Chrysalis Assessment and Support Centre

Chrysalis Assessment and Support Centre Inspection report for residential family centre

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Unique reference number SC435330 Inspection date 17/01/2017 Inspector Debbie Foster Type of inspection Full

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Setting address 12 Tennyson Avenue, BRIDLINGTON, North Humberside YO15 2EP

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Telephone number 01262 670 112 Email teresa@chrysalisassessmentcentre.co.uk Registered person Teresa Scarlett Registered manager Rachael Staves Responsible individual Teresa Scarlett Date of last inspection 10/06/2015 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

This service is a residential family centre. It comprises four family rooms over two floors. Each room has a sink, and two of the rooms have en-suite facilities. The communal space includes a bath/shower room, a kitchen/dining room, a separate dining room and a living room. There is a storage area for prams and an outside soft play area and garden.

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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 are kept safe. Staff and professionals confirm that children are safeguarded. Parents are supervised well, and are given good information, advice and guidance to help them safeguard their children.

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

Parents benefit greatly from the effective communication and positive relationships established with staff. They receive good support to understand the concerns raised about their abilities to safely parent their children. There is an open and honest culture where safeguarding is a priority, and good information and guidance are provided to parents. This ensures that parents understand clearly what is expected of them, and helps to achieve the best outcomes for their children.

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

Wherever possible, parents visit the service prior to admission. In all instances, parents receive information about the residential family centre. A parent said: ‘Staff made us welcome. We were informed about the rules of the home. We were shown where everything was. We had information to read and this was explained to us.’ This assists parents to have a clear understanding of what support and guidance they will receive, and of the facilities provided. In addition, it provides the detail, purpose and function of parents assessment.

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

Parents are actively involved throughout the assessment process. They are able to Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

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. comment on the process, and they receive continual feedback. This includes identifying what is going well and where improvement is required.

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

Parents are made aware of their rights and know how to make a complaint. The manager takes complaints seriously, with prompt action and effective investigations undertaken. However, the information relating to one complaint was not held all together, and not all parties had signed the documentation. This did not demonstrate that matters were concluded or that the complainant was satisfied with the outcome.

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

The majority of parents describe their experience as positive. Parents said: ‘The staff are always around to support. X has been my rock while I have been here. I always have talk time with her. This is so helpful.’; ‘The best thing about being here is that I have learned things about caring for our twins that I didn’t know before.’

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

Recent improvements to the environment provide families with well-decorated and well-furnished facilities. This makes the living accommodation homely and comfortable for families during what can be a challenging assessment process.

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

The leadership and management of the service are strengthened by the involvement of an experienced consultant and the partnership working with other professional agencies, for example health visitors. Improvements made to internal auditing systems enhance the already robust external monitoring of the service. This strongly supports continued improvement to the quality of the service and assessments provided to families. Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Overall experiences of children and parents Good

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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, Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

512 The registered person shall not employ a person to work at the residential family centre unless that person is fit to work at a residential family centre. A person is not fit to work at a residential family centre unless full and satisfactory information is available in relation to that person in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2. (Regulation 16 (1) (a) (3) (a) schedule 2 (4))

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Reg. Requirement Due date

In particular, where the person has previously worked in a position whose duties involved work with children or vulnerable adults, so far as reasonably practicable verification of the reasons why the employment or position ended and verify that they are the person writing the reference. 28/06/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person has an effective procedure for considering complaints and responding to them in accordance with legal requirements. This includes making complaints to a person or organisation outside the centre. (National Minimum Standards 19.8) In particular, ensure that all documentation relating to a complaint is held together on file. Make sure that all parties have been informed of the outcome. Those involved should sign the record to state if they are satisfied with the Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Recommendations

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. outcome. Detailed records of any follow-up actions undertaken and the outcome should be kept. Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Recommendations

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Quality of assessment Outstanding

Improvements to the assessment process by the management team ensure that a consistently high standard of assessment is achieved. This includes robust evaluation sessions to evidence parents’ abilities to parent and understand the wider elements of safeguarding their children. Parents benefit greatly from the consistent approach taken by staff during the assessment and evaluation of observations and individual work sessions.

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Quality of assessment Outstanding

Each family has a tailor-made assessment that demonstrates and evidences the parents’ abilities to parent their child effectively. A professional said: ‘This is the best assessment I have had. I found the report very thorough and all areas had been assessed as directed.’

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Quality of assessment Outstanding

Staff demonstrate an excellent knowledge of the specific assessment areas for each family, ensuring that parenting assessments are explicit, clear and consistent. This is a notable strength of the service. Experienced support staff and qualified social workers carry out daily parenting skill observations and group work. This work is strengthened by weekly key-working sessions. Staff evaluate parents’ abilities and make a distinction between what does not meet an acceptable standard, what is suitable, or what is good. Over a set time, staff measure the standards achieved by parents. This information provides detailed evidence of the parents’ ability to care for their child and to continue keeping them safe. The constant consultation with parents throughout the process ensures that they are clear about their progress and the areas for improvement.

