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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC405977 1 SC405977 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

A private company owns this children’s home. It provides care for up to two children, who have experienced childhood instability that has resulted in trauma and associated complex behaviours, and for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2018 and is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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: 15 January 2025

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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: SC405977 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2025 Full Good 14/02/2024 Full Good 06/04/2023 Full Good 13/07/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC405977 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home. Since moving in, the children have made good progress from their individual starting points. Both children were spoken with and said they liked living in the home. In relation to one child, one professional said that the child lives in a home where staff ‘have made a positive difference’ to the child’s life and the child ‘is doing very well’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how important family relationships are to children. Staff appreciate the home is a long distance from the children’s families. However, they work flexibly to help children maintain and build on those relationships with loved ones. This support has enabled the children to increase the time they spend with family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to positively engage in education. Both children have good school attendance and attend educational settings that meet their individual needs. Staff work alongside their education colleagues to support children’s ongoing engagement, which is helping them with their academic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide opportunities for children to participate in a range of activities and new experiences. Staff recognise that children enjoy different activities and games and so facilitate time with each child to explore their individual interests. For example, one child loves animals and regularly spends time at a local farm park. This helps children’s self- confidence and enables them to have fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is well maintained, has lots of character and provides a homely environment for children. There is plenty of space for the children to play. Children are proud of their bedrooms, which are decorated to their individual tastes and reflect their individuality. Some areas of the home need attention, which staff are taking action to address.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are generally well supported. Children are encouraged to eat varied and healthy meals. Staff ensure children attend their routine and specialist health appointments and follow advice given by health professionals. However, for one child staff have not been proactive in escalating a specific health concern, which could adversely impact on the child’s confidence and well-being in the longer term.

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

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff, who install consistent routines and boundaries. Praise and incentives are used to help reinforce those routines and boundaries, which provides stability in the children’s lives. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Inspection report for children’s home: SC405977 4 Staff understand the reasons for children becoming anxious and help to support children to make safe choices. Staff remain calm and use gentle correction to help challenge unsafe or unkind behaviour. Meaningful conversations are also used to help children understand how to stay safe and make positive choices.

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

When children raise concerns and allegations, staff take appropriate action to safeguard. Staff work cooperatively with the relevant professionals to keep children safe. Where appropriate, reconciliation meetings take place to enable children and staff to rebuild relationships and move on.

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

Staff support children to stay safe within the environment in which they live. The home is set within a unique location with its own individual risks. Staff ensure those risks are regularly reviewed and understood. This awareness ensures strategies are in place to help keep children safe.

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

Overall, incidents requiring staff to use physical restraint to manage children’s anxieties are safely implemented. There are opportunities for staff and children to reflect on its use. However, on one occasion the manager’s oversight of a physical restraint did not fully consider whether its use was appropriate and proportionate for the child. Although the child did not experience harm, the lack of oversight and review had the potential to leave the child vulnerable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and dedicated registered manager, who has high aspirations for children and wants the best for them. He maintains good oversight of children’s care and progress. He understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses and ensures action is taken to ensure children are provided with the stability they need to progress and thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and valued by leaders and managers. Staff receive regular supervision and have access to a range of training that helps equip them with the skills and knowledge to meet the children’s needs. Also, staff are provided with opportunities to develop in their roles and progress. This support has helped to maintain a skilled and stable staff team, who provide consistent care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a strong advocate for the children. Children have regular opportunities to share their views and experiences of the home and to discuss any concerns they might have. The registered manager’s oversight ensures that when children make requests, they are considered and responded to. This approach helps children to feel heard and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that safer recruitment processes are in place. Appropriate checks are carried out on new staff before they work at the home. This ensures children are cared for by suitably vetted staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC405977 5 Staff have strong working relationships within the children’s professional networks. Professionals speak highly of the care provided by the staff team. They say staff are supportive and communicate well with them. One professional said, ‘They have a brilliant understanding of the children.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC405977 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, 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

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that specialist professional advice is sought in relation to one child’s specific health needs, so that they are better able to support them. 31 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that approaches to restraint should recognise that children are continuing to develop, both physically and emotionally. Any use of restraint should be suitable for the needs of the individual child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 48, paragraph 9.54)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC405977 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

Louise Naylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC405977 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC405977 9

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