Children's home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC366080 1 SC366080 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

A private company operates this home. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The home does not have a registered manager. A new manager has been recruited, who will join the organisation in January 2023. An interim manager is currently in charge of the day-to-day operation of this home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 September 2021

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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: SC366080 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/09/2021 Full Good 03/12/2019 Full Good 26/11/2018 Full Outstanding 06/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC366080 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection in November 2021, no children have moved in or out of the home. At the time of this inspection, three children lived at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children do not always receive care that is consistent with the therapeutic approach and ethos of the home. For example, staff and the manager inform children that their behaviour is ‘disobedient’, and they are ‘warned’ that more can be taken away from them. This approach does not provide children with nurture to meet their individual needs.

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improvement to be good

Communal lounges and children’s bedrooms are well decorated and furnished. One of the lounges has been transformed into a games room. Children have helped to choose the décor and some of their artwork is also on display. Hallways, including stairways are bare and some walls have paint and wallpaper missing, which detracts from an otherwise homely environment. Plans are in place to redecorate these areas.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff are acutely aware of the effects of medication that children receive and regularly consult with a mental health care specialist. Children attend therapy on a regular basis with the organisation’s clinical team, who also consult with the staff team to discuss changes to approaches. This multi-team approach ensures that children’s health needs are effectively promoted.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend school on a regular basis and children make sustained progress with their learning. One child’s attendance has dramatically improved during this term, while another child is completing their Duke of Edinburgh award. One headteacher informed the inspectors that ‘communication is good [with staff], we speak daily’.

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improvement to be good

Children have secure relationships with the core staff team. Children informed the inspectors that they have adults around them who they trust and can speak to if they are worried. Children feel confident in their relationships with staff and this supports their progress.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments do not contain all information relating to the children’s needs and vulnerabilities. For example, following an incident of physical restraint, the staff involved informed the manager about the measures that they had used to try and de-escalate the situation but did not work. Despite this being raised, information is not included in risk management plans. Consequently, staff are not provided with relevant information to prevent risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home: SC366080 4 Staff do not always support children in line with their individual management plans. Individual management plans for most children include what physical intervention techniques are to be used at the point of crisis. However, on occasions, staff restrain children on the floor without giving due consideration to alternative restraint techniques. A child’s former carer informed the inspectors that, ‘I don’t think [child]

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improvement to be good

is being held in the correct manner and have raised my concerns’. Despite this, children continue to be held on the floor. The interim manager informed the inspectors that there is to be a review of physical intervention practice in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete health and safety checks around the home on a regular basis and support children to be aware of procedures in the event of a fire. The home is fitted with fire doors that prevent the spread of fire and smoke, and provide staff and children with added time to escape should there be a fire. However, the inspector found that many fire doors in the home are wedged open using wedges and furniture. This means that in the event of a fire, staff and children will not be protected from these prevention measures.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. There have been a number of complaints and concerns raised by children in the home. In response, staff and managers follow procedures well and children feel listened to and are protected from harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of what to do if children go missing from the home. There have been no instances of children going missing from the home since the last Ofsted inspection. Children informed the inspectors that they feel safe at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are protected by the organisation’s safe recruitment practice, which helps to ensure that suitable people are employed to care for them.

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good

Management arrangements at the home have not been wholly effective. Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left the organisation. An interim manager is overseeing the day-to-day running of the home. The interim manager had been in post for three weeks at the time of this inspection.

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good

Not all requirements raised at the previous inspection have been met. For example, the previous manager did not implement effective monitoring and review systems that highlight and help to address practice concerns. A lack of focus by managers on important health and safety matters does not promote children’s safety. Furthermore, managers are not learning from inspection to bring about improvement.

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good

Managers and staff do not challenge professionals from children’s placing authorities when needed. For example, two children do not have up-to-date and relevant care plans. One child’s local authority plan was 12 months out of date. This means that staff are unaware of the children’s current plans. Inspection report for children’s home: SC366080 5 The home receives regular visits from an independent visitor. The visitor inspects the premises and records and reports their findings monthly. The visitor does not always speak with children to gain their views of their care. The inspector was informed that the visitor usually arrives at the home when children are at education provisions, preventing them from meeting and speaking with children. This does not provide children with the opportunity to raise any potential concerns to the independent person, should they have any.

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good

Most staff hold the required level 3 diploma qualification. A small number are currently working to achieve this or are planned to be enrolled on a training programme. New staff are enrolled onto a new induction programme that includes training on the secure-base model that the organisation aims to form their practice around. This allows staff to have a better insight to the role.

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good

Supervisions are of good quality and provide staff with the opportunity to develop within their roles. Staff report that they enjoy working in the home and are positive about the support that they receive.

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good

Managers and staff build good relationships with professionals. One social worker informed the inspectors that the home goes ‘above and beyond’ to support their child with family visits, while a clinician informed them that ‘communication is good’. Effective partnership working helps to provide quality care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC366080 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to receiving statutory documents for each child. 31 January 2023

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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 91) requires the registered person to ensure—

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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;

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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)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff understanding and following the plans set out in children’s individual management plans. 31 January 2023

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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— 31 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC366080 7 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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received 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)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers having effective monitoring tools in place that will highlight areas of improvement, such as developing the therapeutic approach within the home. This also includes providing children with the opportunity to speak to the independent visitor.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (2))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff using ground restraint without due consideration of alternative strategies. 31 January 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that for children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in Inspection report for children’s home: SC366080 8 doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. This includes ensuring that fire door procedures are followed. (‘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: SC366080 9

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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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Inspectors

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC366080 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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