Children's home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 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

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to care for up to six children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a school on the same site, which is open to children living at the home and day students. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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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: 26 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2023 Full Outstanding 11/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were five children living in the home. Since the last inspection, one child has come to live in the home. No children have left.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from good individualised care and support. They are cared for by staff who they trust and have positive relationships with. Staff understand children’s individual needs well and deliver therapeutically-informed care to ensure these are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to communicate their wishes and feelings. Staff understand the importance of children’s voices being heard and provide them with communication systems individual to their needs. This approach enables children to comment on the care they receive and be involved in setting their own goals and targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are effective at meeting children’s health needs. All children are registered with local health services and attend routine health appointments. In addition, a clinical team provides children with more specialist support if required. This means that children are supported to maintain their physical health and helped to improve their emotional well- being over time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in education. They regularly attend the on-site school and say that they enjoy going to school and learning. There are close working relationships between school and residential staff, which benefit the children. There has been a delay securing an education placement for one child. However, leaders and managers have been strong advocates for the child and used appropriate processes to escalate their concerns to the relevant professionals. This has ensured the child has access to interim education arrangements until a placement is found.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote positive relationships between children and their families. They understand the importance of children having time with loved ones and ensure this is a positive experience where possible. On occasions when family time can raise anxieties for children, staff manage this in a sensitive way to reduce any potential effect on relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with fun activities both in the home and in the community. Children attend a weekly disco that is specific to their needs and abilities, and one child has taken part in charity events, raising money for specific causes. Children also enjoyed a seaside holiday earlier in the year. A wide variety of activities and experiences means that children are given opportunities to have fun and develop key social skills. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 4

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

Children have detailed individual behaviour management plans which are regularly reviewed. They provide clear guidance and strategies for staff to follow. Staff are also proactive in following children’s risk assessments, which helps to keep children safe.

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

There has been one allegation made by a child since the last inspection. Appropriate action was taken by leaders and managers. Information was shared promptly with safeguarding agencies and steps were taken to ensure the child’s voice was heard. Follow-up actions were recommended and completed as part of the process.

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

On occasions when children have caused harm to themselves, staff have taken appropriate action to ensure their safety and well-being. Staff are clear about the strategies required to keep children safe and use de-escalation techniques to help children manage their emotions. On one occasion when staff could not prevent a child from accidentally causing serious harm to themselves, they ensured the child received appropriate medical care without delay.

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

Medication errors are rare. However, there was one occasion when staff did not administer a child’s routine medication. Staff were quick to identify the error and acted to ensure the safety and well-being of the child, seeking advice from medical professionals. Leaders and managers have taken positive steps as a result, implementing additional training and adjusting the medication routine.

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

There have been a significant number of restraints since the last inspection. This has included an increase in the use of more restrictive ground interventions, particularly with one child. Restraints are generally proportionate and necessary to ensure the safety of children and prevent harm being caused to staff. However, on one occasion, the record of a restraint suggested that it was not a proportionate response to presenting risks. It was not clear whether this was a recording error or whether the restraint was disproportionate.

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

Children’s views have not always been obtained in their preferred communication style following the use of a restraint. On one occasion, an observational debrief was used to monitor the child. However, the manager identified this shortfall and made improvements, and children’s views are now being sought appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has strong relationships with children. She is child-focused and takes pride in the progress children are making. She is a strong advocate for children and has high expectations for them. The manager is actively supported by the responsible individual, who also plays an active role in the oversight of the home and care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a high level of staff turnover since the last inspection, which had the potential to negatively affect children’s experiences. However, a core group of staff have Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 5 remained working in the home, and this has helped reduce the impact of staff leaving and ensured children have continued to receive effective and nurturing support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervisions and annual appraisals. They are positive about the support they receive from the management team and feel they benefit from this. Staff are encouraged to learn and make progress in their roles, and several have progressed to more senior roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training, including a number of training modules specific to children’s needs. The manager is also proactive at securing more specialised training from skilled professionals when needed. This ensures staff knowledge and practice are improved, which helps them to meet children’s complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have monitoring systems in place to ensure effective oversight of the service. Children’s progress is regularly monitored through placement plan reviews and children’s goals and targets are amended based on their progress. Children are involved in the process, ensuring their views contribute to it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has excellent relationships with partner agencies and family members, and this contributes to children’s needs being met effectively. Feedback from professionals is positive about the care children receive. One professional said, ‘We have really positive communication and work very closely together.’ A family member for one child said, ‘They go above and beyond for my child.’ These positive relationships show the value the manager places on effective joint working to ensure children’s needs are met to the highest standard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 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, 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

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring restraints carried out on children are proportionate to the level of risk being displayed. 27 February 2025

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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: 2655354 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

Carl Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2655354 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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