Children's home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2580303 1 Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. The home provides care for up to two children who have experienced childhood instability resulting in trauma and associated complex emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post who is experienced and holds an appropriate 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

Date of last inspection: 21 November 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: 2580303 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2023 Full Good 29/09/2022 Full Good 22/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2580303 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The same two children are living at the home as at the time of the last inspection. Both children are settled, have lived at the home for a long time and have built strong and trusting relationships with staff. Most staff have cared for the children since they came to live here and so understand how best to support their needs and promote their talents and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school and make good progress. The manager and staff are invested in children’s education and have forged effective relationships with teachers. This helps children to receive the support they need. One child has been able to continue at the same school since before she came to live at the home, despite the school being a considerable distance from the home. The manager recognises the importance of stability in education to support children’s progress, help them to maintain friendships and promote their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child’s education attendance is below 90%. Although there is verbal agreement among professionals to allow some leniency around this on Monday mornings, this is not incorporated into the child’s plan. In addition, the arrangement has not been reviewed for some time. As a result, it is unclear whether this is still proportionate to the needs of the child, compared to the missed opportunities it creates for his learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. They have access to universal health services and they attend all routine appointments. Staff identify if specialist health services are needed and assist children to access this support. In-house therapeutic support is available and accessed by children weekly if they choose to engage. This time is always protected for children to use. Staff receive training in the home’s therapeutic model and are supported monthly by clinicians to promote a consistent approach to care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place children at the centre of their practice. The two children have differing needs and interests. Their individuality is well considered and reflected in their personalised care plans. Staff help children to pursue their interests, nurture their talents and also promote new opportunities for them. One child has a talent for art, and this is supported through the child having access to a dedicated room for craft. Children are thriving as they feel valued and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager creates a culture of supporting relationships with children’s birth families. She is committed to building effective relationships with those who are important to children. Communication is generally good between the home and parents, although one parent commented that they would like more information around their child’s progress. This was rectified immediately. Parents speak positively about the care and support their child receives. Inspection report for children's home: 2580303 4 Children enjoy frequent opportunities to socialise and meet up with friends and family. Both children are from out of the area and are being well supported to maintain these key relationships and retain strong links with the areas they identify as home.

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

Staff understand children’s risk and vulnerabilities. They work hard to ensure that children feel safe and protected and know how best to support them. Children have strong relationships with staff and can identify trusted individuals to talk to.

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

Individualised risk assessments are in place for each child. These are live documents which are reviewed monthly or following an incident, ensuring that the approach to mitigating harm and potential risks remains effective. Staff understand and implement the strategies to support children and, as a result, children are safe.

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

There have been no missing-from-home episodes since the last inspection. Although the risk of children going missing from home is low, staff are aware of what to do in the event of such an incident. The rural location of the home and the additional risks associated with this have been considered. The missing-from-home protocol includes access to an emergency ‘grab bag’ for staff, including items such as a torch and photo of the child, to aid searches.

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

A therapeutic approach is embedded in staff practice and they use this effectively in their care of children and to manage challenging situations. There has only been one physical intervention required to keep a child safe since the last inspection. This was proportionate and used as a last resort, and the incident had managerial oversight to evaluate the appropriateness of the measure.

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

Children receive good support to take age-appropriate risks to promote their independence. Clear plans are in place for one child to enjoy time with friends, including overnight stays. The manager works with the child’s placing authority to create this plan of support to balance risk in a proportionate way.

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

Staff have received training and keep the children safe online. An age-appropriate response to online safety is applied by staff. This ensures that children’s online access is not disproportionately restricted and they are well supported to safely navigate the internet. Children receive guidance and education around online risks and so can use technology safely.

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

The home is well maintained and finished to a high standard. The manager and staff undertake health and safety and fire safety checks in a timely manner. There are also appropriate measures in place to safely recruit staff. These measures ensure that children are living in a safe and comfortable environment, and they are cared for by suitable adults. Inspection report for children's home: 2580303 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A child-focused manager leads the home. She has an exceptional understanding of the children’s experiences, personalities, needs and risks and has built strong relationships with both children. This ethos is embedded in the staff team. Staff demonstrate commitment and warmth in their approach and they have also developed meaningful relationships with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A consistent staff team has had minimal change since the last inspection. Staff enjoy caring for the children and are well supported to do so. Children are cared by staff they know and trust and who understand their needs and how best to care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide new staff with a good induction. Ongoing learning and development opportunities are available for established team members. All staff are up to date with their training and find training informative. Staff say that training has given them confidence in their role and enhances the care they provide to children. Additionally, staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals to support their well- being and continual professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager builds effective relationships with those who work as part of the team around the child. When needed, the manager has proactively sought the expertise of specialist services, such as children’s advocates, to ensure that the voice of the child is heard throughout care planning processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She has effective monitoring systems in place and uses these to continually review and drive forward improvements in the quality of care for children. However, some information is only accessible to the manager. Consideration is needed to ensure that other significant people can access this information in her absence. Inspection report for children's home: 2580303 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should ensure that records that are kept electronically (regulation 38) can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view them and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. In particular, the registered person should ensure that information stored by the manager can be accessed if needed when they are away from the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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: 2580303 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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Inspectors

Joanne Hawkins, Social Care Inspector Jackie Line, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2580303 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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