against staff. Following one significant incident with the child, staff immediately informed the home’s responsible individual and prompt action was taken to involve the relevant external agencies. Furthermore, leaders ensured that an internal investigation was done and that follow-up actions were completed. These processes reassure children and prioritise their safety.

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

However, during the incident with the child, staff and leaders failed to recognise and record that staff had used approved physical restraint techniques to keep themselves and the child safe. Consequently, there was no physical restraint recorded to reflect the techniques used by staff. This shortfall has the potential to leave children vulnerable and compromise their safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a very good registered manager, who shows strong leadership, is sufficiently qualified and has a range of experience. She has worked hard to change the culture of the home and is an excellent advocate for children. She listens to their views and makes changes to support their needs. Also, she is not afraid to challenge professionals and decisions made that have an impact on children’s day-to-day experiences. This tenacious approach ensures that children’s needs are met effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 5 The registered manager constantly strives to develop the staff and their ability to meet children’s needs. Staff receive regular and constructive supervision and annual appraisals. Both the supervisions and appraisals are used to examine and develop staff’s skills and effectiveness in supporting children. Furthermore, regular team meetings are used to provide further training to staff and enhance their knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This provides children with consistency and care from energetic and ambitious staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has made positive changes to the home and has taken action to address poor practice. This has led to some changes in the staff team and new staff have been recruited. The registered manager has developed and created induction processes for staff to learn and demonstrate their competency. In addition, the home’s rota has been carefully managed so that new staff have been supported by more experienced peers. This means that new staff have settled well into their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses detailed external and internal monitoring systems to drive forward improvement. She uses this information to highlight patterns and trends and identify any areas for improvement. Effective consultation with others, including the children and staff, is embedded into this process. As a result, the quality of care that children receive has improved since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff undertake a varied and comprehensive range of training courses. These ensure that they are suitably skilled to meet the children’s needs. Most members of the staff team have completed, or are in the process of completing, the required qualification. However, one member of staff remains out of timescales and has not yet completed the qualification, despite this being a requirement at the last inspection. This has the potential to impact on the quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals provide positive feedback on the home. One professional said, ‘Staff always listen to [the child’s name], they are very responsive,’ and that they provide ‘very good communication’. They added that they were ‘very impressed by the way the registered manager advocates for [the child’s name]’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma").

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (3)(b) (4)(a) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider should ensure that staff in the home achieve the appropriate qualification within the required timescales. 11 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 7 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in 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 21 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 8 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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that all incidents involving physical restraint with a child are recorded within the required timescales.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children. While the home must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, food hygiene, etc), it should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than institutional impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2484180 9

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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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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2484180 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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