Children's Home run by Bramley Care Limited in Surrey

Inspection report for children’s home: SC028505 1 SC028505

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Registered provider: Bramley Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

In this report, the children are referred to as young people, as this is the term that is used in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This home caters for young people who require specialist support. Every young person must agree to engage with the home’s therapeutic services in order to live there. At the time of the inspection, there were three young people living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home registered with Ofsted in August 2012 and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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: 13 February 2024

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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: SC028505 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2024 Full Good 31/01/2023 Full Good 14/07/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC028505 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people living at this home are making good progress and are supported to actively pursue their educational and career interests. One young person is interested in becoming an HGV driver and is being helped by staff to obtain his driving licence. During free time, young people enjoy playing on their gaming consoles and visiting the local community. They also enjoy group trips according to their interests, including theme parks and music festivals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people say that they feel well supported and are confident that staff understand them well. They describe feeling a sense of belonging at the home and also within the wider organisation. One young person, who was feeling homesick, was provided with Cornish pasties and prints to decorate his bedroom, which helped him settle in and feel welcomed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One of the core aims of this home is to prepare young people for living more independently. The structured independence programme is coupled with efforts from staff to engage young people in impromptu tasks to help them learn important skills for life, such as navigating domestic tasks, budgeting, independent travel and safe social media usage. One young person has shown a huge commitment to developing his independence skills since moving in, with the goal of earning more free time being a motivating factor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two young people have moved into the home since the last inspection. Staff and managers are aware of the impact when new young people move into the home. They prepare and respond to any challenges between young people using restorative outcomes. Young people are helped by staff to consider any anxieties they have when changes occur or any adjustments they need to live and thrive alongside one another.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to maintain positive relationships with family, friends and loved ones. The registered manager and staff go above and beyond to ensure that this time is meaningful and consistent for young people. A family member commented on the high level of communication from the home’s staff and that their child had made ‘a lot of progress’ since moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s care records generally contain accurate and valuable information about their individual circumstances. However, there are occasions when the language used by staff in records does not reflect the child-centred practice used in the home.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC028505 4 Good-quality risk assessments provide clear strategies for staff about how to recognise risk and respond effectively. The registered manager has developed excellent relationships with different agencies to ensure that there is a strong multi- agency approach to managing risk.

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

The therapeutic team within the organisation also informs how risk is managed. It helps to devise supportive responses for young people who may be experiencing difficulties or challenges. This approach enables the staff team to understand the reasons behind behaviour that young people present and to adapt the care it offers accordingly.

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

Very few incidents occur at this home, but when they do, they are taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and recorded well. The provider is transparent with the regulator about serious incidents. However, sometimes they are reported later than required.

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

Staff offer appropriate challenge to young people when needed and have developed relationships with young people that allow them to be open to difficult discussions. Recent recruitment has also created greater consistency in the staff team.

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

Staff help young people to think about the likely consequences of their actions and how to keep safe in the wider community. Young people engage purposefully in these discussions and are developing ways of expressing their feelings more safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a dedicated and active participant in the lives of the young people that he supports. He demonstrates that he has a detailed insight into the needs and wishes of the young people in his care and advocates effectively on their behalf. The registered manager has a clear understanding of young people’s progress and has developed effective tracking tools to assist with recognising young people’s achievements and support needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have built very positive working relationships with external professionals to achieve positive outcomes for young people. Communication with other agencies, and appropriate challenge from the registered manager, had a significant positive impact on a young person who recently moved out of the home. The result was that the young person moved to a placement that was more befitting to his needs and with a greater level of support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a strong understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement within the home. He ensures that there is a greater focus on learning and improvement, which has a meaningful impact on staff practice and the care that young people receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The introduction of peer reviews and audits also offers the opportunity for good practice and learning to be shared. Inspection report for children’s home: SC028505 5 Leaders are continuing to develop innovate ways, such as a collaborative forum, to increase young people’s engagement in decision-making across the organisation. The intention is for this to further enhance the opportunities that young people already have to provide feedback and influence their care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC028505 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people, including the regulator. The notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC028505 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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Inspectors

Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC028505 8 and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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