Children's Home run by Reflexion Care Group Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2807721 1 Registered provider: Reflexion care group 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

This multi-building home is owned by a private company. The provision consists of three separate houses and each home may accommodate one child. The children may have experienced trauma resulting in social or emotional difficulties and may have learning disabilities. At the time of inspection, two of the homes were occupied and the inspector spoke to both children.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified and experienced manager oversees the three homes.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the provider’s first inspection since registering with Ofsted in November 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 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2807721 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This provision is made up of three homes, each of which can accommodate one child. One of the homes was previously registered with Ofsted in its own right, and the child living in that home has remained there for several years. Since registering as a multi- building provision, the provider has welcomed another child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child moved into the home at short notice. The manager took steps to make this a positive experience for the child. They made sure the child received information about the home before moving. When the child moved to the home, their family spent time with them and shared a meal at the home. This is likely to have reduced the child’s feelings of worry during a significant change in their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the homes in this provision are decorated and furnished to a high standard. Photos of children and their important people are displayed on walls. Children’s presence in each home is clear, with their games and possessions evident throughout. This contributes to a homely feel, which provides pleasant spaces for children to enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in their home and speak positively of their experiences. One child scored their home 9 out of 10, saying, ‘It is nice, people are kind, you can have time with the staff.’ Another child said the best thing about living in their home was their relationships with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff and feel that staff help them. Staff are proactive in seeking children’s wishes and feelings, and act on these when it is appropriate. As a result, children feel listened to and trust the adults caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive highly individualised care. Staff have reflective conversations with children that aim to help them become safer, healthier and happier. These conversations focus on learning and avoid blaming or causing shame. As a result, children are making good progress in significant areas of their lives. The social worker for one child said, ‘He has been the most stable he has been in his whole life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is treated as a priority. Staff work collaboratively with children’s schools and associated professionals. As a result, children are making good progress. One child’s attendance in school has improved since moving into the home. Another child has achieved significant improvement in their reading ability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical and emotional health needs are being met. The manager strongly advocates for children when their physical or mental health requires assessment or support. Children receive therapeutic support from the home’s therapist, whose work also informs the practice of staff. As such, children have been well supported through very challenging periods in their life, for example bereavements, and when exploring aspects of their identity. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807721 3 Children spend time with the people that are important to them. Where appropriate, staff welcome children’s families and build effective working relationships with them. Family members regularly visit the homes, share meals, and communicate about the children and their care. One family member said, ‘They communicate well with each other and me. It helps [name of child] settle.’

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

Children feel safe living in their home. Safeguarding incidents are rare because children have positive relationships with staff and feel able to make decisions about their lives. Children know how to make a complaint. No complaints have been made because children feel listened to.

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

Staff know the children they care for well and are highly motivated to support them in achieving positive outcomes. One child’s social worker said, ‘Staff’s understanding of [child’s name], their knowledge of how to work with them, and their commitment to them is excellent. You get a sense that they really want them to do well, which is nice to see.’

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

Staff have a good understanding of the risks to children and how to keep them safe. As a result, children are becoming increasingly safe. Staff have completed work to address risks of exploitation and children going missing, which means that one child is now able to enjoy free time in the community. Another child is better able to understand their emotions and express these positively. This has led to a significant reduction in incidents of physical intervention.

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

Since registering, there have been three incidents of a child going missing from the home. On those occasions, staff followed the child’s plan and worked with partner agencies to ensure that the child returned to the home safely.

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

Staff are skilled at de-escalating difficult situations. As a result, there have been no incidents of children being held to keep them or others safe. Positive behaviour is promoted through frequent use of praise, rewards and reflective conversations. Staff rarely use consequences. When they do, the consequences are proportionate to the behaviour they are designed to dissuade. This supports children’s learning, their positive relationships with staff and helps them be safer.

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

While health and safety checks are undertaken weekly, staff are not always prompt at addressing issues when they are identified. When issues were identified with a car’s windscreen wipers, staff delayed addressing this for two weeks. There was no impact from this for children. However, it is important that managers ensure that vehicles are roadworthy. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807721 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager focuses on children in all that he does. He is a confident and ambitious advocate for the children in his care. Professionals highlight his excellent communication skills, partnership working and advocacy as strengths that drive progress for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager takes the well-being of his staff seriously. He ensures that staff are well supported through regular supervision and team meetings. Because of this, staff feel very well supported by their manager and feedback from staff is incredibly positive. One member of staff said, ‘I can’t speak highly enough about [name of manager], he has been a rock for me here.’ Another said, ‘[Name of manager] is very empowering. It’s brilliant, I love it here.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that staff receive training to help them meet children’s individual needs. When new needs emerge, managers seek out training to ensure that children are cared for by adults that are knowledgeable and skilled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have developed strong relationships with families and other agencies. They work hard to promote a collaborative approach to meeting children’s needs. Such an approach ensures that children’s needs are met promptly and that children have strong, well-informed networks of support. Feedback from professionals was overwhelmingly positive. One professional said, ‘I think they are doing a brilliant job, they have a really good understanding of [child’s name], they advocate for his needs. They are really good at advocating for them. They meet his basic care needs to a high standard.’ Another said, ‘All I can say is it is a very positive experience from our end. What is evident are that their relationship with [child’s name] is excellent, and that they advocate for them.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2807721 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s cars are roadworthy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2807721 6

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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

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2807721 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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