Resolve Care

Unique reference number SC47087 Inspection date 1 July 2015 Inspector Sharon Payne Type of inspection Full

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Setting address 13 COVENTRY ROAD, ILFORD, ESSEX, IG1 4QR

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Telephone number 0208 500 0066 Email family@re-solveuk.com Registered person Resolve Care Limited Registered manager Angela Fairman Responsible individual Stephanie Sollosi Date of last inspection N/A Resolve Care Inspection report for residential family centre Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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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Brief description of the service

Resolve Care Ltd is a privately owned residential family centre registered to accommodate four families. The centre is able to provide both independent community and residential assessments, for families where there are risk related concerns.

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The overall experiences of children and parents

The overall experiences of children and parents are good . Parents describe the setting as ‘good’ and would score the service ‘10 out of 10’. They highlight they had ‘grown not only as a parent’ but also ‘as a person’. They enjoy sound relationships with staff, which are based on honesty and respect. Parents highlight that ‘staff give good advice, discuss things with them they also advocate on your behalf’. They confirm that they have ‘learnt a lot’.

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The overall experiences of children and parents

The centre has very good partnership arrangements with various local authorities, solicitors, social care, health and educational professionals. Professionals highlight that the centre is ‘one of the best ones’ they have been to. Families benefit from the strong links with children’s centres, encouraging integration into the community. This enables families to attend extensive classes and groups, to positively engage with their children and learn valued skills. Effective holistic support for families positively enhances their life chances. Links with educational agencies enables parents to access careers, educational, employment and welfare benefit advice

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The overall experiences of children and parents

There is a comprehensive admission procedure which sensitively addresses the needs of each family in a structured manner. There is good continuity of care through their outreach programme. Families benefit from individualised support which effectively meets their respective needs. Parents influence the day-to-day operation of the home, service delivery and development. Families know how to complain, however, they have not had to use this procedure. They report that they ‘feel comfortable to be open and honest with all staff’. The centre links activities to the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. This is a purposeful initiative and demonstrates how the centre contributes to the learning, development and care of children.

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The overall experiences of children and parents

Families live in a physically safe and secure environment. The centre has good safeguarding arrangements and a highly insightful understanding of cultural issues, which includes honour based violence. Parents enhance their knowledge on child protection, the impact of domestic violence and health and safety issues. A good example of the impact of this work is a parent prioritising their children’s needs over their partner. Staff receive regular safeguarding and child protection training and there are close links with local safeguarding personnel.

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The overall experiences of children and parents

Assessments are focused on the needs of children and parental capacity. Professionals describe the assessment process as being ‘very thorough.’ There are variable responses to the overall quality of their assessments. The criticism centres on the need for clear recommendations to inform future planning. Leaders and managers respond positively to feedback and proactively address any issues. This includes providing more assessment training for staff, recruiting a new social worker and structuring the whole assessment process. There are also plans to introduce regular clinical supervision. Three recommendations are made to ensure these practices are embedded in the service to further drive improvement.

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The overall experiences of children and parents

Leaders and managers are ambitious and have a clear vision for the future and a comprehensive plan of action to sustain continual improvement. Families benefit from a dedicated core, culturally reflective staff team who have an extensive array of skills and prior experience. Staff have the passion and enthusiasm to drive forward positive change. There are high management expectations and strong leadership, which synergises into a firm foundation to build on their strengths.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

ensure the final report contains clear recommendations for follow-up care to provide the smoothest possible transition to further care or return to the home environment (NMS 1.13)

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Recommendations

ensure staff are suitably trained and qualified to provide assessments (NMS 1.10)

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Recommendations

provide staff with regular supervision, which should include reflection (NMS 17.4)

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Quality of assessment

The quality of assessment requires improvement.

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Quality of assessment

The centre has had variable responses to the overall quality of their assessments. They respond positively to feedback and proactively address any issues. An example is the centre’s response to a local authority’s concerns regarding a final report. A local authority highlighted that ‘safeguarding and the quality of care is good’’ the final report, however did not fully address recommendations needed to inform future planning. Leaders and managers are unreservedly self-critical and they are working with local authorities regarding the report template. They recognise each local authority has their own individual preferences and tailor reports accordingly.

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Quality of assessment

The appointment of a new social worker demonstrates the centres commitment to providing quality assessments. This highly experienced individual has over 20 years’ experience in the field, which includes parenting assessments, expert witness work, domestic and international fostering and commissioning. Leaders and managers have the aspiration for their court reports ‘to be outstanding’. The company aim to have a team of social workers with a wide range of skills and expertise to match with each family.

