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

Inspection report children's home: SC372602 1 SC372602 Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and was registered by Ofsted in October 2018.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

Inspection report children's home: SC372602 2

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2023 Full Good 27/10/2021 Full Good 13/08/2019 Full Good 07/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC372602 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are three children living at the home. Since the last inspection one child has moved out into supported accommodation and one child has moved in from another home within the organisation. The other two children have lived at this home for over a year. All are settled and are making good progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A key strength of this staff team is the flexible partnership work they undertake with parents and professionals to promote the best outcomes for the children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education for all the children. They work creatively with educational professionals to meet each of the children’s individual needs at whatever stage of their educational journey. One child has been supported to stay at the school he was attending prior to moving into this home. His education staff state that he is more settled and is now attending and participating in after school clubs. The home’s staff provide additional support to the school by staffing the child’s placement at a local farm one day a week. Staff are going with another child to visit and explore college courses as well as supporting her to study for her mock and final exams.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are also creative and supportive when children are excluded from school. One child is now being educated at home. However, he is struggling to consistently engage with online and tutor lead sessions. Staff have introduced incentive schemes. These have been successful for a duration but are not yet resulting in consistent attendance or engagement. Staff are continuing to use strategies to support progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the children to build resilient friendships and relationships with their family. For example, where appropriate children increase the time, they spend with their parents and return to safely visit areas that were previously assessed as high risk for them. Staff respond quickly to opportunities for the children to socialise and experience different life experiences. One parent described informing staff at short notice of the opportunity for his son to join him on a walking and camping trip. He described staff going to extra mile to drive his son to join him.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children develop hobbies and interests that widen their social groups and broaden their community involvement. For example, one child is wary of groups so they have sourced one to one dance sessions with the hope that this will build the child’s confidence to eventually join a class. Staff also take the children on outings and holiday and have recently supported one child to go on holiday to Poland and another child to visit some football stadiums.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to supporting the children to become independent. They encourage participation in day-to-day household tasks and where appropriate are progressing the children through tailored independence plans. This includes supporting one child to find part-time employment and supporting another child to Inspection report children's home: SC372602 4 stay with his girlfriend’s family. This support means that the children are well prepared for the next steps in their lives.

p.3

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

Children are cared for by a consistent staff team who are child focused. A key strength of this staff team is the time they invest in the children. They listen to them and know them well. This helps the children to form positive relationships with staff, to develop a sense of belonging and see staff as positive role models. This caring ethos supports the children to make good decisions and progress in many areas of their lives.

p.4

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

Staff keep the children safe. They understand that when the children display challenging behaviours it is because of their frustrations, anxieties and previous experiences. Staff are skilled at identifying triggers that may result in the children placing themselves or others at risk.

p.4

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

Risk assessments and behaviour management plans highlight the children’s individual risks and provide staff with clear strategies how to reduce them. Consequently, staff manage risks well and offer the children the right support. For example, when a child goes missing from the home, staff respond swiftly. They are diligent in searching for the child and use all resources to help them to ensure that the child is safely returned home. Staff ensure that the child is offered a return home interview. This helps the staff to better understand why a child has gone missing from the home and bring in additional protective measures. This practice promotes the children’s safety and protects them from harm.

p.4

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

The children know how to raise concerns and the registered manager takes prompt actions to ensure they are kept safe, and their concerns are responded to. This means the children feel listened to and are safeguarded.

p.4

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

The staff team, with the support of the therapist attached to the home and external professionals, are currently completing work to support the children to better live alongside each other. They are using key worker sessions and day-to-day conversations to build relationships and help the children understand the impact that they can have on each other.

p.4

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

The home is safely located, and regular health and safety checks are carried out to ensure that the children live in a warm, safe and homely environment. Staff recruited to the home have undergone safer recruitment checks. This means staff working at the home are suitable to work with the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager who is suitably qualified. She is inspirational and leads by example. She has high expectations of herself and of the staff team. Her motivation and enthusiasm are infectious. She receives praise from the children, staff and other professionals. She talks with pride Inspection report children's home: SC372602 5 about her staff and the children’s achievements. She is continuously developing the staff team and service to drive up standards and ensure that the children receive an improving quality care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager understands the home’s strengths and is extremely competent in identifying areas for improvement. Internal monitoring systems focus on outcomes for the children. When shortfalls are highlighted, the registered manager acts quickly to resolve these.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager uses research and reflection to inform and improve staff practice. Staff are well trained in different models of care. They have a thorough understanding of the clinical models promoted by the provider and are regularly supported by a therapist who offers guidance about how to work with the children and reduce risk. The registered manager leads upskilling sessions in team meetings, these are activity led and focus on key areas of the clinical model. The staff team are using these sessions to reflect on practice and maintain their own self-care. This work has supported additional evidence that has been submitted to and evaluated by the clinical team and has led to a gold accreditation which has only been achieved by one other home within the company.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager ensures that staff are provided with excellent support. Supervision sessions are regular and of high quality. They help staff to generate ideas and reflect on their practice. New staff are robustly vetted and are supported through a clear, effective induction process. The registered manager is undertaking research into the reflective styles and individual development needs of each member of staff and is using this information to tailor the support that she offers.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager works closely with families and professionals and feedback is overwhelmingly positive. This partnership means that the children receive continuity of care and results in the children feeling safe and secure, knowing that everyone is working to their best interests. Inspection report children's home: SC372602 6

p.5

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 children's home: SC372602 7

p.6

Children's home details

Registered provider: Bryn Melyn Care Limited

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

p.7

Inspector

Dawn Bennett, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8