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Quality of assessment Outstanding

The service has developed additional parenting and safeguarding assessment sessions. These include: managing illness; health and immunisation; love, learning and routines; dummy management; play and stimulation; and child protection levels one and two. These further assist parents in developing and demonstrating their skills and understanding of how to protect and keep their children safe from harm.

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Quality of assessment Outstanding

Staff work closely with health professionals, ensuring that children and parents attend all required health checks and other required appointments. This provides valuable and essential information towards the assessment process. It demonstrates whether parents are taking action following the advice and guidance provided and prioritising the good health of their children. Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Quality of assessment Outstanding

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Good

Children’s safety is given the upmost importance. Professionals and parents confirm that children’s safety is at the centre of all decisions made. At the point of admission, parents and children receive close supervision to allow staff to accurately evaluate any risks.

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Good

Written risk assessments clearly detail the specific dangers to parents and children, and set out the action to be taken to reduce these risks. Staff support parents to recognise the risks and make the necessary changes to how they parent their child. Parents and social workers are consulted routinely when risk assessments are reviewed. This demonstrates effective work and application of risk assessments. This, in turn, encourages parents to engage and reflect on their decision-making and ensure that necessary protective measures are taken to keep themselves and their children safe.

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Good

Parents receive good support and guidance from staff. This empowers parents to make positive decisions and take responsibility for the choices and actions that they take. On the occasions when tensions have grown between families, staff have challenged negative and inappropriate behaviour. The service has clear written expectations about acceptable behaviour, that staff and parents are aware of. Disagreements between families are addressed through discussions and direct work sessions to assist families to reconcile their differences.

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Good

Parents benefit greatly from a wide range of key-working and Chrysalis group sessions. These focus on areas such as: health and hygiene; domestic abuse; nutrition; health check-ups; and substance misuse. The sessions provide valuable guidance. Importantly, parents are able to explore and demonstrate their understanding of how to keep their children safe from harm.

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Good

Families enjoy a safe and secure environment. There have been a number of improvements to the facilities since the last inspection. A number of communal rooms have been decorated, and some have new furnishings and floor coverings. Parents and staff state that quick action is taken to remedy repairs. This provides families with a supportive, comfortable, pleasant and homely environment.

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Good

Overall, safe recruitment practices are in place, with the expectation that all Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Good

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. applicants are subject to disclosure and barring service checks, provide full employment histories and can provide appropriate references. The provider checks applicants’ suitability to work with vulnerable adults and children. However, not all references are verified in line with regulation 16. Therefore, practice is not as robust as it could be in checking applicants’ suitability to work with vulnerable adults and children.

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Good

The registered manager is a qualified social worker and holds a level 5 diploma in management and leadership. She has over 10 years’ experience of working in child protection and has been the registered manager since 2013. The service is achieving the aims and objectives set out in its statement of purpose. This includes children’s welfare and needs being the focus of all assessments and final reports. There is a commitment to meet the diverse needs of all the families who stay at the service, in line with the Equality Act 2010. The manager has a clear view of the service’s strengths and areas for development. The implementation of the service development plan supports continual improvement. Since the last inspection, a number of changes have further enhanced the quality of the assessment process. These changes include improvements in the stability and consistency of the staff team, and improvements

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Good

to the environment. Good communication and support systems exist. Staff receive regular formal supervision. A staff member said: ‘Everyone who works here wants to be here, we get regular supervision, have daily handovers, staff meetings and use emails to keep everyone up to date with our work with families.’ A range of training provides staff with the essential skills to carry out their roles and duties, for example awareness of domestic abuse, self-harm, child attachment, and development. This ensures that children are safeguarded, and that parents are provided with consistent support and excellent quality assessments.

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Good

The manager has implemented the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. The house is in good decorative order and is suitably furnished throughout. Staff receive formal supervision at regular intervals. Appropriate staffing levels are maintained on all shifts, including at weekends. The improvement to internal monitoring systems ensures prompt detection and resolution of shortfalls found in the quality of the service being provided. Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Good

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. Independent monitoring of the service is robust; this provides the manager with a valuable and objective oversight. This monitoring swiftly identifies and addresses omissions and deficits. Consequently, the improvements made help to ensure that parents and local authorities receive good quality assessments and services.

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Good

The majority of professionals state that links with the service are good. There is strong partnership working with social workers, guardians and health professionals. Staff work proactively to keep professionals well informed about the progress of parents and the assessment.

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Good

Professionals said: ‘I always get an immediate response when communicating with this company.’ ‘Staff were very helpful. They will phone if a parent is not confident enough to make appointments. Staff will contact for advice if unsure about anything. I think this is positive, and makes sure that all matters relating to a child’s health is given importance and not missed.’

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Good

This ensures effective partnership working during parents’ assessments and in the planning for their future.

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Good

Staff have fostered links with community groups and agencies. This supports families to attend playgroups and, where able, plan for their future training and/or employment. More recently, some parents have taken part in cooking courses.

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Good

The service maintains established and suitable links with the local safeguarding children board. The service has also developed close links with local authority children’s services. When necessary, immediate action is taken when safeguarding matters arise, and all relevant parties are promptly notified, in line with procedures and regulations. Website: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Good

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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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