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Quality of assessment

The centre is introducing a greater degree of structure and clinical supervision. The centre has well-established tools for undertaking a standardised assessment, based on a body of research which supports positive child development. There is an acknowledgement that the assessment process could be more holistic with clearer models of theoretical basis. Families will benefit from a system which better recognises their learning styles, values and ethnic background.

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Quality of assessment

Staff receive training in report writing and records now contain more analysis. There is better evaluation of observations, assessing attachment and bonding, all in accordance with government guidance. Professionals highlight the centre’s ability to ‘assess maternal mood, self-care and self-perception’. This is an ongoing process and the high expectations of leaders and mangers ensures there is continual improvement. A highly regarded assessment system is being introduced to raise standards. It is the aim to use a suite of different assessment methods to best fit each parent.

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Quality of assessment

Professionals describe the assessment process as being ‘very thorough’. They highlight the strengths of the relationship, commenting that staff have a ‘good understanding of the person, who the parent is’. They state that the staffs daily interactions with parents enable them to ‘advocate for families’ ‘see progress’ and ‘make an informed judgement’. Social workers highlight that assessment reports include ‘very good evidence’. In their appraisal of the court process, they highlight that Counsel and the placing authority were ‘very pleased’.

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Quality of assessment

Assessments are focused on the needs of children and the capacity of the parents to protect and promote their children’s welfare. The evidence based assessments include chronologies, genograms, routines, the parenting role, parental concerns and their perceptions. Parents self-define themselves during the theoretical assessment process. This includes: old life/new life mapping, formal and informal support, thoughts, feelings, behaviour and consequences. This enables parents to reflect and identify how they want their life to be. Staff monitor their capacity to care for their children and throughout the assessment process parents are kept updated on their progress.

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Quality of assessment

There is an open access to file policy and parents provide regular feedback on their assessment experience. The centre works in a very open and transparent manner, which enables parents to have a trusting relationship with staff. Parents comment on and sign their reports and regularly complete evaluation sheets and questionnaires. Parents enjoy sound relationships with staff, which are based on honesty and respect. They state ‘if you are honest and open with staff they are the same with you’. They comment that the ‘assessment got easier’ as they ‘co-operated and accepted things’. Parents confirm they are positively engaged in their care planning.

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Quality of assessment

Parents are assessed in accordance with their family placement plan and in a manner consistent with governmental guidance. Parents describe the assessment process ‘like an exam’ and they ‘have to pass the exam’. They feel they are learning and ‘it makes you stronger’. Parents undergo an induction which assesses their basic skills and includes role modelling. There is a good understanding of religious and cultural issues and their impact on daily routines and parenting. An example is the need to cook meals at later times during Ramadan. Key work sessions enable them to tackle specific areas related to parenting and independent life, an example of the latter being budgeting.

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Quality of assessment

Parents understand and consent to the use of surveillance systems during their assessment. The close circuit television contributes to the safe and secure environment. Cameras monitor: internal and external entrance areas, the front office, dining area/kitchen, the lounge, hallways and the baby’s cot in the bedroom. Consent documentation refers to current good practice as detailed in the revised Code of Practice 2008. Parents highlight that surveillance is ‘fine’ and they ‘forgot cameras where there’.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

The service is good at how well children and parents are protected and helped.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Children live in a centre which has good safeguarding arrangements. The centre’s work focuses on promoting their welfare. Leaders and managers highlight they are ‘here for the children and their best interests’. They acknowledge that children may need to be removed for permanency, highlighting that children’s outcomes are paramount. They do not see this as a failure as they give parents, ‘every opportunity’ and ‘every avenue’ to prove themselves. There is also a strong understanding of the vulnerability of families. They are protected from harm and kept safe while living at the residential family centre. Working practices instil boundaries and guidance. Parents increase their self-awareness in relation to domestic violence. They benefit from attending specialist programmes and individual counselling to equip them for the future and instigate change. A good example of the impact of this work is a parent prioritising their children’s needs over their partner. The centre has a highly

