Children's home run by Keys Child Care Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report for children’s home: SC372602 1 SC372602 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 registered to care for up to three children. Children come to live at the home because of family or care-placement breakdowns. Some children have difficulties that make their situation very challenging, or they choose not to live in a family setting at this time. The registered manager is suitably qualified and was registered by Ofsted in October 2018.

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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 outstanding

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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: 27 October 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: SC372602 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/10/2021 Full Good 13/08/2019 Full Good 07/11/2018 Full Good 13/02/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC372602 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. They are cared for and supported by a friendly and motivated staff team. Staff know children well and understand their individual needs. Children’s educational attendance has increased, and children feel safe to engage in therapy to help them to understand and make sense of their life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager proactively and comprehensively considers each child’s risks and needs before new children are welcomed into the home. There is a strong sense of partnership working and careful consideration before children move in to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

On one occasion, a child moved suddenly from the home, following a number of serious incidents. The manager has completed a highly reflective exercise which has helped her to review care and identify learning for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from an environment that is warm and nurturing. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and reflect their personalities. One bathroom has been refurbished and other improvements have been identified to the home. An additional lounge area has been created. This gives children the space and opportunity to spend time together and apart.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Even though some children attend school and are making progress, one child is currently struggling to attend and engage in full-time education. The manager and staff are exploring ways of supporting the child to return to full-time education. This includes working with education providers and advocating for the child’s needs to be reassessed in the context of his experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s physical and emotional health needs well. They use a therapeutic model of care to consider the underlying causes of children’s behaviours and help children to manage their emotions. This enables staff to sensitively support children who experience trauma.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend quality time with children and get to know them. They do this to help them to understand children’s experiences and individual needs. Managers and staff use creative opportunities to involve children in their care. This has helped staff to review plans for one child and develop strategies to support her individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to stay in touch with their families and people who are important to them. As a result, children are helped to rebuild relationships, which supports their identify and sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders have high aspirations for children to develop their independence skills. Child-centred independence plans are implemented with children’s involvement. These give children guidance on preparing for adult life. Consequently, children feel empowered and confidently take their next steps towards adulthood. Inspection report for children’s home: SC372602 4

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

Staff complete risk management plans for each child. This enables staff to identify and understand children’s risks. Staff review risk management plans regularly and discuss them in team meetings. This helps staff to maintain consistency in practice when protecting children from harm.

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

Staff allow children to take appropriate risks in line with their age and understanding. When children place themselves at risk of harm, the responses from staff are swift and external safeguarding agencies are involved in the prevention and planning process. Staff explain risks well to children and in a way that they can understand. They give children opportunities to try again and learn from their behaviours.

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

Incidents of restraint in the home are low. When restraint is used, it is to prevent children from harming themselves or others. Staff understand that restraint is only to be used as a last resort when a child or adult is at risk of physical harm. Records of the incidents are detailed, and there is good management oversight and reflection. Learning is shared with staff to help prevent the further need for restraint.

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

Managers and staff respond quickly and proactively when children go missing from home. Staff follow protocols, including searching the local area and contacting family and friends to locate children quickly. The recording of such incidents is thorough. Staff work well with other professionals, such as social workers and the police, to ensure that children return home safely.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. When there are concerns of potential bullying in the home these are taken seriously by staff and responded to well. Allegations are reported to relevant child protection agencies and thoroughly investigated. The manager ensures that any learning is disseminated to the team.

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

The manager has worked hard to upskill her team to ensure that they understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. On the whole, this has had a positive impact. However, on one occasion, there was a level of complacency within staff practice, and this led to two children being absent from the home in the middle of the night without staff knowledge. The manager’s response has been robust, thorough and reflective. Children are being supported to learn from their mistakes and make better choices in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A highly passionate and ambitious manager leads the home. She has high expectations of the care delivered to children and shares this vision with a committed staff team. She has inspired the staff team to develop their practice and understand their role in supporting children and helping them to make progress. As a result, she has progressively raised the standards of care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC372602 5 The manager has an in-depth understanding of the plans for children and has high expectations of her team to drive these plans forward. In addition, the manager advocates well for children, and challenges other professionals when she does not feel that their actions are conducive to children’s needs and progress. She contributes significantly to children being able to make progress from their starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff see the manager as accessible, and they feel extremely well supported and valued. All staff are well trained and current in their practice. The training provided is focused on the needs of the children and is kept under regular review to ensure that it meets any emerging needs. Training and supervision are supported by reflective upskilling sessions. For example, the manager has completed learning sessions with staff about children’s risks, therapeutic care and peer relationships. This is supporting the development of a confident and capable staff team, within an environment where staff are continually supported to learn and develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff are highly reflective of practice and self-critical. They continually think about their practice with children and how this can be improved. They work closely with the therapist who is attached to the home, using trauma-based research to inform their practice. As a result, staff are good at identifying learning, which can be disseminated to other staff, informing future practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A high level of monitoring and review of children’s care takes place consistently. This covers all aspects of practice, staffing and the care that the children receive. The manager has a wide range of audit systems in place. Where it is needed, she makes changes and takes action to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Robust action is taken in response to complaints. Children know how to complain, and the manager thanks them for doing so. Children are supported well through the complaints process and are kept informed. They are provided with a child-friendly personalised letter of response. Complaints are few because of the positive relationships that children have with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have developed excellent relationships with internal and external professionals, who have great confidence in the care offered to children. One professional stated, ‘We have an excellent working relationship with [name of home] and, on the whole, could not ask for any more from them given the young person’s complex needs’. Another professional stated, ‘I think that what the team has done for [the child] is outstanding.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC372602 6

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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: SC372602 7

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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

Natasha Skinner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC372602 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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