St Michael's Fellowship

St Michael's Fellowship Inspection report for residential family centre

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Unique reference number SC047220 Inspection date 02/02/2016 Inspector Sharon Payne Type of inspection Full

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Setting address Crawford House, 2 Terrapin Road, London, SW17 8QN

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Telephone number 020 8673 5132 Email crawford.house@stmichaelsfellowship.org.uk Registered person St .Michael's Fellowship Registered manager Ronald Akinrinmade Responsible individual Susan Pettigrew Date of last inspection 29/10/2010 Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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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

St Michael’s Fellowship is an established independent charity dedicated to improving families lives. Part of their services includes four residential family centres within South London. Crawford House is able to offer a residential assessment for up to four families.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Requires improvement : a service that may meet minimum requirements but is not yet demonstrating the characteristics of a good judgement. Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

Children benefit from a service, which is individually tailored to maximise their parent’s potential. Staff work tenaciously and creatively to enable parents to demonstrate their capability and skills. The setting provides holistic support, which endeavours to help parents develop as caregivers and individuals. Children’s needs are at the centre of the assessment process. The voice of the child comprehensively threads through the setting’s way of working. Robust evidence–based assessments succinctly detail parents’ background, journey and their capacity to change. Good quality care planning incorporates cognitive assessments to determine the best ways of working with parents. Staff creatively use a range of mediums to help parents understand the assessment process and feedback. Sessions cater for learning needs and may consist of short segments and inventive use of pictorial and visual cues. This enables parents to gain a sense of

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

achievement and grow in confidence. Parents learn to prioritise their children’s needs and they learn the importance of safeguarding. The organisation has specific programmes to tackle domestic violence. Parents also receive assistance with anger management and they are more aware of how their behaviour impacts on their children. Staff meticulously monitor parents and the welfare of children is paramount. Parents and staff benefit from research based safeguarding and child protection training. Leaders and managers demonstrate a clear commitment to children. The setting has a diverse staff team who bring an eclectic range of experiences to their role. Permanent staff benefit from regular reflective supervision, appraisals and extensive training.There is a culture of continual reflection and analysis to inform further improvement. The setting undertakes meticulous monitoring in accordance with regulatory requirements.

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

The organisation are leaders in their field and there is an exceptional commitment to research and innovative work. This enables them to dynamically influence the social care sector. Partnership arrangements are highly effective and positively impact upon parents. Families can access children’s centres, nurseries and specialist programmes, which provide a comprehensive range of opportunities to enhance their lives. This is essentially a good service, which needs to ensure documentation complies with regulations. This particularly relates to their statement of purpose, resident’s guide and placement register. Recommendations focus on improving practice, these relate to obtaining feedback from professionals, maintenance issues and reflective support for sessional workers.

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Statutory Requirements

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

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Reg. Requirement Due date

4 compile a statement of purpose which details all matters listed in Schedule 1 (Regulation 4 (1)) 01/04/2016

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Reg. Requirement Due date

4 produce a resident's guide which includes the complaints procedure and the address and telephone number of Ofsted and the Children's Commissioner (Regulation (4) (3)) 01/03/2016

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Reg. Requirement Due date

19 record all required information detailed in Schedule 4 in the admission and discharge register. (Regulation 19 (3)) 01/03/2016

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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

seek feedback following a placement from involved professionals as part of the quality assurance process (NMS 1.15) provide a well maintained environment, this particularly relates to the broken kitchen drawer, lack of ignition on a cooker, broken door and a first aid box (NMS 11.2) provide good support for sessional staff, to include reflective supervision. (NMS 17.1)