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

insightful understanding of cultural responses to parenting outside of marriage and honour based violence. This enables them to offer families a safe, non-judgemental environment where they can learn the necessary skills for parenting and independent life. Their understanding additionally helps them to work effectively with other agencies to sensitively address pertinent issues.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Parents enhance their knowledge on health and safety issues, an example being the dangers of sleeping in the bed with their baby. Placement plans include how risks will be managed; there is an extensive range of practical task specific risk assessments. The centre also has a format for undertaking safeguarding audits. The trusting relationship parents have with staff provides a safe haven for them to disclose issues. Parents have an opportunity to reflect on past personal and familial relationships. They receive informal counselling where staff endeavour to give them dignity and self-respect.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Staff receive regular safeguarding and child protection training, which includes advance training and specific focus on the children in need framework. Training also raises staff awareness of: child sexual exploitation, historical abuse, domestic violence and honour based crimes. Staff routinely raise safeguarding concerns with placing authorities. The centre follows clear procedures and agreed arrangements to ensure effective action when an adult or child is missing.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

There is a comprehensive admission procedure which sensitively addresses the needs of each family in a structured manner. Parents state that ‘the main factor which helped was feeling at home’. They comment that the centre is ‘more like a family’. The organisation is able to lend parents monies to purchase essential items. There is good continuity of care through their outreach programme. Staff endeavour to support families in their new accommodation. They are welcome to return and some parents treat the centre ‘like a home’ and receive informal support. On leaving the centre families receive scrapbooks, memory books and picture frames which uniquely document all they have learnt.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Families appreciate the centre’s location in the heart of a culturally diverse shopping area. Having their own rooms with ensuite or private bathroom facilities, gives them additional privacy. The premises is not easily identifiable as a residential family centre. Families share a kitchen/dining room, a television lounge and a spacious garden. The premises has modern furnishings and is very well maintained. Photographs of families, their artwork and children engaging in activities contribute to the homely atmosphere. The word ‘hello’ in an extensive range of languages in the ground floor hallway, also provides a welcoming touch.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Communal areas are stimulating for both children and their parents. Children benefit from the wide range of toys, books and play equipment. Parents can engross themselves in the comprehensive range of: child development, parenting, educational, complaints and faith based information on display. Families have their own fridge and freezer space and a cupboard. They amicably share the kitchen and occasionally undertake cookery sessions together. The large garden has a patio area with outdoor furniture. Families can enjoy relaxing outside and play equipment is available for children’s amusement.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Families benefit from individualised support which effectively meets their respective needs. Their weekly routines include attendance at children’s centres and specialist groups within the community. An example being a specialist group for teenage parents. Activities have a learning objective and are subject to evaluation to enable focused follow-up work. The centre links fun activities to the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. This is a purposeful initiative and demonstrates how the centre contributes to the learning, development and care of children.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Parents influence the day-to-day operation of the home, service delivery and development. They collectively voice their opinions during house meetings. Individually they share their views during a range of meetings and can also record them in a feedback book. Their views were instrumental in the changes to recording practices, parent and child collages displayed on the walls and the extended curfew on Friday nights. Their wish to make fruit smoothies also assists with parenting, as they are good for weaning babies.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Activity planning is led by the parents, who are able to enjoy a variety of trips out, which includes visiting parks and leisure centres. Indoor activities are also provided through: more arts and crafts, the purchase of a DVD player and appropriate magazines. Staff intervene appropriately to ensure that a child’s needs are being met, including their emotional and attachment needs. Parents highlight that ‘staff give good advice, discuss things with them they also advocate on your behalf’. They confirm that they have ‘learnt a lot’.

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How well children and parents are protected and helped

Families live in a physically safe and secure environment. The centre is well maintained and has up-to-date health and safety certificates. There is a good approach to fire safety; which involves regular checks, families participating in fire drills and a designated external smoking area. Staff are trained in paediatric first aid and other health related topics. Medication is securely stored in a purpose built cabinet and there are effective medication administration arrangements.

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Working with partners to improve outcomes

The service is good at working with partners to improve outcomes.

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Working with partners to improve outcomes

The centre has very good partnership arrangements with various local authorities, solicitors, social care, health and educational professionals. Professionals highlight that the centre is ‘one of the best ones’ they have been to. They highlight parents are ‘very settled’ and staff are ‘very good at linking up with local services’ and helping parents ‘overcome barriers’. They also state the Registered Manager is ‘extremely helpful and provided assistance in a very timely manner. Her help was most appreciated’. Professionals also highlight that staff are ‘friendly’ and ‘helpful’. Staff are active participants in reviews of progress and they strongly advocate for families to promote good continuity of care.

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Working with partners to improve outcomes

The centre’s links with their host borough cements their close working relationship with the local safeguarding children board and multi-agency safeguarding hub. They are able to keep up-to-date on the latest developments within the safeguarding arena. The adoption of their policies ensures they work in a streamlined manner. The centre is also able to access a wide range of training, which enables staff to better protect children. Links with the police and safer neighbourhood officers additionally provides greater protection for families.

