Granary Families Assessment Centre

Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 1 Granary Mother & Baby Centre Granary Care Limited 60 Vaughan Road, Harrow HA1 4EE

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

Granary Care Limited is a privately owned company. This residential family centre is registered to provide care and accommodation for three families. The setting is able to provide residential and community-based parenting assessments.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre is not yet delivering good assessments, help and care for children and parents. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: First inspection since registration

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: N/A

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This residential family centre requires improvement to be good because

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Key findings from this inspection

 The quality of assessments is variable. Reports inconsistently analyse risk and do not link social work theories, models or research.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Parents would like more activities; they gave examples of trips out and in-house activities, such as arts and crafts.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Prior to a placement, leaders and managers do not consider whether a new family is able to fit in with the centre’s other residents.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Parents do not have any information on external services which can offer support and advice to birth parents in their position. This relates to organisations that can help when there are concerns regarding parenting capacity.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Medication administration records do not detail and monitor the quantity of medication.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers do not always follow safe recruitment practices. When the centre initially opened they allowed a staff member to start work prior to receiving two references.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The disciplinary procedure does not clearly detail t hat the failure to report an incident of abuse or suspected abuse of a child is a disciplinary offence.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Records do not always include the outcome of all grievances. Parents do not always receive prompt feedback on the concerns or complaints they report.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There was a recent occasion when leaders and managers did not promptly notify Ofsted of a significant event.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staffing at times is insufficient, which has an impact on fully meeting the individual needs of all families.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager and staff do not benefit from regular individual supervision. They do not have the opportunity to reflect on their work.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The statement of purpose has not been updated to reflect the range of families the centre accommodates or the staff changes.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The residents’ guide does not include the Children’s Commissioner’s details. It is also very lengthy and it is not an easy-to-read document for parents.

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Key findings from this inspection

 New staff do not benefit from a written, structured induction to help them Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 3 develop their competence.

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Key findings from this inspection

The residential family centre’s strengths

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and parents attend a variety of groups at local children’s centres. This builds on parenting skills and enhances children’s stimulation and their development.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Parents receive good emotional support. They can access counselling services and s elf-refer to a substance misuse project.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are good links with the local doctor’s surgery, which enables new families to promptly register there. The strong relationship with the health visitor also helps families to receive a very efficient service.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and parents enjoy warm, nurturing relationships with staff. Staff are good at helping parents develop their basic, practical childcare skills. Staff also assist with babysitting.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff produce good daily logs and weekly reports, which appropriately focus on meeting each child’s needs. Parents benefit from regular feedback and they are able to give comments throughout the assessment process.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and parents benefit from a good aftercare service, which supports their transition back into the community.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Parents are able to improve their understanding of domestic violence and the impact on children. They are able to attend a specialist domestic violence group.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The centre has an in-house consultant psychotherapist who offers a specific anger management programme.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers have good links with the local safeguarding team. Staff benefit from being able to access a sufficient range of child protection and safeguarding training.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager has run an Ofsted-regulated childcare service for the past 16 years. They are highly qualified in business and management.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager has a sound understanding of the centre’s strengths and shortfalls. They have the capacity to improve the service.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are from a range of ethnicities, with varied personal and professional experiences. Their expertise includes social work, childminding and nursery Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 4 work.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002 and the national minimum standards. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Statutory requirements

Requirement Due date The registered person shall produce a written guide to the residential family centre (residents’ guide) which shall include: the address and telephone number of the Children’s Commissioner. (Regulation (4)(3)(d)) 01/09/2017

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Statutory requirements

The registered person shall keep under review and where appropriate revise the statement of purpose and residents’ guide (Regulation (4)(4)(a)) 01/09/2017

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Statutory requirements

The registered person must ensure that conclusions or recommendations are made as a result of the assessment or monitoring and that: such conclusions or recommendations are objective and based on verifiable evidence; and the evidence on which they are based is capable of being presented in a manner that is clear to the persons who will consider them. (Regulation 13A(4)(a) & (b)) 01/09/2017

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Statutory requirements

The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which provides that the failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse or suspected abuse of a child accommodated in the residential family centre to an appropriate person is a ground on which disciplinary proceedings may be instituted. (Regulation (17)(2)(b)) 01/09/2017

