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

Inspection report for children's home: SC366104 1 SC366104 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. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma, and social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since March 2023. The new manager has been in post since August 2023 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2023

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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: SC366104 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2023 Full Good 20/07/2021 Full Outstanding 04/11/2019 Full Outstanding 02/10/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC366104 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved out of the home and one child has moved in to the home. At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. During the inspection, the inspector spoke to a child who had left the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All three children moved from the home in a planned way. The managers and staff are committed to ensuring that children experience a carefully planned and managed move from the home. One child, who lived in the home for seven years, successfully transitioned to a foster placement. One child returned home to live with family, and the other child moved in to supported accommodation. Children and their families keep in touch with staff and share news about their progress. This approach to care planning is child centred and adds to the positive experience that children had while living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff ensure that children have a positive experience of moving in to the home, including when this has taken place in an emergency. The manager carefully considers children’s needs alongside the needs of children already residing in the home. The manager ensures that pre-admission documents are carefully analysed, and discussions take place with senior managers, clinical psychologists, and the social worker before agreeing to accommodate a child. When it is not possible for children to visit the home before moving in, the manager ensures that staff spend time with children to go through the children’s guide to help children to understand the expectations and routines of the home. The manager and staff ensure that children with additional needs or younger children receive an adapted version of the children’s guide, consistent with their age and understanding. This practice ensures that children receive individualised and effectively planned care

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

when coming into the home. This practice also helps children to feel less anxious about moving in to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given opportunities to share their views, wishes and feeling about the daily arrangements and care planning. There is a strong culture where children’s views are ascertained and acted on. This enables children to feel a sense of belonging as their views are prioritised and advocated where necessary. Children’s hobbies and interests are promoted, and staff are committed to ensuring that children have positive and meaningful life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about staff. One child who recently left the home said, ‘Staff were brilliant, they helped me a lot, they made me better.’ Positive and nurturing interactions were observed between children and staff. A relationship- based approach used by the staff is consistent with the home’s therapeutic approach. This helps children to feel valued and experience increased self-worth, which helps them to thrive and achieve good outcomes. Inspection report for children's home: SC366104 4

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

There is a strong and proactive response from managers and staff to ensure that children are safeguarded and protected from harm. Risk management and individual support plans identify any known vulnerabilities for children. Staff have a good understanding of children’s plans and follow them in practice.

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

Allegations are investigated promptly and thoroughly, and children are the centre of staff’s practice. Children’s concerns are acknowledged by the manager, and children are kept informed throughout the investigation. The managers share the information with the appropriate professionals or agencies, and children are consulted with when the investigation concludes. This practice enables children to feel safe and listened to.

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

The managers and staff use behaviour management approaches that empower children to understand and develop more-positive responses and behaviours when they are in crisis. This approach, alongside the reflective discussions and key-work sessions, help children to manage their behaviours and feelings safely and positively. This has contributed to a significant reduction in the use of sanctions to manage children’s behaviours in the home.

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

Restraint is used only as a last resort. When staff need to physically intervene to keep children safe, reflective discussions take place promptly with staff and children. This practice ensures that children are given an opportunity to reflect on their actions, and for staff to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the team. The manager is child centred and has high aspirations for the children and the staff team. During the period before the appointment of the current manager, the responsible individual and other managers within the organisation were involved in the day-to-day management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children are supported by an experienced and qualified staff team. Staff have completed mandatory training. Managers have identified additional training for staff to meet children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly, which give staff the opportunity to review and share ideas on best practice. Staff receive regular child-centred supervision that focuses on improving the quality of care to children and staff development. Supervisions are of a high quality, and staff are given an opportunity to reflect on their practice and professional development. This ensures that children receive care from a motivated staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a range of reviewing and monitoring systems to maintain oversight of the home. While this has been effective in ensuring oversight of all Inspection report for children's home: SC366104 5 incidents, some incidents reviewed by the manager have lacked the critical analysis and professional curiosity to identify gaps in staff practice. This is a missed opportunity to identify and address any practice issues to improve the quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person does not consistently ascertain children’s views as part of external monitoring. The managers and the responsible individual have taken steps to address these shortfalls during the inspection. Inspection report for children's home: SC366104 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager critically reviewing incidents and identifying and addressing shortfalls with staff practice to improve the quality of care to children. 7 April 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person seeks children’s views to enable them to form an impartial judgement of the quality of care that children are receiving. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65 paragraph 15.8)

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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: SC366104 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

Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC366104 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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