Autumn House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Autumn House 1 Autumn House U5 Limited 11 Muirhead Avenue, Liverpool, L13 9BG Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is registered to accommodate up to two families at any one time. The residential family centre is privately owned. Families access the centre at the direction of the court and/or the local authority for the purposes of assessment.

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Information about this residential family centre

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 February 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: First inspection

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: None

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report for residential family centre: Autumn House 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This residential family centre is good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff make positive relationships with parents and support them throughout the assessment process.  Staff devise creative methods to communicate with parents. This ensures that all parents understand and learn parenting tasks.  Staff know the risks and understand the parents‟ and child‟s vulnerabilities. Staff are enabling and not risk averse. They teach parents new skills and support them to put these skills into practice with their child.  Managers and staff work with key partners to ensure that families receive the right support for their needs.  The manager is knowledgeable, approachable, and visible. She provides staff with a reflective and learning environment.  The centre offers a good service for children and their parents. Shortfalls do not detract from the overall quality of the service

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Key findings from this inspection

The residential family centre‟s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home‟s statement of purpose lacks details relating to the qualifications and experience of staff.  There is a lack of evidence to show how staff involve parents in forming risk assessments and in gaining parents‟ views on how they can keep their child safe.  Some documents have not been signed by parents or placing authorities. Records do not fully show the work that staff do when families move in and out of the home and how they are supported to participate in their plans.  The centre is dependent on online staff training and there is a lack of evaluation of the effectiveness of this. Some staff were found to lack knowledge on drug use, mental health and child sexual exploitation.  The regulation 25 report on the quality of care does not tell the reader how the centre balances the parents‟ privacy and the high level of staff supervision. Inspection report for residential family centre: Autumn House 3

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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 compile in relation to the residential family centre a written statement (in these Regulations referred to as “the statement of purpose”) which shall consist of a statement as to the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 4(1)) In particular, the registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose sets out the number, relevant qualifications and experience of persons working at the residential family centre. 03/05/2019

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Recommendations

 Parents are encouraged to communicate their views, wishes and feelings on all aspects of their placement, assessment and support. Staff take account of the views, wishes and feelings in the day to day running and development of the centre. (Residential Family Centres National Minimum Standards, page 9, 2.1)  The learning and development programme is evaluated for effectiveness at regular intervals and is updated if necessary. (Residential Family Centres National Minimum Standards, page 25, 16.3)  Visits of the centre carried out under regulation 25 include checks of any disciplinary measures and use of restraint and records of missing person‟s reports. They also include an assessment of the balance of privacy and supervision of families at the centre. (Residential Family Centres National Minimum Standards, page 29, 19.5) Inspection report for residential family centre: Autumn House 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

This is the residential family centre‟s first inspection since it was registered in March 2018. The centre has a warm and friendly atmosphere. There is currently one family living in the centre. The parent has made positive relationships with the managers and staff. She was comfortable in her environment and confirmed that she had settled in. The parent said, „The welcome book gave me lots of information about the centre. It tells you what to expect from staff. Staff are supportive and they‟re nice.‟ Staff strive to help parents to make meaningful progress. Staff support parents to overcome any barriers. Inspectors observed a parent approach staff for advice. It was clear that she found the staff a good source of support. Managers were able to tell the inspectors how the parents take part and give their views on the centre and assessment process. This information needs to be clearly recorded in documents. Records and documents are not consistently signed by staff

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

and parents. The manager is keen to improve these shortfalls. Children and their parents enjoy the positive links made within the local community. These resources include the children‟s centre, health centre, and specialist services. Staff support these connections, while encouraging parents to take responsibility for themselves. This enables families to access support and advice through the assessment process. Staff teach parents how to interact with their child. They learn the importance of talking to and playing with their baby. Staff show parents how to make sensory toys such as shakers. Parents learn why stimulation is important for their baby‟s development. This strengthens the child‟s development. It enhances the relationship between parent and child. Records do not reflect the work staff do to enable parents to make positive transitions in and out of the centre. A recommendation has been made to reflect this

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

shortfall. Staff are creative in the methods that they use with parents who need extra support. They use smart speakers and pictograms. This helps parents to give their views and to understand the assessment process. These methods have been successful in assisting parents to understand and engage in activities and assessments.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

A qualified and experienced social worker leads the assessment process. The report is clear. It includes evidence of the child‟s journey throughout their assessment. It provides clear recommendations for the child‟s future, based on good evidence. This assists professionals to make well-informed decisions in the best interests of the children. Inspection report for residential family centre: Autumn House 5 Staff are alert to risks and understand the parent and child‟s vulnerabilities. Staff enable parents and are not risk averse. They support parents to test out new skills in a safe environment. Staff are realistic about what happens when parents move out of the centre. They strive to enable parents to have the skills and knowledge to keep their child safe. Staff are alert to risks and understand the parent and child‟s vulnerabilities. Staff enable parents and support them to test out the skills that they learn in a safe

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

environment. Staff are open and honest. They encourage parents to take responsibility for their child. There are clear expectations around behaviour in the centre. Clear policies and procedures support the use of surveillance. Parents understand and consent to the use of surveillance systems during their assessment. Appropriate consent and agreements show that parents understand the reasons for the surveillance. A parent said, „I knew about this. Staff explained it when I arrived here.‟ Staff work with key partners, such as community psychiatric nurses, social workers and the local children‟s centre. This provides a holistic approach to children‟s and parents‟ individual needs. A community nurse said, „Risk assessments and plans are thorough. They provide clear strategies to manage these risks. These documents are reviewed and updated when necessary. For example, when a parent has a history of falling asleep, staff plan for this to reduce risks to the baby.‟

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The recruitment of staff is robust. This ensures that staff are assessed as safe. Managers and staff ensure that the home is well maintained. They review the property to ensure that there are no hazards that could pose a risk to children and parents.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good Managers and staff are child focused and dedicated to supporting families. They are well qualified and experienced for their roles. Leaders and managers have a clear vision and want to support families to gain good outcomes. Managers have a good understanding of the strengths of the staff team. They support families to stay together, yet they are clear that the safety of the child comes first. Managers are knowledgeable, approachable and visible. Managers are reflective of the work that they do. They are keen to provide a good-quality service to children and their families. Staff receive regular supervision. Records of these sessions do not reflect discussion around training and practice. Training is being provided. However, this is quite dependent on online training. Managers need to check the effectiveness of this training. They need to ensure that staff understand what they have learned and how

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

to put this into practice. Some staff lacked knowledge around drug use, mental health and child sexual exploitation. The manager is keen to improve these shortfalls. The independent visitor provides monthly reports. The report does not assess the use of surveillance with the right of the parent‟s privacy as required. A Inspection report for residential family centre: Autumn House 6 recommendation has been made to reflect this shortfall. Staff say that they feel well supported by the managers and staff team. They work consistently with parents, providing advice and support on parenting. Staff provide details of other useful services in the area. This ensures that parents are getting the right level of support for their needs. A mental health practitioner said, „It‟s the first- time staff have supported someone with their mental health. They are engaging with it and providing some great support.‟ Managers and staff have good working relationships with other agencies and

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

professionals. These people confirm that parents receive good support from the staff and managers. A children‟s centre manager said, „[name] made good progress and there was a lot of good partnership working.‟

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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 differences 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 whom 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: Autumn House 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: U5 Ltd, The Orchard, Imperial Avenue, Wallasy, CH45 7ND

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Inspectors

Ms Hornby, social care inspector Marina Tully, social care inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Autumn House 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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