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

This home is run by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have had adverse childhood experiences and may have a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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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: 29 November 2022

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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: SC366080 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/09/2021 Full Good 03/12/2019 Full Good 26/11/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC366080 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. No children have left since the previous inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a consistent staff team who know them well. As a result, children are happy and settled and say they like living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend education which meets their individual needs. They enjoy going to school and their attendance is good. There is a joined-up approach between care and education staff to identify any barriers to children’s learning and to find solutions. For example, one child needed alternative arrangements to sit their exams. The manager advocated for the child and, as a result, arrangements have been made to support the child. Another child who struggled with learning is now much more confident, and their attainment has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to take part in a variety of activities, such as fishing, walking, horse riding and skiing. All children have recently been on holiday. These opportunities mean children develop their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed plans to help children become more independent. However, staff are not proactive in progressing the targets identified for children and children do not have the opportunities to learn new skills as quickly as they could.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped by staff to express their wishes and feelings. They are consulted on all aspects of their care. Staff tailor their approach so that all children can contribute, for example, using emojis to express their likes and dislikes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped by staff to maintain relationships with their families and other people who are important to them, no matter what the distance. Staff send newsletters to families, which helps them keep up to date with what their children are doing and achieving at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals were complimentary about the home and the care given to the children. However, on one occasion, a social worker had not been promptly informed that a child now had a mobile phone. This meant the placing authority was not kept fully informed of what was happening.

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

Children are kept safe because they are cared for by a consistent staff team who know them well. However, plans are not always promptly updated, and some plans mean there are unnecessary restrictions in place. For example, one child is not able to keep their own razors, despite there being no known risks. Inspection report for children's home: SC366080 4 When concerns are raised by children, the manager has taken prompt action to report and investigate. As a result, children feel listened to and know that their concerns will be taken seriously.

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

Staff help children to stay safe online. Children undertake learning in online safety and staff check online devices such as phones and games consoles. When concerns are found, action is taken to report any issues and children are provided with additional learning.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. Plans are in place which tell staff what action they need to take if a child was to go missing.

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

On occasions, staff use physical intervention to keep children safe. This is only used when necessary and only after all other preventative measures have been tried. The need to use physical intervention has reduced as children have become more settled.

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

Staff use consequences to help children learn about unwanted behaviours. However, consequences are based on taking things away from children or financial compensation. This does not give an opportunity for children to fully reflect and learn.

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

There have been two medication errors. There was no harm to the child. However, the manager identified that staff had not been following the home’s medication protocols and has put in place additional learning for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s registered manager is due to leave, and a new manager has yet to be appointed. Leaders are carefully considering how this transition will be managed so that there is the least impact on the children living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has used his monitoring systems to make changes to the home and this has resulted in children being more settled. This period of stability has meant children have started to make some progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel well supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision and a variety of training. However, training in care for children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is limited. Staff have not had training to support children who have developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia) and dyslexia. This means that staff may not have all the skills and knowledge they need to care for the children living at the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC366080 5

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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, The 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the lack of robust plans to support children effectively to make progress. In addition, that plans have all the information needed to provide safe care that is not overly restrictive and promotes children’s development. 26 January 2024

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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— 26 January 2024 Inspection report for children's home: SC366080 6 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff having training in developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia) and dyslexia and gaining more in-depth knowledge about working with children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In addition, training must be refreshed within agreed timescales.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should seek to involve the placing authority when decisions are made, for example, a child having a mobile phone. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that prescribed medicines are only administered to the individual for whom they are prescribed. Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should that ensure any consequence used to address poor behaviour is restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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 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

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC366080 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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