Children's Home run by Bryn Melyn Care Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 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

The home is operated by a private company that runs several children’s homes across the country. This home provides care for up to three children who have been affected by adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022. However, she is currently on maternity leave. As a result, a newly appointed manager is currently in day-to- day charge of the home.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 6 December 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2021 Full Good 10/03/2020 Full Good 12/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are currently two children living in the home, and they have lived in the home for several years. Since the last inspection, one child has left the home to live with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build and share positive relationships with children. The inspector observed interactions, which were good humoured and respectful between the staff and children. Staff understand children’s needs and support them effectively. Children speak well about the home and say that they feel safe. As a result, children’s experiences are positive, and they make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children attend school and engage with their learning. In addition, staff communicate effectively with education professionals and work with children to overcome barriers to their learning. For example, one child has recently begun to re- engage with their learning following the introduction of a more bespoke timetable that is suitable to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, staff support children’s health needs well and administer children’s medication safely. Following one medication error, staff responded immediately to report the matter and they sought guidance from the relevant health professionals. Also, managers have ensured that actions from an internal investigation into the mistake have been completed. Consequently, staff learn from their mistakes and take action to improve practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders seek children’s views about the care that they receive. Children are encouraged to contribute to their care planning. For example, they attend their review meetings and directly share their views, wishes and feelings. This approach works well and reassures children that their voice is increasing their self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively with professionals to increase the time that children spend with their families and loved ones. For example, family time has increased for two children since the last inspection. This support means that children spend time with people who are important to them. As a result, this improves their social skills and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from parents and professionals about the home is very positive. One parent said that ‘the home was a breath of fresh air and met their child’s needs very well.’ One professional said that ‘the home was amazing and, in another home, where the support was not as good as this, the number of significant incidents with [the child] would be far higher.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

While some parts of the home are homely and personalised, this is not consistent throughout. The home’s environment requires refurbishment and redecoration in Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 4 several areas. Furthermore, there is excessive signage on display, such as fire exit signs, which creates an institutionalised feel to the home.

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

Children say that they feel safe in the home. This is because staff understand their needs well and promote their welfare. In addition, staff complete direct work with children to raise children’s awareness and help them learn about risk. For example, children have completed online training courses and key-work sessions with staff about the dangers the internet presents. This direct work helps children to recognise and confidently report online safety concerns to staff.

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

Leaders ensure that all complaints made by children and the important people involved in children’s lives are acted on. Following complaints made since the last inspection, the home’s responsible individual and managers have followed the home’s policies and responded both efficiently and effectively to resolve the issues. Consequently, children and those people involved in children’s lives feel valued and listened to.

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

Staff follow children’s missing-from-home protocols effectively. During significant incidents, staff have searched for and followed children through the night to keep them safe and return them to the home. Leaders ensure that strategy meetings are arranged and used to inform risk management strategies. This supportive approach helps children to feel reassured and know that staff care about their welfare.

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

Incidents requiring physical restraint with children are rare. Staff only use physical restraint with children as a last resort. Since the last inspection, leaders’ reviews of incidents have improved and both children and staff are routinely spoken to. As a result, staff and children learn from their experiences and incidents with children reduce.

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

Overall, leaders and managers respond effectively to safeguarding concerns in the home. They work well with the relevant professionals and follow-up investigations are completed in a timely manner. These actions help to safeguard children and protect their welfare. However, on one occasion, staff failed to report a historical disclosure by a child immediately. This meant that there was a delay in the relevant people being notified and was not in line with the home’s safeguarding policy. This shortfall was identified by the manager and addressed with staff.

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

Children’s risk assessments are routinely reviewed and updated by staff following significant incidents. Staff told the inspector the strategies they use to keep children safe, and these are recorded in children’s plans. However, staff and leaders’ decision-making and overall assessment of risk to children are inconsistent. On several occasions, staff and leaders have allowed a child to have free time with a peer in the community, despite known concerns. This poor decision-making has led to one child going missing and in danger of breaching bail conditions that were in place following previous incidents. Poor decision-making and assessment of risks to children have the potential to leave them vulnerable. Leaders have reviewed these Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 5 incidents and shared the learning with staff to prevent similar concerns from reoccurring.

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good

The home has had three managers since the last inspection. The home’s current registered manager is on maternity leave. A new manager has started working in the home. These changes have led to some inconsistencies and shortfalls in the overall management oversight of the home. Consequently, the new manager is still getting to know the home and does not yet fully know the home’s strengths and weaknesses.

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good

Leaders have not ensured that all staff complete the required qualification within the required timescales to work in the home. For example, two staff are out of timescales and have not completed the relevant qualification. As a result, not all staff who support children are fully qualified and trained.

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good

Leaders do not ensure that training is used effectively to improve staff practice. For example, not all staff have completed training to work with children who go missing from home. The manager was unaware that the online course was available to staff. Furthermore, induction training for new staff does not consistently provide staff with the resources and skills to perform their role. This means that children are not always cared for by staff who have the skills to support them well.

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good

The manager’s oversight of the care that children receive is inconsistent. For example, internal systems used by the manager have failed to identify shortfalls in the home’s environment, staff training and recording systems. Furthermore, one requirement in relation to staff training and the manager’s monitoring, and one recommendation regarding the home environment made at the home’s last inspection, were not met. This has the potential to impact on the quality of care received by children.

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good

Leaders provide staff with regular supervision. Staff feel supported and that supervision is used to review and reflect on the care that children receive. However, staff do not always receive an annual appraisal of their performance. Consequently, staff are not provided with essential support to reflect on their overall practice and review how well they are safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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good

Despite some of the shortfalls, the new manager has advocated well for children and provided some structure to the home since taking over. External professionals describe communication to be good. One professional said, ‘I rate the manager massively. She advocates for [the child] very well and has challenged decisions in the best interests of [the child].’

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good

The home’s responsible individual provides good support to the home. For example, she has led on and completed investigations following safeguarding concerns. Furthermore, she has ensured that actions from investigations are completed to Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 6 safeguard children. Senior leaders are also aware of the shortfalls and are starting to make changes to improve the leadership and management systems. For example, a new induction and training programme for staff is to be introduced. Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider should ensure that the home’s environment is well maintained, and that work is undertaken to decorate and refurbish the home. 13 December

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that leaders and staff have the skills to assess risk effectively and make decisions that protect children’s safety and welfare. Furthermore, leaders should ensure that staff understand and follow the home’s child protection policies when a child discloses sensitive information relating to their previous experiences. 13 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 8 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that staff receive appropriate induction training. Furthermore, leaders must ensure that staff receive training related to children who go missing from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, leaders must have clear monitoring and review systems in place to improve staff practice and identify shortfalls in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 13 December

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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,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 31 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 9 The requirements are that —

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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 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider should ensure that staff and the registered manager achieve the appropriate qualification to perform their role within the required timescales.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member and manager over the year and children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 1276010 10

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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, Greater Manchester BL1 4AG

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1276010 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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