St Michael's Fellowship, 52 Palace Road

St Michael's Fellowship, 52 Palace Road Inspection report for residential family centre

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SC047206 Unique reference number 15 January 2008 Inspection date Linda Kapambi Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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52 Palace Road Address LONDON SW2 3NJ 020 8671 1252 Telephone number fifty.rwo@zetnet.co.uk Email St Michaels Fellowship Registered person

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Registered manager

Susan Patricia Pettigrew Responsible individual 4 January 2007 Date of last inspection .

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Registered manager

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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Registered manager

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 8 Inspection Report: St Michael's Fellowship, 52 Palace Road, 15 January 2008

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Brief description of the service

52 Palace Road is a family assessment centre, managed by St Michael's Fellowship. The St Michael's Fellowship is an established charity that promotes the protection and development of children by educating and supporting young mothers to develop good parenting skills. The parent's capacity to respond to the children's needs and to safeguard their welfare is assessed and the parents are given such advice and guidance as is considered necessary to enable them to do so. The stated aims include providing fair, objective and comprehensive assessments of families to assist local authorities and the courts in making decisions for the welfare of the child. The premises comprise a large spacious detached house with six individual bed sitting rooms, each having its own kitchenette. Communal space includes a large lounge and playroom and garden with play area. An additional kitchen is also located on the ground floor and is used

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Brief description of the service

for teaching sessions and for occasional communal meals.

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Summary

This was an annual inspection that looked at the key National Minimum Standards, in three out of six of the Every Child Matters Outcomes. The outcomes not looked at were Staying safe, Enjoying and Achieving and Economic Wellbeing. The inspection also included looking at the progress the centre has made with the requirements made at the last inspection. These related to the registration of the manager and the safety of hot water outlets. Three families currently live in the home. Two families took part in the inspection. The overall quality rating is outstanding. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the registered person was asked to ensure that all hot water outlets in bathrooms and wash hand basins are fitted with safety devices. To prevent the risk of scalding safety devices to reduce the temperature of the water have now been fitted to all water outlets. The registered person was also asked to ensure that the manager is registered with the commission without further delay. The manager of the home has successfully applied and become the registered manger since the last inspection.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. The centre's arrangements for promoting the families' health needs are excellent. A prior arrangement with the local doctors' surgery and health centre, ensures families can be registered on a temporary basis with medical professionals. Families are given lots of information about local health services. Parents are supported with childcare arrangements, so that they can access health care for themselves. In addition parents' health and wellbeing is further enhanced by offers of massage sessions to relieve stress. The fortnightly visits from the health visitor to the centre, ensures that staff are able to monitor children's progress and development for the duration of their stay. Each room has a lockable medicine cabinet in which medication can be stored safely out of the reach of children. Arrangements for the administration of medicine are recorded on file and parents are always supervised. Parents have their own medication chart

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Helping children to be healthy

to record their child's medication, which acts as a good visual aid. A log is available of medication brought into the centre. This is so that staff are aware of what medication people have been 4 of 8 Inspection Report: St Michael's Fellowship, 52 Palace Road, 15 January 2008 prescribed should an emergency occur and a medical professional need to be notified. Families are assured of prompt medical attention in an unforeseen situation, as all staff are qualified to give first aid. Families are fortunate to have access to a variety of local leisure activities and are supported to use these. Some of the families use the facilities and have been encouraged with what they have found.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Forward planning prior to admission ensures that staff receive the right information to work with each family. Once a referral is received, all of the staff look at it and are able to comment on its content. Additional information and clarification from the local authority can be sought if needed. The input from all staff suggests a team that works well together, with the interest of all the families in mind, whether they are to key work them or not. To help some families prepare and settle in the community once they leave, there will soon be a Community Assessment Worker who will meet the families at the reviewing stage and then work with them in the community. The work will take into account the needs of the parent whilst giving paramount importance to the safety of the children. Well written plans ensure that families know what service to expect and how the assessment will be undertaken. Staff make a point of the initial

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Helping children make a positive contribution

meeting with the family on their own prior to admission. Meeting with the family in this way gives them an opportunity to talk about how they feel and be part of the decision process. Families are provided with information about who will have access to information about them and the reasons why. This method of working creates an open and honest environment where families can feel trustful of the staff that work with them. During their stay at the centre families are prepared and supported to take an active part in their monthly reviews. Daily logs about the families' progress are written by staff and given to families to review. The process enables families to be aware of information that is written about them and how this will be used to inform the centre's final assessment of their parenting skills. Families are encouraged to read through and add written comments where appropriate. Families feel confident in challenging

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Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. Parents and children receive the information they need to know before moving into the service. Staff deliver this in ways which best suit the individual needs of the family. Families who use the centre know what to expect, how they will be treated and how the centre operates, as this information is clearly outlined in the Statement of Purpose and Resident's Handbook. These booklets are excellent and provide families with up-to-date information about staffing, including photographs, policies and procedures and house rules. Families are given clear information of 5 of 8 Inspection Report: St Michael's Fellowship, 52 Palace Road, 15 January 2008 their responsibilities to their children and what support they can expect from staff. There are good procedures in place for deputising should a manager be absent from the centre for a prolonged period of time. A senior staff member who has worked at the centre for a long time

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Organisation

is able to cover for both managers should they be absent. In addition familiar bank staff are used to fill in for staff absences, including one that used to work at the home. This provides families and staff with consistency of service as they are already familiar with the culture of working within the centre. Families receive care from a qualified staff team with access to on-going training. An example of the level of training available, is the 12-day training over a period of six months around child protection and safe guarding children. The training relates to the specific work they do at the centre. New workers receive excellent support and training during their induction, that introduces them to the methods of working at the centre. Team meetings demonstrate staff work together to ensure the best outcomes for the families. Meetings involve input from all staff about their assessment of individual families and not just the ones

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Organisation

they key work. The result has been that if a key worker has been absent from work, they have access to valuable information about the family when they return. This can impact on their work with families. Families are given a number of opportunities to provide feedback on the service that they receive. This includes residents meetings and feedback forms where staff use this information to modify the service that they provide.

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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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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): 6 of 8 Inspection Report: St Michael's Fellowship, 52 Palace Road, 15 January 2008

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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) 7 of 8 Inspection Report: St Michael's Fellowship, 52 Palace Road, 15 January 2008

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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. 8 of 8 Inspection Report: St Michael's Fellowship, 52 Palace Road, 15 January 2008

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