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Quality of assessment Good

Robust evidence–based assessments succinctly detail parents’ background, journey and their capacity to change. Assessments are very child centred, research informed and contain a sound level of analysis and evaluation. They realistically reflect the requirements of the placing authority and the court. Recommendations demonstrate sufficient awareness of the needs of each family to inform future decision-making. The setting does not receive consistent feedback from professionals regarding the quality of their assessments. This would be helpful and enable them to purposefully evaluate the satisfaction with their work. Admission procedures help to ensure a smooth transition into the assessment process. Pre-admission meetings enable staff to actively plan focused intervention. Parents have the opportunity to self-define themselves and express their fears and hopes. There is also flexibility in regards to moving in. A placing authority describes

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Quality of assessment Good

pre-admission meetings as ‘very informative’ and ‘relaxed.’ This was helped by staff members ‘gentle’ and ‘patient’ manner. This assists with alleviating the anxieties regarding moving into a residential family centre. Good quality care planning incorporates cognitive assessments to determine the best ways of working with parents. Staff seek to empower parents, so they can succeed for their children. They continually adapt their methods to best meet presenting learning needs. Staff actively engage with parents in an honest and transparent manner. Alongside the holistic parenting assessment, staff can additionally use a renowned assessment tool specifically for parents with a learning difficulty. Families also benefit from hybrid assessments if needed, which include community visits.

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Quality of assessment Good

Daily feedback enables parents to acknowledge their strengths and recognise the areas they need to work on. This also enables them to challenge areas of the assessment they are not happy with. A parent comments that ‘feedback is very good’. They highlight the importance of ‘in the moment’ feedback, stating it assists with ‘making us better parents.’ Staff follow a clear theoretical reflective assessment model. They have a good working knowledge of child development, attachment theory and interview styles. This enables them to evaluate parental capacity on a significant level, which ultimately benefits children. Assessments includes parent capacity, routines, safety, guidance boundaries, stability, child’s development, identity, family social relationships, social presentation, self-care and interactions with staff.

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Quality of assessment Good

Parents describe surveillance as ‘hard’. However, they recognise how it helps them develop. Staff use observation skills to inform assessments and surveillance equipment is occasionally used in key work meetings and during play sessions. The latter is particularly useful as it helps parents reflect on and improve the interactions with their children.’ A parent comments on the benefit of this; stating their child is ‘now laughing, is happy and smiles at everyone.’ Another adds they are ‘bonding more as a family.’

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Good

Children and their parents benefit from wide ranging support and effective monitoring. A parent states they are ‘able to reflect on my past to make sure, my child has the best start and future.’ Another highlights they are ’thankful for this opportunity to make my family whole again.’ Where able, parents grow in confidence and one shares the realisation that they ‘have the capacity to be an amazing parent.’ A social worker highlights they are ‘impressed with the amount of support.’ They confirm staff work in an ‘open and honest’ manner, which provides a ‘good learning opportunity’ for parents. Families benefit from creative assistance tailored to meet their learning needs. They gain a sense of achievement and grow in confidence. Programmes include weekly key work meetings, couples and relationships, individual background and play and development sessions. Parents are able to enhance their daily living skills through

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Good

cooking, healthy eating and budgeting sessions. They additionally receive assistance with diverse needs, examples being their spiritualty and immigration status. Parents also have access to onsite counselling from an independent professional. Parents welcome the caring daily support and guidelines. One highlights ‘they always wanted to talk about how I felt, which was good.’ A dyslexic parent expresses their appreciation of the help with reading and pictorial feedback. Staff creatively use a range of mediums to help parents understand the assessment process and feedback. Sessions tailored to learning needs provide an insight into the professionals’ opinion. They may consist of short segments and inventive use of pictorial and visual cues. An example is keyrings with pictorial aids, which help parents articulate their mood and feelings. Visual prompts also remind parents of their need to express a particular tone, when speaking to their child.

