Children's home run by Bramley Care Limited

Inspection report for children's home: SC068272 1 SC068272 Registered provider: Bramley Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home can accommodate up to 14 children who require specialist support. Every child who is admitted must agree to engage with the home’s therapeutic services. There were eight children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The children attend the organisation’s school on the same site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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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: 14 December 2022

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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: SC068272 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/12/2022 Full Good 05/05/2021 Full Good 21/08/2019 Full Outstanding 19/12/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC068272 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive high-quality, personalised care from committed and knowledgeable staff. Staff think laterally about how to meet children’s needs and help them to make progress in a meaningful way. Staff also take time with children to ensure their space is personalised and comforting. One child told the inspector that his bedroom feels ‘homely and safe’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children demonstrate confidence and feel empowered to express their views. Their suggestions and requests are used to improve the care they receive and the environment they live in. In one instance, the children submitted a ‘business plan’ to leaders for an allotment to be created in the garden, which was subsequently approved by senior leaders. Other examples of children having a say in the way they are looked after include asking their views on renovations to the home and bedrooms, keeping pets in the home, fostering chicks and overhauling the incentive scheme.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are keen to facilitate children’s access to hobbies and activities, such as cadets, cycling, drama clubs and going to the gym. Staff liaise well with community groups to ensure children have the right support where needed to get the most out of these experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have access to education, with goals that are specific and well reviewed. Staff help children to build on their future prospects by considering their educational and employment options as an integral part of ongoing care. Independence plans are well aligned with therapeutic goals and are appropriately targeted to children’s developmental needs. Staff are committed to upskilling children from the moment they move into the home, enabling them to live more independently in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health and well-being of the children are prioritised. Care is underpinned by the therapies team, ensuring that approaches to children’s needs are trauma informed. Staff report that they have the support to discuss individual children’s needs on an ad hoc and structured basis with professionals specialising in therapeutic methods.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions focus on risk and complement the therapeutic support available to children. Children and staff describe a needs-led approach to these sessions, which help children build on social skills, repair relationships and reflect on their experiences and behaviours. Staff are responsive to children who require brief and regular conversations, while others prefer and tolerate more structured guidance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have negotiated the functioning of the reward and incentive scheme. The system promotes individual and team incentives through the accumulation of points. The children have had clear input into the rewards they wish to receive. Achievements are recognised and rewarded through a variety of means. The award Inspection report for children's home: SC068272 4 of ‘child of the week’ is a special recognition for effort and progress. This actively promotes cohesion and accountability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s meetings are well attended by children and staff alike. These meetings can be called by staff or children if they wish to discuss a difficulty or an issue they want to address with others in the home. These meetings are also an opportunity to discuss rewards, acknowledge good work or effort, and decide on activities for the upcoming week.

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

Recruitment remains a focus. The use of agency staff has decreased and is being closely tracked by the manager to ensure that familiar, regular and skilled members of staff are being used where there is a need for agency. This ensures that the consistency and quality of relationships between staff and children remain good. Agency induction processes have been improved, and additional checks have been introduced to ensure agency staff are safely used.

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

Managers respond to safeguarding incidents in line with their ethos of learning and development for both staff and children. They carry out thorough investigations and take positive steps to reduce the risk of future harm. This is also embedded through the therapeutic model of the home. Children are encouraged to understand their risks and vulnerabilities. This is a core objective of the home. One child said, ‘You get to correct what you did… It’s useful.’

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

Supervision is effective and meets the needs of staff according to their experience level. All staff report feeling supported and able to perform their duties safely. Staff say that they find group supervision beneficial and that it helps them to understand children more deeply.

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

Safeguarding is managed effectively, and risk prevention is innovative. The manager understands the importance of learning from incidents and disseminates this to staff and, where appropriate, to children. Staff have a sound grasp of how to keep children safe and are invested in achieving this.

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

Consideration is given to ensure that children will benefit from the model of care the home offers before they move in. Processes have improved, and feedback is sought from a number of sources to capture children’s histories in greater detail. While assessments are well informed and planning is careful, the risks between children are not explicitly cross-referenced to ensure compatibility.

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

Notifications are made to the regulator in a timely way, and the manager maintains good communication with the local authority and other professional networks. Managers and staff cooperate effectively and appropriately with the police when intervention is needed to address risks that arise and to ensure the safety of other children and the public. Inspection report for children's home: SC068272 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has high ambitions for children and advocates keenly on their behalf. He is well supported by senior staff and the responsible individual. The registered manager has created a culture that is nurturing and helps children to feel safe, cared for and listened to. Leaders ensure that children’s participation is championed in this home. Children’s views are prioritised and inform decisions about the way the home is run.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and leaders have a complete understanding of the children’s needs and a commitment to their progress. The registered manager is deeply invested in achieving positive outcomes for children, and this is modelled for staff. Children demonstrate warm and respectful relationships with the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is assertive yet amenable in offering challenge to other services in the interests of children. This has also been reflected in the feedback from professionals. One social worker said, ‘The manager and care team have been very receptive and open to hearing different perspectives and healthily challenging that.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is committed to continuous improvement and is both proactive and receptive to feedback, which is actively sought from children and partner agencies. He responds to critique from the independent person with fervour and capitalises on support from senior leaders to ensure action plans can be expedited. The manager understands the needs of the home well and produces highly reflective and insightful quality of care review reports.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision for all staff is timely, sensitive and specific. Staff report that they feel supported and that leaders show a commitment to their development. Staff also benefit from wider well-being support from organisational well-being resources and the therapies team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Diversity is celebrated at this home, and children’s needs are considered on an individual basis to ensure their communication needs and capacity to participate are well considered. This is reflected in the children’s progress reports and key-work sessions. It is also evident in how consequences are decided on and tailored to children’s developmental stages.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a culture of respect and acceptance in the home. Leaders create a restorative environment where staff and children can reflect on their actions and develop empathy. This approach is underpinned by the therapies team, which promotes effective engagement between staff and children by offering further insight into the specific needs of the child and their inner world. Inspection report for children's home: SC068272 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. In particular, the registered manager should ensure that risks are clearly cross-referenced against the needs, risks and vulnerabilities of children already living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: SC068272 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bramley Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

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Inspector

Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC068272 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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