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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 1 SC372611 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 service is owned by a private company. The home is registered to provide care for two children aged 10 to 17 years with social and/or emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 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

Date of last inspection: 18 January 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged ‘declined in effectiveness’ at the interim inspection that took place on 18 January 2022. The inspector identified significant shortfalls relating to the help and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

As a result, Ofsted issued compliance notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 2 A monitoring visit took place on 8 March 2022. At this visit, the provider had taken sufficient action to address the steps outlined in the compliance notices. However, a requirement under regulation 12 was reissued. Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/01/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are child centred and gradual. Children have opportunities to visit the home before moving in. In addition, staff arrange activities with the other children residing in the home to promote relationship building between peers. This approach welcomes children into the home sensitively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs. Their caring and nurturing approach helps children to develop trusting relationships with staff. Children feel able to share their previous experiences and know that staff will respond thoughtfully and sensitively. This approach has meant that children feel settled in the home and have a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experience of education is mixed. When there have been concerns about children attending education, staff have encouraged children and have been creative in their approach. Where there is a deterioration in attendance and engagement, staff have worked with education staff to consider alternative provisions for their future. This includes arranging work experience in an area of interest that could lead to an apprenticeship. While staff encourage and support children, there has continued to be a decline in some children’s education attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide good support to children to develop their independence. Children have independence plans and staff have regular conversations with children to support them to develop skills that will support them in adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Staff support children to see family members who do not live locally. However, the manager recognises that family time could be further promoted to ensure that children further develop these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers have a good understanding of the health needs of children. When concerns were raised about a specific aspect of a child’s health plan, managers immediately responded. This ensures that preventative strategies to health management are in place. When children have refused to attend appointments, staff follow this up with conversations with the children to help educate them on the importance of responding to their health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff undertake key-work sessions with children. These are linked to the children’s needs. However, key work in specific areas, such as healthy relationships, is not completed. This inconsistent approach means children may not have progressed as well as they could have. Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 5

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

Staff keep children safe. Staff implement the strategies in behaviour management plans and risk assessments, which are regularly reviewed and updated. This means that staff know the triggers to children’s behaviours and how to provide consistent care.

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

Children trust staff and know that staff will help them and keep them safe. When children make disclosures, these are taken seriously and reported. This means children feel believed and are able to confidently tell others when they have been put at risk or suffered abuse. The manager always responds appropriately to children’s concerns or allegations. When allegations are made, the manager ensures that children are aware of the outcome, even when they have moved out of the home.

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

There are a low number of incidents at the home. Children at the home do not go missing, and since the last visit staff have not used physical interventions. However, the manager is professionally curious, recognising that, despite this, it is important to continually reflect on how to improve the care provided to children.

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

The home environment is safe and secure. There have been developments to the home environment since the last inspection, which children have been involved in. The manager recognises the need to continue to personalise the home further to develop the homeliness of the environment. This provides children with a safe and homely place to live.

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

There have been changes to the staff team since the last visit. However, this does not appear to have directly impacted on children. The manager has implemented contingency plans to reduce the risk of children being cared for by unfamiliar staff members. On the occasion when agency staff have been used, appropriate checks have been completed to ensure that staff are adequately vetted.

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

Staff do not help children understand risks in relation to internet safety, appropriate relationships and other potential vulnerabilities in line with their understanding and developmental needs. Support provided by staff in this area is not sufficient. Where phone checks are deemed to be necessary, guidance on this for staff is not clear. This has led to these checks not being completed. This practice compromises children’s online safety and relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a child-focused practitioner. In the time that she has managed the home, she has developed positive relationships with children and the staff team. This has helped to improve the care provided to children at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager recognises the strengths and weaknesses of the home, and has responded to the concerns previously identified. The registered manager has developed systems that enable her to monitor and review the home on an ongoing Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 6 basis so that improvements to the quality of care that children receive can be made. A workforce development plan outlines key focus areas and a vision for the home. This approach ensures that there are continuing developments made to improve the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the registered manager ensures that staff have completed training to support them in their role. The registered manager has created a resource library and has been proactive in researching information relating to certain areas while staff are waiting for training courses. Team meetings are child focused and practice based. As a result, staff development is ongoing. However, one worker has not completed the Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) within the required timeframe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive practice-based supervision. However, on occasion, the frequency of this is not in line with the supervision policy at the home. This is a missed opportunity to review staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

It is not always clear from staff rotas and records which home in the organisation staff are working in. This is not good practice and means that information is not accurate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 7

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that concerns relating to mobile phone use are clearly documented in risk assessments. The registered manager must ensure that guidance relating to this is clear to staff. In addition, the registered manager must ensure that children are supported to understand internet safety. 30 October 2022

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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”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to 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 30 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 8 after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to a staff member not having completed the relevant qualification within timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rosters worked. (Regulation 37 (2)(a) schedule 4 (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that, when staff from other homes work there, the full name of the staff member who worked the shift is on the rota. 30 October 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive monthly supervision, in line with the home’s supervision policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  The registered person should ensure that a child’s plans should form the basis of their care, and providers should use their judgement as to what is relevant in each case. In particular, children should be supported to understand healthy relationships. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1)

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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: SC372611 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

Melanie Griffin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC372611 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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