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Working with partners to improve outcomes

Families benefit from the strong links with children’s centres, encouraging integration into the community. This enables families to attend extensive classes and groups, to positively engage with their children and learn valued skills. This special arrangement also extends to providing a music course, solely for Resolve Care’s families. Children also have the opportunity for therapeutic intervention through play therapy sessions. The centre’s extensive awareness of resources within their locality greatly assists families; an example of this is the food bank which is a few minutes walk away. Another example is an organisation which also provides families with clothes and household equipment. These resources enable families to receive assistance in emergency situations.

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Working with partners to improve outcomes

The relationships with health professionals enable families to have an efficient service. Families can register at the local surgery and are in walking distance of opticians, dentists and other health services. Parents receive valued health support, an example being assistance with smoking cessation, which ultimately benefits children. The centre has access to specialist services, which includes if necessary being able to commission cognitive assessments for parents. Health professionals highlight that the centre makes ‘our job much easier’.

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Working with partners to improve outcomes

Effective holistic support for families positively enhances their life chances. Links with educational agencies enables parents to access careers, educational, employment and welfare benefit advice. Parents build up their confidence in numeracy and literacy. They are able to examine their long term education options, which include college, vocational training, and apprenticeships. They can also receive specialist assistance with budgeting and accessing additional funding and bursaries to pay for child care whilst studying.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The effectiveness of leaders and managers is good. Families benefit from strong leadership and management arrangements. Parents describe the setting as ‘good’ and would score the service ‘10 out of 10’. They felt the centre helped to build their confidence and made them stronger. Parents highlight they had ‘grown not only as a parent’ but also ‘as a person’ and they felt ‘more empowered’. External organisations describe staff as being ‘very, very professional’. The statement of purpose comprehensively details the centre's philosophy, principles and working practices. Families benefit from their own residents' guide. This summarises the service and the main procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The Registered Manager is a skilled and experienced practitioner. She has appropriate management and integrated leadership qualifications. The Registered manger is currently on maternity leave and will be returning in February 2016. The highly experienced deputy manager is undertaking management of the day-to day operations of the centre during this period. Regular ‘keeping in touch’ days will ensure the Registered Manager is updated on matters affecting the centre. Senior support workers provide an additional level of leadership. The Responsible Individual is a senior health professional and has very high aspirations and an excellent concept of the requirements of the centre. Management oversight is very good and includes monitoring the centre in accordance with regulations 23 and 25. This includes regular quality assurance surveys undertaken with parents, staff and stakeholders. There is a good notification system and a close working relationship with Ofsted, which ensures

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers are ambitious and have a clear vision for the future and a comprehensive plan of action to sustain continual improvement. Families benefit from a dedicated core staff team who have the passion and enthusiasm to drive forward positive change. There are high management expectations and strong leadership, which synergises into a firm foundation to build on their strengths. The introduction of staff coaching, clinical supervision and reflective practice will provide more robust ways of working. There are plans to extend the service to provide a semi-independent facility. They would also like to introduce a peer mentoring role, where a former resident encourages others through the process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Families benefit from a culturally reflective staff team who have an extensive array of skills and prior experience. The robust recruitment procedure ensures staff are carefully selected and vetted. This helps to prevent unsuitable people from having the opportunity to harm children or vulnerable adults. The diverse staff team heightens the overall awareness of the cultural norms related to parenting. Leaders and managers highlight their wish to ‘empower’ parents by ‘keeping it real’, ‘not judging people and treating them as individuals’. They explain that ‘given the right support and guidance families can thrive’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There is a core staff team and a pool of bank staff that are effectively deployed to meet the individual needs of families. Staff have the necessary vocational qualification or the equivalent. Staff training is on-going to meet the needs of families. Staff have also have regular staff meetings and there is an appraisal system. Individual supervision, does happen, however, at times this is informal and may not be recorded. Leaders and managers are aware of this and demonstrate a commitment to improving supervision arrangements. This does not have an impact on the service, as the overall care provided is of a high standard. Staff appreciate the way ‘managers and staff work together’. They describe the leadership style as being ‘very inclusive’, ‘nice’ and ‘approachable. Staff reported they ‘work together as a team and are all supportive of each other’. Staff state they ‘love coming to work’ and that their ‘views and opinions are valued’. This contributes to the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

warm, child-focused, nurturing, professional environment.

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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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the inspection framework and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of residential family centres.

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