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Recommendations

Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 5  Take account of parents’ views, wishes and feelings in the day-to-day running and development of the centre. This relates to providing more activities. (NMS 2.1)

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Recommendations

 Ensure parents are given information on how to secure an independent advocate. (NMS 2.3)

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Recommendations

 Ensure parents receive prompt feedback on any concerns or complaints raised. (NMS 2.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure there is an effective policy on the safe management of medicines, which includes a written record of the medication quantity. (NMS 6.6)

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Recommendations

 Prior to a placement, a risk assessment is carried out to ensure both that the centre is well placed to meet the family’s needs and that the family is able to fit in with the centre’s other residents. (NMS 9.1)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person can demonstrate that they consistently follow good recruitment practice. (NMS 14.2)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the overall number, competence and deployment of staff can fulfil the statement of purpose. (NMS 15.1)

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Recommendations

 Ensure there are good quality learning and development opportunities, which includes a staff induction. (NMS 16.2)

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Recommendations

 Ensure there are suitable arrangements for professional supervision of the registered manager. (NMS 17.3)

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Recommendations

 Provide staff with regular supervision. (NMS 17.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person has an effective system to notify Ofsted within 24 hours of the occurrence of significant events. (NMS 21.1) Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 6

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improvement to be good

Children and parents receive an adequate service from a caring staff team. Areas of the service require improvement to help families achieve the best possible outcomes. These relate to improving the quality of assessments, providing further advocacy information and activities, improving the medication system and the admission procedure.

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improvement to be good

The quality of assessments is variable. Some professionals are happy with the assessments but others felt that they could be more robust. There are occasions where there is inconsistent analysis of risk. Reports also do not link social work theories, models or research. A professional highlighted that, ‘The conclusion of the report did not really marry up with the concerns raised in the body of the report.’

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improvement to be good

Parents meet with their key worker to discuss issues. However, these meetings do not creatively or actively explore the full level of risks. Staff do not consistently help parents to understand and address deep-rooted issues. Although parents can access external counselling and a range of classes in the community, key-work meetings do not consistently help parents achieve meaningful insight and build emotional resilience. A professional highlights the ‘great deal of emotional support to the mother but perhaps not an appropriate amount of challenge and education’.

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improvement to be good

Parents provide very complimentary feedback. However, there are a few areas which they feel could be improved. They would like more activities, giving examples of trips out and in-house activities, such as arts and crafts. Currently, children and parents regularly go out shopping and they attend a variety of groups at local children’s centres. They also enjoy ad hoc trips, going swimming or out for lunch. Within the centre, parents have also enjoyed occasional cooking and pampering sessions.

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improvement to be good

Parents would like more consideration given to the impact of new admissions. Parents, professionals and staff comment on the centre being ‘too small’. The premises are more suited to three families, which consist of one parent and a small baby. Prior to a new placement, leaders and managers do not consider whether a new family is able to fit in with the centre’s other residents. A professional also questioned whether the centre was an ‘appropriate setting’ for a parent with learning difficulties. Staff are able to use a specialist assessment model for parents with a learning difficulty. This information should be clearly communicated to professionals.

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improvement to be good

Parents have a solicitor and the contact details for children’s charities. They do not have any information on external services which can offer support and advice to birth parents in their position. This relates to organisations that can help parents when there are concerns regarding their capacity to respond to their children’s needs and safeguard and promote their children’s welfare. Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 7 Health arrangements are generally satisfactory. The only shortfall being that medication administration records do not detail and monitor the quantity of medication. This system is inefficient as there is no way of knowing whether medication is missing. The centre has good links with the local doctor’s surgery, which enables new families to promptly register there. The strong relationship with the health visitor also helps families to receive a very efficient service.

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improvement to be good

Parents receive good emotional support. A parent said, ‘I can always talk about my problems.’ They also receive support to follow their faith or spiritual beliefs, an example being regularly attending a local church. Parents are able to self-refer to a substance misuse project, where they benefit from one-to-one key work sessions, regular drug screening and free gym sessions.

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improvement to be good

Children and parents enjoy warm, nurturing relationships with staff. Parents praise the high level of support they receive. A parent said staff ‘made me feel at ease since starting my assessment’. They appreciate the time staff took ‘to get to know me as a person’.