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Good

Parents highlights the benefit to their child, which includes greater communication and understanding of their needs. Staff find their work rewarding, commenting on the ‘daily breakthroughs’ and ‘seeing it click.’ They express pride in their ability ‘to empower’ and ‘get the best out of a parent.’ They enjoy helping parents build a better relationship with their children and help them understand ‘the joys of parenting.’ Parents have variable comments regarding staff, one stating ‘all staff are nice’. Other parents highlighted an issue regarding a staff member’s attitude. The centre works hard to sustain and maintain constructive relationships between parents and staff. Parents can rely on an efficient complaint procedure. This includes having three way meetings with involved parties. Staff highlight that the work brings out their ‘nurturing side’ and ‘emotional warmth’. There is a sound understanding of the stress and challenges for parents being in a

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Good

residential setting. The provision of fun, stimulating activities, assists with countering families need for external socialisation. Families enjoy trips to the seaside, museums, picnics, theatre and theme parks. Parents learn to prioritise their children’s needs and one states ‘my child comes first no matter the situation.’ They learn the importance of safeguarding their children. Safety sessions incorporate environmental risks and risk minimisation. Standard sessions for all families include safety, neglect and abuse. The organisation has specific programmes to tackle domestic violence. A parent comments that this course ‘really opened my eyes’ and they feel confident in keeping their child ‘safe and secure and out of danger.’ Parents also feel able to disclose past experiences of violence during conversations with staff. Parents receive assistance with anger management and they are more aware of how their behaviour impacts on their children.

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Good

A social worker states the setting has a ‘good balance of safeguarding.’ They find the high level of monitoring provides the structure to keep children safe . Risk assessments highlight the hazards in relation to each family and focus on protecting children. Staff meticulously monitor parents throughout the day and night. There is a zero tolerance policy to bed sharing, which helps protect children from potential suffocation. Staff undertake a wide ranging level of safeguarding and child protection training. The setting provides a safe and secure environment for families. Certificates are in place to confirm the safety of the premises and equipment. Staff recruitment complies with regulations; ensuring unsuitable people do not work with families. Each family has their own room, which has a sleeping area and comfortable seating. There is adequate storage space. Families can relax in the television lounge, which

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Good

also has a games console. A separate utility room has a washing machine, tumble dryer and ironing facilities. The tumble dryer is currently awaiting repair and families have airers or can freely use a launderette. Families share the kitchen, which includes two dining tables. They have sufficient storage space, as they have their own cupboards, fridges and space within the fridge freezer. Some bathrooms are shared; this depends on the size of the family and occupancy levels. Parents have a designated computer and a payphone for their sole use. Throughout the ground floor, there are an abundance of leaflets informing them of the resources and services available to them. The playroom provides an entertaining stimulating space for children. They have a range of toys, books and equipment to keep them amused. The garden includes a lawn and outdoor seating. Children can have fun on the trampolines, mini slide and in the playhouse.

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Good

The only shortfalls relate to several maintenance issues. The ignition on one of the cookers is not working, one first aid box had an expired bandage, a kitchen drawer was missing and a bedroom door has very scuffed paintwork. These issues do not have a detrimental impact on families and does not detract from the good quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

The voice of the child comprehensively threads throughout the setting’s way of working. Families benefit from strong leadership and management arrangements. Local authorities state they are ‘very impressed’, highlighting the setting’s ‘good reputation.’ A health professional describes the service as being ‘flexible’ and ‘responsive.’ Staff take pride in their ability to work holistically as a team. A parent and staff members highlights that ‘management is good’. The only shortfall relates to documentation, which does not meet regulatory requirements. The placement register, statement of purpose and resident’s guide do not contain all the necessary information. This is not detrimental to parents as information is contained in other documents they receive and on the organisation’s website. The Registered Manager is a qualified social worker and has a relevant management qualification. This individual is highly experienced and has being working at the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

setting since 2001. The management structure within the setting is further strengthened by the efficient deputy arrangements. The deputy is highly experienced in the drugs and alcohol field and is able to share their expertise when working with families. The setting has a diverse, significantly skilled, extremely child focused staff team. They bring a range of experiences to their role; this includes social workers, a nurse, teacher and residential expertise. Staff receive purposeful ongoing training, which keeps them updated on best practice within their field. This enables them to work in a research informed way, which keeps children’s needs at the centre of their working. There is a strong commitment to learning and the organisation provides an Assessed and Supported Year of Employment (ASYE) for their newly qualified social workers. This further enhances their knowledge and skills. Permanent staff benefit from regular reflective supervision, appraisals and extensive

