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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 1 Registered provider: Reflexion Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company and provides care for up to 2 children who have faced adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in this home at the time of the inspection and both children were spoken with.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Good 06/02/2024 Full Outstanding 28/02/2023 Full Outstanding 08/11/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff in this home know the children well and invest time in them. As a result, children have trusting and secure relationships with staff. One social work team manager said, ‘[Name of child] is making great progress. They have settled after lots of previous moves. This is due to the hard work of the manager and team.’ Children say that they enjoy living in this home. They are at ease with staff and have trusted adults they can talk to. As a result, children feel safe to have important conversations with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s feedback is sought and is usually listened to, although this is not consistent. Children’s views are not sought in line with the home’s statement of purpose, and when children share their views, they do not get feedback soon enough. On one occasion, a child raised a concern with the independent visitor. The manager did not ensure that this was responded to appropriately, and the child was not asked if they wanted to make a complaint. This does not ensure that children always feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to make good progress in their education. After starting college, one child had been late for some lessons. Staff helped the child by calling them during the day to remind them of where they need to be. This has improved their attendance in lessons. One teacher commented that the child has benefited from the joined-up communication between the home and the school. The teacher said, ‘They are fantastic and have worked wonders, I can’t sing their praises highly enough.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family members have excellent relationships with staff. Professionals said that promoting time for children with their family is a strength of the home. This helps children to spend time with important people in their lives. The manager shares strategies with family members that will help the child. One parent said, ‘When my child comes home to see me, I can call the home for support if I need it.’ Another family member said, ‘Staff are consistent and reliable. They always come back to me when I need to speak to them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to become more independent. One child is due to move from the home within the next year. The child has a life skills planner, which staff follow. This ensures that staff support children with all aspects of independence planning. The child contributes regularly to this plan to reflect on what they would like to focus on next. This helps the child prepare for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home looks and feels like a family home. There are photos of the children on display and their bedrooms are personalised. However, some areas of the home require improved oversight, as they are unsafe and untidy. Managers took action to address some of these issues during the inspection, but some remain outstanding. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 4

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

Children feel safe in this home and incidents are rare. Physical intervention is not used. This is because staff are skilled in supporting children and helping them calm down when they feel emotionally distressed. Staff have regular input from an in-house therapist. This ensures that the therapeutic model of care is embedded into practice. As a result, children receive help and support to manage their feelings safely.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the risks the internet can pose. Staff and managers take appropriate action on the rare occasion that there are concerns about children’s internet or device use. This supports children to become increasingly safe online.

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

Children have not gone missing from this home. On one occasion, a child went missing from school. Staff searched for the child and contacted family members. When the child was found, they were warmly welcomed home and were spoken with about where they had been. The manager worked with the school to minimise the risk of this happening again. As a result, the child has not gone missing again.

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

Staff sensitively support children to understand the risks of alcohol and drug use. However, staff do not provide children with enough support to reduce the risks of vaping. One child is known to have used vapes and staff were not clear if the child was still using these. During the inspection, the manager reiterated expectations to staff about how to support children in these circumstances.

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

Staff are skilled at supporting children’s emotional wellbeing. One child receives regular support from the home’s in-house therapist. This helps to reduce risks around children self-harming.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic and committed to ensuring that children achieve the best possible outcomes. She knows the children well and is a strong advocate for them. She has established good relationships with partner agencies. One professional said, ‘The communication with the manager is excellent. She advocates for the child’s needs. She has been helpful in communicating and reassuring the family, which has supported the care plan.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in this home and, in general, they say that they feel supported by the managers and others in the team. One staff member said, ‘It’s amazing to work here, the team work together well and they are supportive.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. They provide staff with an opportunity to reflect on the children’s needs and develop their learning. During these meetings, the home’s therapist has delivered workshops to help the staff be trauma- Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 5 informed. This gives staff a further opportunity to talk about how they have used this learning in their everyday work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision does not happen regularly enough and is not always reflective. This means that one staff member had not had supervision for 10 weeks. This impacts on staff’s ability to reflect on their practice and to ensure that staff wellbeing is always supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the staff are experienced and qualified, although one staff member has not completed their qualification in the statutory timescales. Staff usually have the required training to meet children’s needs. However, one staff member was 6 months out of date in renewing their medication training. The manager had not taken effective action to address this. During this time, the staff member had administered medication to a child. No harm came to the child because of this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been actively involved in caring for the children due to some staff absences. She acknowledges that, at times, this has impacted on her ability to carry out some leadership tasks. Leaders and managers do not always have effective tools in place to improve the quality of care that children receive. When risk management plans are completed by leaders and managers, they do not always accurately reflect the children’s individual risks, which impacts on the strategies identified to mitigate them. The responsible individual does not have effective monitoring tools in place to ensure thorough oversight. This does not ensure that leaders and managers address any shortfalls in the home. The manager now has new tools in place, which they intend to use going forward. However, these were not fully embedded at the time of the inspection, and their effectiveness could not be considered. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. 5 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that that staff have all mandatory qualifications and training and that they receive regular and reflective supervision. The registered person should ensure that effective monitoring tools are in place. This includes having effective oversight of home conditions, and that children’s views about their care are considered and responded to in a timely way.

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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: 2507361 8

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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

Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Vickie Brown, HMI Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 9 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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