Children's home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 1 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 care for up to three children who have 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 January 2020. The manager has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: 2563818 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 3

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improvement to be good

Some children have had to move on from the home due to increasing negative behaviours and ineffective matching. The manager worked with social workers to find the children a suitable new home. However, the consultation and preparation for one child about this placement move was minimal. This ad hoc planning does not promote good outcomes for children.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend education. Currently, one child attends school on a reduced timetable which is suited to their interests and needs. There are plans in place to support the child to attend education full time, for example, the staff have created an incentive chart to encourage engagement. Education staff say that communication with the home is good and they feel that the children make progress.

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improvement to be good

The children are registered at local health services. In addition, the staff and children are supported by the organisation’s therapeutic team. This has helped children to understand their presenting behaviours and to increase staff’s knowledge of children’s needs. However, this is not consistent practice. For example, the staff had not implemented a reduction plan for one child who continued to vape and smoke cigarettes despite reduction being an objective of the child’s plan. This could have implications for the child’s health. Furthermore, there is limited meaningful intervention for a child who is not following a suitable or healthy meal and activity planner. This does not promote good outcomes for children and negatively impacts children’s experiences.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain positive relationships with those who are important to them. The staff provide family members with regular updates on children’s progress by making regular calls and sending written weekly reports. Staff demonstrate an understanding of the importance of children’s relationships with loved ones.

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improvement to be good

The home’s communal spaces are clean and have benefited from redecoration since the last inspection. There are also plans to fit new carpets throughout the home. The child living in the home enjoys spending time in the dedicated games room and this has been personalised to his liking. However, there are areas of the home that are not as inviting and lack personalisation. In addition, at the time of inspection, the child’s bedroom needed a deep clean and the child was sleeping on a bare mattress. This was addressed by the manager promptly. This does not promote a homely atmosphere. Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 4

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments do not have the information that staff need to respond to children’s behaviours effectively. For example, a child’s risk assessment does not give indication of when checks on electronic devices should take place, despite the child spending lengthy amounts of time using the internet. This can lead to inconsistencies in staff’s practice. Furthermore, the manager’s matching risk assessment failed to evaluate the impact children’s known behaviours could have on others in the home. This does not enable strategies to be identified or support placement stability.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from their home. On the few occasions children do go missing, staff work in collaboration with police to find children. However, on one occasion, staff did not follow the child’s risk assessment by monitoring the child in the community, which led to them going missing. The manager had identified this poor practice, however, failed to respond by exploring and addressing this concern with the staff members. This means the likelihood of further errors has not been minimised.

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improvement to be good

There have been times when staff have used physical interventions. Following these interventions, children have not always been provided with the opportunity to discuss these incidents in detail. In addition, there have been times when the review with the child has been completed by staff members who were involved in the incident. This is a missed opportunity to explore alternative approaches to managing challenging behaviours and to support the child and understand their wishes and feelings.

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improvement to be good

The manager responds appropriately when children make allegations about staff. He works well with the relevant professionals to ensure that children are kept safe. However, children are not always provided with a response and outcome when they make allegations. This is a missed opportunity to provide support to children to reflect on incidents.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise children’s achievements and implement incentive charts, which promote opportunities for children to receive extra pocket money. Staff rarely use sanctions. This means that positive behaviour is encouraged and provides an opportunity for the child to recognise the improvements they are making.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always ensure that medication is administered correctly. There are occasions when children have not been given their prescribed medication in line with the prescription instruction. This had not been identified or addressed by the manager. This could have a negative impact on children’s health.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment of staff is safe. The registered manager has ensured that necessary checks are completed. This means that staff working in the home are safe to do so. Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 5 Staff carry out regular health and safety checks. The manager ensures the location risk assessment is updated regularly. This includes data about criminal activity in the local area and the views of external agencies. This ensures that children live in a safe environment and risks in the community are considered.

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good

The manger does not use the monitoring and reviewing systems effectively to ensure oversight of the home. This has allowed some poor practice to go unchallenged. For example, a child told staff that she had drunk alcohol while she was away from the home, and this was not explored or shared with the child’s social worker. Furthermore, the manager has failed to identify the shortfalls found during the inspection. This fails to demonstrate that the manager has suitable oversight of the home to improve the quality of care and outcomes for children.

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good

Staff say that they feel supported by the manager and that he is approachable. The manager acknowledged the weaknesses found during inspection and feels that the home is on a journey of improvement.

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good

Staff do not always have the necessary skills and knowledge to meet all the needs of the children living in the home. For example, not all staff have received training in internet safety and alcohol misuse. As a result, there are gaps in staff knowledge and skills to keep children safe.

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good

The quality of staff supervision is variable. Some supervisions support staff to develop practice and demonstrate support, however, one staff member did not receive supervision with the required frequency. In addition, the manager was not able to provide records of supervision for all staff members who had worked in the home. As a result, staff are not receiving sufficient support to develop their practice and this does not contribute to the manager’s effective monitoring of the care provided.

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good

Feedback from external professionals is positive. Social workers and a headteacher spoke of good communication. Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them; and

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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 understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered manager ensuring that children understand the steps taken to investigate and respond to concerns raised about care staff. 13 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that consideration is promptly given to a reduction in children using vapes and cigarettes. In addition, the registered manager should ensure that all children follow a healthy lifestyle. 13 June 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. 13 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 7 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; and

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that staff understand their responsibilities when protecting children and take sufficient action when there are concerns about a child. In addition, the manager should ensure that risk assessments and impact assessments consider and assess all known risks.

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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.

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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 experiences, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should also use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(c)(f)(h)) 13 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 8 This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all staff complete mandatory training and child-specific training. In addition, the registered manager should ensure that the recording of supervision is clear and demonstrates a development of the quality of care provided. Furthermore, the manager should ensure that monitoring systems are effective in identifying and responding to shortfalls in staff practice.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children —

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that sufficient support is given to children who move from the home. 13 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that medication is administered to children as prescribed. 13 June 2022

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that children receive debriefs following incidents of restraint. 13 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 9

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Recommendations

◼ The registered person should ensure that the home environment is appropriately furnished and maintained in order to provide children with a warm and welcoming home. (‘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: 2563818 10

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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

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 11 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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