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

training. Staff appreciate the 24-hour management support and constructive feedback. The organisation commissions an external learning coach and team facilitator to assist in this process. Sessional staff do not have the opportunity to learn from these meetings. There was also limited evidence of reflection and in- depth discussion of their personal impact. This work will assist with sustaining constructive relationships with parents and inform their personal awareness. There is a culture of continual reflection and analysis to inform further improvement. The setting undertakes meticulous monitoring in accordance with regulatory requirements. This includes monthly regulatory visits and an annual evaluation, which summarises the success of their work. Management regularly assess the service and practice through weekly team meetings and case discussions. Parents provide feedback forms, comment sheets and share their views in house meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

The setting has effectively addressed the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. This results in improved health and safety practices, maintenance, recording keeping and surveillance procedures. There is good capacity to further improve and a strong commitment to improving the outcomes for children and their parents.

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Outstanding

The organisation excels in their commitment to innovative practice, research and their contribution towards improving families’ lives and the overall social care sector. The inspiring partnership with Middlesex University is of mutual benefit to both parties. Staff receive an enhanced level of training, which includes the use of specific evidence based assessment tools. These currently include the parenting role interview and the attachment style interview. This continuous professional development promotes best practice as the university is evaluating the setting’s assessments. The organisation are currently assisting in research for securing change focusing on parents who leave without their children. There is a dynamic desire to influence the sector and understand the difficulties of parents in recurrent care proceedings. The organisation are also collecting the stories of families who historically had children

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Outstanding

removed. The results are powerful testimonies and give parents an opportunity to discuss their feelings. Parents appreciate this, as they find this is a traumatically isolating period of their lives. The setting prides itself on the exceptionally strong relationships they have with placing authorities. The Registered Manager highlights the intention ‘to provide a one stop shop for local authorities.’ The setting is able to work effectively with families who have a multitude of needs. The multifaceted expertise of staff enables them to effectively work with parents experiencing domestic violence, substance misuse, mental health and learning difficulties. The setting is also able to organise a psychological assessment if needed. There is a strong emphasis on sharing knowledge and staff provide a professional’s toolkit, to help others get the best from parents in the future. This includes the best ways of working, triggers and patterns. The links with placing authorities are

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Outstanding

mutually beneficial as they are also able to access training from specific boroughs. An example of this is extensive safeguarding training. Families also benefit from strong health arrangements with local GP surgeries and health visitors. This enables them to promptly register and receive necessary health interventions. The link with nurseries also enable children to benefit from a purposeful learning environment suited to their needs. Families benefit from the setting’s highly effective partnerships with local children’s centres. This enables parents to easily access services from establishments, which are familiar with their needs. They are able to undertake comprehensive parenting programmes, enabling them to enhance their children’s lives. Parents can see a wide range of professionals, where they can benefit from legal advice, adult literacy, numeracy and English as a second language courses. Parents can learn to engage meaningfully with their child through educational

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Outstanding

psychologist support, drama therapy, music time, sensory play and managing behaviour sessions. Parents can enhance their skills through completing courses in first aid, Makaton, health and money management. Teenage parents also benefit from dedicated groups to address their specific needs. The organisation’s research-informed Caring Dads course is currently open for external commissioning. This award-winning programme for young fathers is highly commended by the All Party Parliamentary Group. The programme promotes positive relationships with children. This is extremely beneficial for children as they get to experience co-parenting and a deeper connection with their fathers.

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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 for the inspection of residential family centres.

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