Living Springs

Living Springs Inspection report for residential family centre

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SC047184 Unique reference number 21 November 2007 Inspection date Christy Wannop Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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Barratts Coppice Farmhouse Address Bridgnorth Road Stourton Stourbridge DY7 6QY 01384 872 817 Telephone number info@livingsprings.co.uk Email Living Springs Registered person Jane Chapman Registered manager Jane Chapman Responsible individual 1 November 2006 Date of last inspection .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Living Springs, 21 November 2007

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Brief description of the service

Living Springs is a registered charity and a registered charitable company based on the Christian ethos. The organisation and buildings on site include the registered residential family centre in the main house, adjoining administrative offices and a separate block of four self contained flats offering accommodation on license to people in need. The organisation operates a service providing supervised contact visits on and off site for children who are looked after and their parents. Living Springs is a detached property set in spacious grounds in a rural setting. It is registered to accommodate a total of three families at any one time. Each family has their own bedroom, shower and toilet and lounge area with television. Two staff sleeping in rooms are situated within the family space for close supervision of children. A further bedroom is available to accommodate a family with three or more members. Other facilities are shared within the

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Brief description of the service

centre on the ground floor, including toilets, dining room, kitchen, utility rooms and a large communal lounge. The aim of the Centre is to provide a safe, supportive and caring environment in which the parenting abilities of families can be assessed and developed. The Registered Manager is also the Responsible Individual and the founder of the organisation.

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Summary

Residential Family Centres are inspected once every three years. Key standards were inspected at this visit, as well as requirements made at the last inspection in November 2006. At that inspection, the manager was required to ensure that all staff are involved in fire drills and evacuations in accordance with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service guidance and she has done this. The inspection was unannounced and all key standards were inspected. Enjoying and Achieving and Economic Wellbeing were not inspected. Living Springs provides safe care and positive interventions for families undergoing parenting assessment. Staff at all levels are skilled and knowledgeable about the needs of parents and children in this intensive process of monitoring and assessment. Staff are skilled in training parents to parent safely and in providing detailed reports for social workers and court proceedings. The manager is creative, flexible and

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Summary

responsive to the needs of parents and their children. Living Springs offers a range of resources that is good, however the contact support service and the service provided to people living in the adjacent independent living flats has become confused with the service provided at the residential family centre. Contact visits within space provided for resident families has resulted in a loss of privacy for families at the centre. The Manager has extended the service she operates into new accommodation on site and is not clear about the legal framework for the service she provides to people living in this accommodation. This has the potential for conflict with conditions of registration. The overall quality rating is satisfactory. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The manager has taken action to involve more staff in fire drills and evacuations in accordance with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service guidance and checks on fire safety equipment have increased. The manager has undertaken training in new safeguarding procedures and all staff have attended refresher training in child protection. Staff recruitment and selection procedures have been strengthened and there are new systems for short listing, evaluation and interviewing. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Living Springs, 21 November 2007

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Families have access to health care, education, employment and leisure activities which promote their good health and wellbeing in a safe environment. Staff are skilled in assessing, monitoring and training parents in health and safety issues in relation to their children. Staff assist parents to access local health services and specialist resources as required. Social workers commented that there is good liaison with health professionals and that staff have excellent knowledge of child development. Parents reported staff to be knowledgeable and that they have good advice about being healthy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. The privacy of parents and children is generally respected and information about them is handled with appropriate confidentiality. However, privacy is compromised because non resident families use the shared facilities in the house and people living nearby in supported accommodation provided by the organisation, also have access. This is an unnecessary intrusion and may have a negative impact on families under assessment in respect of their privacy and confidentiality. Some confidential information relating to parenting skills is recorded in a shared 'consultation' book rather then in individual family files. Parents and children are able to complain if they are unhappy with any aspect of the centre. They are confident that any complaint will be taken seriously, investigated and addressed without delay and they will be kept informed of the progress. The welfare of children is promoted, children are protected from abuse and an

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

appropriate response is made to any allegation or suspicion of abuse. Parents are confident that the staff give advice that helps them to keep their children safe. Ofsted has received no complaints about the service and there have been no child protection issues. Social workers have full confidence in the ability of the staff to keep children safe. Families are protected from abuse, neglect and self harm. Staff are trained and the manager has undertaken further training in safeguarding children. There is careful selection and vetting of all staff and the risk from parents having contact at the centre is addressed. Staff recruitment files evidenced that recruitment processes have improved to include detailed analysis of applicants and interview assessments. Parents and children stay in accommodation that provides physical safety and security, and there are clear risk assessments for the environment within the residential family