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improvement to be good

Parents follow a 12-week programme which assesses their parental capacity, support network, independence skills, safety, ability to engage with professionals, follow guidance and maintain boundaries. Staff are good at helping parents develop their basic practical childcare skills. This helps them become more confident in their parenting abilities.

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improvement to be good

Staff produce good daily logs and weekly reports, which appropriately focus on meeting each child’s needs. Recordings detail: family support needs, basic care, routines, safety, emotional warmth, stimulation and guidance. Children are encouragingly reaching their milestones. A health visitor described a baby as ‘thriving’. Parents benefit from regular feedback and they are able to give comments throughout the assessment process. Parents highlight that they ‘learn a lot’. A parent gave an example of being ‘taught some really nice massages to do on my girls.’

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff positively see parents ‘as human’. They assist with babysitting and sensitively help parents to care for their children. Parents praise staff members’ ‘assistance and kindness’, and ‘for being caring and loving at what could have been a stressful and challenging time’. A parent confirmed that they ‘feel valued and appreciated’. Another parent highlighted staff that ‘made me feel very comfortable and really understood’. The registered manager expresses pride in the work undertaken with parents, which enables some of them to return home with their children.

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improvement to be good

Parents and children receive good practical support. Examples include financial assistance or purchasing shopping when they first move in. Staff are able to assist with supervising contact arrangements. Children and parents also benefit from a good aftercare service, which supports their transition back into the community. The Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 8 ongoing assistance helps them make useful links with local services.

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improvement to be good

There are no serious failures concerning the welfare of children and their parents. A social worker highlighted that the centre provides ‘safe effective care, in a safe and nurturing environment’. More attention is needed to ensure that safeguarding arrangements are highly effective. This relates to improving the recruitment practices, the staff disciplinary procedure, recording the outcome of complaints and the Ofsted notification process.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has recently completed a safe recruitment course. They acknowledged their error in recruitment practice when the centre initially opened. They allowed a staff member to start work, prior to receiving two references. These references were later received and raised no concerns. The registered manager recognises and understands that the appropriate checks must be in place to safeguard children and parents effectively. The new deputy is a relative of the registered manager. A parent and staff member highlighted that this could be a potential issue. The deputy and the registered manager are mindful of this and confirm their professional integrity in dealing with any matters.

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improvement to be good

The centre has disciplinary procedures which outline what performance and behaviour might lead to disciplinary action. The registered manager appropriately uses these to manage poor practice. The procedure does not clearly detail t hat the failure to report an incident of abuse or suspected abuse of a child to an appropriate person is a disciplinary offence. It is a legal requirement for this information to be in the disciplinary procedure.

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improvement to be good

The centre has a complaints and grievance procedure. Parents frequently use the grievance procedure to highlight any concerns. They have the option of escalating these concerns into a complaint. Records do not always include the outcome of all grievances. Parents do not always receive prompt feedback on the concerns or complaints they raise. The views and feelings of parents should be appropriately responded to by management.

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improvement to be good

Parents are able to improve their understanding of child protection issues. They can access a specific group, which raises their awareness of domestic violence. Staff appropriately challenge bullying and discriminatory behaviour. There is an effective missing persons procedure. Staff appropriately safeguard children, an example being when they are abandoned by their parent. This incident was reported to the placing authority and the police. Ofsted, however, was not promptly informed.

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improvement to be good

The centre has a safeguarding policy which details the procedure to be followed Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 9 when managing an allegation. This meets regulatory requirements. This is complemented by a safeguarding vulnerable groups policy. Policies additionally take into account the need to protect parents who are children from adults. The registered manager is the designated child protection officer and has the relevant advanced safeguarding training for this role.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have good links with the local safeguarding team. They have access to the local authority safeguarding threshold guidance. This helps staff assess and identify a child’s level of need, enabling them to take effective action. Staff also benefit from being able to access a sufficient range of child protection and safeguarding training. This includes raising their awareness of the risk of child sexual exploitation, preventing radicalisation and understanding extremism.

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improvement to be good

Parents also receive support to manage their anger and to understand the impact their behaviour could have on their child. The centre has an in-house consultant psychotherapist who offers anger management programmes. Parents demonstrate improvements in managing their behaviour. One parent shared that they have reflected on how they respond to situations. She said ‘I now realise rules are there to be followed.’ Another parent stated that staff are ‘very understanding of my moods’, explaining that they are ‘firm but fair’.

