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

This home is run by a privately owned company. The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced manager who is registered with Ofsted and holds the required management qualification.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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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

04/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, no children have left the home and one child has moved in. At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are looked after by staff who know them well. Staff are invested in the children and provide them with nurturing care. This helps children to make progress in their lives and have a positive experience living at this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are caring for children of differing ages, with diverse needs and different experiences before coming to live at the home. Staff respond to the needs of each child well. Staff read the younger child bedtime stories as part of their night-time routine. This provides the child with one-to-one time with staff and encourages them to develop their imagination and to take an interest in stories and in reading more generally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a range of positive activities that are arranged to suit their individual interests. One child, who loves the outdoors and animals, is supported to visit local farms and petting zoos. Children look forward to these activities and enjoy them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Support from the organisation’s psychologist is used to inform children’s care. Staff are provided with information and support that help them to provide trauma- informed care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children and act on their wishes and feelings. Regular discussions have replaced the weekly children’s meeting and allow children to talk about the food that they would like to eat and the activities that they would like to do. Children find this beneficial and, as a result, these discussions are a popular feature in the home. Feedback is given to the children and this helps them to feel valued and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining connections with family and friends. Staff work in partnership with people who are important to children and this helps children benefit from a consistent experience of care and support. One family member spoke positively about being able to contribute to decisions about how their child is cared for, and that they are involved in decisions about their child’s future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Decisions about children coming to live at the home are well considered. As a result, children live in a harmonious home environment. However, not all children are provided with a children’s guide, due to the home not having developed an age- appropriate version for younger children. This is a missed opportunity to provide young children with accessible information about advocacy and the care they can expect to receive. Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 4 Children living in this home are not attending full-time education. Various barriers prevent this. Staff provide one child with plenty of activities and opportunity to learn outside of school. However, this is not consistently provided to the other child. Because of this, there is a lack of daily routine and structure to promote meaningful activity for this child and to enhance their learning opportunities.

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

Staff show good knowledge of safeguarding practice and follow clear procedures when incidents occur. The registered manager’s consultation with professionals is effective and positive for the children.

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

Children’s individual management plans are comprehensive, regularly reviewed and support staff to care for children safely. Staff understand the vulnerabilities of the children living in the home. They support children to build their practical skills and to develop their understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour and boundaries for the children, who are helped to understand their own behaviours through discussions with staff. This practice provides opportunities for learning and developing coping strategies. This sensitive and inclusive approach has contributed to a reduction in risk-taking behaviour. Physical interventions and the use of consequences are rare.

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

Staff work in a sensitive and nurturing manner to support children who show their emotional distress through their behaviours. Staff provide non-judgemental and consistent care in circumstances which are sometimes emotionally and physically challenging. Children say they trust staff and always have someone they can talk to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff are passionate about their work and are child- centred. The registered manager is aware of areas for development. The recommendation raised at the last inspection has been met, which has improved the fire safety procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s leadership has a positive impact on the home. The staff team is a mix of established and new staff, all of whom speak positively about the care, support and leadership of the registered manager and senior staff. All staff report that they enjoy their role and are happy with the training and support that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good management oversight means the registered manager has knowledge of the children’s day-to-day experiences. He also has a well-rounded view of the progress that the children are making and the quality of care they are receiving from the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have the training they need to meet children’s needs. Before children come to live at the home, staff receive additional training specific to a child’s needs. This has Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 5 included training in playfulness and self-care. This has helped staff to understand some of the children’s behaviours and to support each child in line with their care plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular supervision from the registered manager ensures that staff are clear about their performance and goals. However, records do not always reflect the support given to staff and how their well-being is considered following incidents and performance concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good partnership working and communication with external agencies. Social workers speak positively about the care children receive and working together to ensure best outcomes for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, they are supported to regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. In addition, that they are supported to return to education as soon as possible. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home if the placement is made in an emergency) and must be age-appropriate, provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure they understand it. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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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 7

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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

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2563818 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 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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