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

centre. However, sometimes families who have successfully completed an assessment at the centre may move temporarily to separate self contained accommodation on site. This accommodation is new and was not planned to be part of the facilities used by families at the centre. However, on the day of inspection it was being used in this way to provide an increased level of support and monitoring than was originally envisaged. This accommodation is not included in the health and safety risk assessment for the family centre but the Manager was confident that the accommodation was fit for use. Fire safety is generally well managed, however, plans for work show that some residents may need to keep the bedroom doors open at night in order to ensure safety for their children. Currently these doors are propped open and this has the potential for risk in case of fire.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is not judged. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Living Springs, 21 November 2007

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children and their parents have their needs assessed by staff, however documentation does not reflect the detailed nature of the planning and risk management that staff do to inform their day to day practice. There is not an up to date placement plan that fulfils the national minimum standard. Staff complete a document called a working agreement at the outset of the assessment, in some cases before children involved have been born. Placing social workers complete family risk assessment documents supplied by Living Springs, but these are not updated and Living Springs staff do not carry out a formal written risk assessment for families in their care. Following a professional review meeting, key workers write updates called ' remit'. These are often handwritten and not signed, but are active working agreements, shared with parents. Social workers say that staff follow these plans carefully and parents confirmed that

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Helping children make a positive contribution

staff carry out work according to agreements with them. Staff encourage parents to take responsibility and share information with them. Staff prepare comprehensive assessment documents to inform social work and court decisions about the future of children. Children have essential information required by law contained within their Looked After Documentation (LAC) so staff have access to satisfactory information. Parents and children using the centre feel well-informed and party to decisions made. There are systems to consult with parents about the work undertaken with them and also about life in the house and the general service they receive. The manager encourages parents to be involved in decisions about their families and a parent reported that the service gave them a voice. A parent made a comment that they were for the first time, fully aware of all the information and judgements about them and said

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Helping children make a positive contribution

that ' It is a surprise that there are no surprises.'

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Parents and children have written information before they move in about what they can expect, how they will be treated, and how the centre operates. Parents confirmed that information was available in their flats and the information they received was an accurate reflection of what they found. However, the organisation has expanded and Living Springs now provides three services on site, a residential family centre, supervised contact and separate independent living accommodation in the grounds. Information about the implications of these other services for people living at the residential family centre is not contained in the Statement of Purpose. The offering of accommodation on site in the independent flats improves the range of services on offer for clients and children. However, families resident in the flats may after time require a service that is of a sufficiently high level to be considered part of a Residential Family Centre

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Organisation

and this has the potential to draw the manager into a situation where she may be operating in breach of the conditions of registration which restrict her to providing residential family support to three families or operating in unregistered premises. Staff do not have clear guidance about how the three services are defined and their role, particularly with people living in the independent living flats, where there is the potential for them to effectively carry out assessment and monitoring of parents' capacity to respond to the needs of their children to safeguard their welfare. The manager must ensure that her enthusiasm and desire to help is done within the legal framework of the Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002 and the Care Standards Act 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Living Springs, 21 November 2007 2000 and draw clear boundaries for the type of service offered and the accommodation and how it is used. Parents and children receive the care and services they need from competent

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Organisation

staff. There is a core of three permanent, contracted staff and as many as 38 experienced sessional staff with a variety of qualifications and skills who work across all aspects of the service to ensure there are sufficient staff on duty. The rota is kept retrospectively. Planned working patterns are written in a diary, however the detail recorded does not include full names and does not meet the requirements of regulation 19. Staff are trained, supervised and appraised. Staff are enthusiastic, professional and caring. Residents spoke of good relationships with staff. The Registered Manager is skilled, qualified and competent in her role. A long standing family support worker deputises for the manager but does not hold a deputy position. The manager is considering the appointment of a residential senior worker to review the service and assist the manager to prepare a development plan for the future. The service's work with parents and

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Organisation

children is continually adapted in the light of information about how it is operating. Manager's monitoring systems of matters in Schedule 4 and National Minimum Standard 24 are satisfactory but she should ensure that all placement plans, risk assessments and agreements are reviewed and signed. Social workers gave positive views and that it was an excellent service providing best outcomes for children. One social worker wrote they were; 'Impressed by the level of support, commitment and attention' shown to the service users.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Due date Action Standard