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improvement to be good

Children and their parents live in an environment which is suitably safe and secure. Parents give their consent to surveillance, which consists of closed circuit television. Cameras monitor the front and rear entrances and communal areas. A visual and aural monitoring device additionally monitors each baby’s cot.

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improvement to be good

All health and safety checks are in place. There is a sound risk management system, which covers fire safety, the building and the individual risks associated with each family. Children and parents also benefit from a good location risk assessment, which highlights hazards within the area.

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good

This is the centre’s first inspection since registration. It has been a challenging time, due to the departure of highly experienced staff members. This has had negatively affected the ability to strongly embed practice. Leaders and managers are aware of the shortfalls, which relate to staffing, staff supervision, staff inductions and documentation. Leaders and managers have the capacity to take the necessary action to improve their ways of working.

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good

The registered manager confirms that the biggest issue has been staffing. At times there have been insufficient staff to appropriately supervise, implement daily activities and undertake individual work with parents. A staff member highlights ‘feeling overstretched’. Other staff members confirm the need for additional staff to Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 1 sufficiently meet the needs of children and parents. There are flexible staff arrangements to meet the planned needs of families; an example being increasing waking night staff. There is an issue, however, with responding to emergency situations.

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good

The statement of purpose outlines the centre’s aim and objectives. Initially it was set up to provide a service to mothers and babies. Leaders and managers have extended this remit to include couples and parents with several children. This is not in keeping with the statement of purpose. In addition, as previously mentioned, the premises are small and not ideally suited to larger families. The statement of purpose has also not been updated to reflect the staff changes.

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good

Parents have their own residents’ guide. This document does not include all the legally required information, an example being the Children’s Commissioner’s details. The residents’ guide is also very lengthy: it is not a concise, easy-to-read document for parents.

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good

Staff receive varying levels of support. They benefit from a satisfactory range of training, which helps to increase their skills, competence and expertise. New staff do not benefit from a written structured induction. They were unaware of the regulations and national minimum standards. Although staff receive daily guidance, they have not had the benefit of regular formal individual supervision. The registered manager has also not received professional supervision to assist with developing the service.

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good

The registered manager is also the owner of the centre. This individual has successfully run an Ofsted-regulated childcare service for the past 16 years. They are highly qualified in business and management and also have fostering experience. A parent describes the registered manager as ‘a nice lady’. This parent explained that the registered manager ‘supported me and gave me a chance’.

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good

The registered manager has a sound understanding of the centre’s strengths and shortfalls. They aim to become ‘a centre of excellence’. The registered manager proudly describes the service as being ‘responsive to local authorities’. A social worker states that they are ‘happy with the provision of services’. They describe the service as ‘reliable, competent and child-focused’.

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good

Staff are from a range of ethnicities, with varied personal and professional experiences. Their expertise includes social work, childminding and nursery work. A parent states that, ‘Granary is a lovely unit with friendly, welcoming and approachable staff.’ A social worker describes staff as ‘approachable, friendly and professional’. Staff generally enjoy their work. They have the opportunity to collectively discuss issues during their team meetings.

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good

A parent describes the premises as ‘a lovely house’. A social worker echoed this, Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 1 describing it as a ‘lovely warm, homely environment’. The premises blend into the neighbourhood and presents as a family home. Children and parents have their own rooms on the upper floors and they share a bathroom. The kitchen has a dining area and laundry facilities. Children and parents can relax in the front lounge. Parents enjoying sitting on the outdoor furniture in the patio garden. This is especially popular during the warmer months. Children can also play with a range of toys in the contact room. This room is located at the bottom of the patio garden and it is also used as a meeting room.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and parents. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and parents. They watched how professional staff work with children and parents and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and parents. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the residential family centre knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and parents who it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 1

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Granary Care Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 60 Vaughan Road, Harrow HA1 4EE

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Residential family centre details

Responsible individual: Paullette Jean-Jacques

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Residential family centre details

Registered manager: Paullette Jean-Jacques

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Inspector

Mrs Sharon Payne, social care inspector Inspection report for residential family centre : Granary Mother & Baby Centre 1 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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