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 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: 10 December 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: 2507361 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2025 Full Good 04/03/2025 Full Good 06/02/2024 Full Outstanding 28/02/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 3

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Summary of findings

The staff team creates a safe and stable environment for children. This contributes to children developing trust in the people who care for them and helps them to make progress. Children say they are happy and have built good relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding practice is strong. Staff have a good understanding of each child’s individual needs, vulnerabilities and risks. This helps them to identify when children are struggling and support them to become safer.

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Summary of findings

The manager is an excellent advocate for children and is highly regarded by external professionals. She promotes positive relationships and works closely with people who are important to the children. Children’s progress is recognised by families and professionals, who say that leadership contributes to excellent care and support for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and understand their individual needs. Children are encouraged to participate in planning for their future. Staff understand children’s preferred ways of communicating, and this helps children to express and understand their needs more confidently. One child received a bespoke moving-out plan carefully tailored to their unique needs relating to neurodiversity. This support helped the child to engage in his next steps, while creating a sense of ownership.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with family members, ensuring that relationships that are important to children are nurtured and sustained. One child has been supported to return to their birth family because of coordinated and thoughtful work. Family members are encouraged to visit the home, and staff stay in touch through a range of communication methods. This consistent approach supports children’s identity and helps children feel connected to their histories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to understand and make sense of their emotions. This enables children to seek out support when they need it while also developing skills to regulate and manage their emotions. Children are encouraged to use emotion charts to express how they are feeling and to talk through the process. This has led to a significant decrease in the use of physical restraint.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with their education. Children attend full time and are making progress. Managers work effectively with education specialists to address challenges with attendance and devise effective strategies. This practice has resulted in one child being able to fully apply themselves to their studies and make academic progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 4 Health needs for children are met. Staff support children through discussions on how to meet their physical and mental health needs. Staff teach children about self-care and developing a predictable routine, leading to increased confidence and independence. Managers and staff prepare children well for leaving the home, including providing information about emergency services and specialist helplines. As a result, children leave the home with improved awareness and clear plans to support their emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in various activities they enjoy, both at home and out in the community. Peer relationships are nurtured through shared interests and inclusion. This practice has allowed children to feel part of a family unit, with one child saying his peer is ‘like my brother’.

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

Children are protected from harm in the community and online. Staff in the home are confident about the procedures they should follow in the event of a child being at risk of neglect, abuse and exploitation. They use safeguarding guidance to respond promptly and work closely with external agencies to support children’s safety.

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

Staff understand and educate children around the risks associated with online platforms, encouraging open dialogue. One child applied this learning when they found themselves in an unsafe situation in the community, seeking support from local police officers and contacting staff. This demonstrates that the child was able to recognise risk and apply the strategies they had been taught.

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

Staff support children to understand their feelings and behaviours through both discussion and visual resources. This reflective work helps children to recognise unhealthy or unsafe relationship dynamics. As a result, children develop essential skills that help to keep them safe in the future.

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

Safeguarding incidents in the home remain low, and there have been no physical interventions during this period. This reflects the strong, trusting relationships staff have built with children, enabling positive behaviours to be promoted because staff help children to express their emotions and to feel safe and understood.

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

Allegations and complaints are managed effectively. The manager is proactive and ensures a thorough investigation is undertaken to ensure children’s safety. Letters are written and shared with children to explain the outcome of investigations. This supports children to understand that their voice is heard and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is well led by an extremely dedicated and inspirational manager, who is outstanding. She is a child-centred manager who consistently encourages staff to deliver care that leads to better outcomes. She has high aspirations for children and Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 5 inspires staff to share this ethos. This demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring that children receive the highest standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager advocates for children exceptionally well and is highly regarded by external professionals, who describe her as consistently going above and beyond for children. Her tenacity and child-centred practice were instrumental in supporting one child’s reunification with their birth parents. She also secured a more suitable independent living arrangement for another child, who required additional support, demonstrating her ability to challenge and influence others. One social worker said it is a ‘massive privilege to work with her’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff embed the therapeutic model through approaches grounded in research and trauma-informed care. Staff are supported through team meetings and formal and informal supervision. The support available allows staff to reflect on their practice, further understanding children’s experiences and vulnerabilities while celebrating success. Staff development is supported through a wide range of training. All of this contributes to sustained positive progress for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Since the last inspection, the manager has introduced a number of monitoring tools to track children’s progress and ensure that staff are meeting the Children’s Homes Regulations. The manager is active in embedding the home’s ethos through the care delivered in the home in line with the statement of purpose. The manager’s style of working leaves little room for gaps in the care received by children, ensuring that children’s needs remain a priority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s achievements are captured in memory books, allowing children to have a visual reminder of how far they have come and their experiences while living in the home. Staff ensure that all documents containing information about children are written sensitively, using language that is child focused and respectful. This provides children with meaningful records they can look back on with pride.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers strive for better outcomes for children and demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous improvement. They use reflective oversight, regular auditing and feedback from children and professionals to inform their practice. This allows leaders to identify gaps and resolve issues in a timely manner. However, the independent visitor mostly carries out announced visits. This is a missed opportunity to strengthen external scrutiny and ensure that children benefit from impartial oversight. Managers are reviewing arrangements to address this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information through a combination of announced and unannounced visits. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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 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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Inspectors

Salma Ahmed, Social Care Inspector Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2507361 8 regulates 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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Inspectors

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