21 November 2007 ensure that residents are safe from risk of fire. Regulation 22 22 21 December 2007 ensure that the centre is conducted in a way that respects the privacy of residents. Regulation 10 21 November 2007 ensure that all accommodation used for the functions of the registered residential family centre provides physical safety and security and is suitable for the purpose. Regulation 21 (1) (2) 31 March 2008 draw up, review and revise placement plans and risk assessments to reflect significant changes in the circumstances of the family. Regulation 11 & 13 31 March 2008 give notice in writing to Ofsted if the premises of the residential family centre are to be significantly altered or extended, or additional premises are acquired and ensure that the premises are not used for other functions that compromise or have an adverse effect on working with parents and children receiving the service. Regulation 11 & Regulation 28(h)

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Due date Action Standard

31 March 2008 update the Statement of Purpose to include information about other buildings used for the provision of accommodation and 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Living Springs, 21 November 2007 make a clear statement about the purpose and function of any additional accommodation on site. Regulation 4 31 March 2008 maintain a staff duty roster of persons working at the residential family centre, and a record of the actual rosters worked. Regulation 19(3)

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • record comments and discussions about care and parenting capacity in clients' files rather than in a shared record. Standard 9.3 • consult with fire safety authority for safe methods of holding essential doors open. Standard

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Recommendations

• ensure the impact of contact visits within the residential family centre on residents is assessed and any risks reduced in general and in relation to specific family behaviour. Standard 19 • ensure that all records of placement plans, agreements and risk assessments are signed. Standard 24 • ensure that staff have clear guidance about how they fulfil the different functions of the work expected of them by the organisation. Standard 17 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Living Springs, 21 November 2007

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• families have access to health care, education, employment and leisure activities which promote their good health and well being, including their mental health, in a safe environment (NMS 4) Ofsted considers 4 the key standard to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• parents and children enjoy a level of comfort and security within the centre based on mutual respect and an understanding of what may have an adverse effect on other residents (NMS 8) • the privacy of parents and children is respected and information about them is handled with appropriate confidentiality (NMS 9) • parents and children are able to complain if they are unhappy with any aspect of the centre; they are confident that any complaint will be taken seriously, investigated and addressed without delay and they will be kept informed of the progress (NMS 10) • the welfare of children is promoted, children are protected from abuse, and an appropriate response is made to any allegation or suspicion of abuse (NMS 11) • families are protected from abuse, neglect and self-harm (NMS 12) • all significant events relating to the protection of children or vulnerable adults within the centre are notified by the registered person to the appropriate authorities (NMS 13)

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• there is careful selection and vetting of all staff and anyone else resident on the premises (NMS 15) • parents and children stay in accommodation that provides physical safety and security (NMS 22) Ofsted considers 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 and 22 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

Ofsted considers none of the above to be key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• parents and children are admitted to and leave the centre in a planned and sensitive manner (NMS 2) • children and their parents have their needs assessed and written plans outline how the assessment will be undertaken (NMS 3) • parents and children using the centre feel well-informed and party to decisions made (NMS 6) • parents and children enjoy sound relationships with staff based on honesty and mutual respect (NMS 7) 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Living Springs, 21 November 2007

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Annex A

Ofsted considers 3 and 6 the key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• parents and children live in pleasant, well designed and maintained surroundings providing sufficient space and adequate facilities to meet their needs (NMS 19) • parents and children enjoy homely accommodation, which is decorated, furnished and maintained to a high standard, and provides adequate facilities for their use (NMS 20) • shared spaces complement and supplement residents’ private rooms (NMS 21) Ofsted considers none of the above to be key standards to be inspected.

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

• parents and children who use the centre know what they can expect, how they will be treated, how the centre operates, and have received this information in written form prior to admission (NMS 1) • parents’ progress is recorded to reflect their ability to care for the children in a safe manner, and promote their welfare (NMS 5) • parents and children receive the care and services they need from competent staff (NMS 14) • staff are: sufficient in number and experience; qualified to understand the needs of parents and children; able to respond appropriately when required (NMS 16) • parents and children receive a service from staff who are themselves supported and guided in safeguarding and promoting the children’s welfare (NMS 17) • staff are trained and enabled to carry out the role to which they are appointed (NMS 18) • parents and children enjoy the stability of an efficiently run service and purchasers have

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The intended outcomes for these standards are:

confidence that they are getting value for money (NMS 23) • the service’s work with parents and children is continually adapted in the light of information about how it is operating (NMS 24) • there are adequate records of the staff and families using the service (NMS 25) Ofsted considers 1, 14 and 24 the key standards to be inspected. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Living Springs, 21 November 2007

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