Tide House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 1 Tide House Inclusis Limited 21 High Street, Bideford, Devon EX39 2AA Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is operated by a private provider, Inclusis Limited, and was registered with Ofsted in October 2014. Last year, the centre varied its registration to increase its capacity to accommodate four families at any one time. The service provides 24-hour evidence-based parenting assessments, in line with the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. Assessment usually takes place over a six- to 12-week period. The centre works with one or more children, single parents, couples, young parents and parents who have mental health issues or learning disabilities. The service is located within a town centre and therefore has good access to a range of local services and community facilities, such as nurseries, health centres and parks. Each family is accommodated in a fully self- contained flat on either the ground floor or first floor of the building.

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Information about this residential family centre

Inspection dates: 16 to 18 September 2019

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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: 21 February 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 2

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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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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that the residential family centre is conducted so as to— promote and make proper provision for the health and welfare of residents; make such provision for the care, treatment, education and supervision of residents as is appropriate to their age and needs. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)). In particular:  If body maps of children are completed to show a mark or injury, ensure that a senior member of staff reviews the purpose of this recording and signs off action that needs to be taken.  Ensure that staff receive sufficient guidance so that a consistent and appropriate response is provided to parents.  Ensure that risk assessments and risk management plans are in place where necessary, and that they are effective.  Review the use of safety filters in Wi-Fi systems installed in the centre. 29/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that— all parts of the residential family centre to which residents have access are so far as reasonably practicable free from hazards to their safety; unnecessary risks to the health or safety of residents are identified and so far as possible eliminated (Regulation 11(4)(a)(c)) 15/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

Subject to regulation 4(6), the registered person shall provide facilities and services to residents in accordance with the statement of purpose. The registered person shall having regard to the size of the residential family centre and the number and needs of residents— 31/10/2019 Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 3 provide in rooms occupied by families adequate furniture, bedding and other furnishings, including curtains, floor coverings, and equipment (Regulation 14(1)(2)(b)) 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. In particular, ensure that the suitability of agency staff is checked and evidenced in the records of recruitment. (Regulation 16(1)(a)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that— the premises to be used as the residential family centre are of sound construction and kept in a good state of repair externally and internally; all parts of the residential family centre are kept clean and reasonably decorated. (Regulation 21(2)(b)(c)) 15/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall after consultation with the fire authority— make adequate arrangements— (iii) for the evacuation, in the event of fire, of all persons in the residential family centre and safe placement of residents; (iv) for the maintenance of all fire equipment; and (v) for reviewing fire precautions, and testing fire equipment, at suitable intervals; (d) make arrangements for persons working at the residential family centre to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and (e) ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that the persons working at the residential family centre and, so far as practicable, residents, are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire, including the procedure for saving life. (Regulation 22(1)(c)(iii)(iv)(v)(d)(e)) 15/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that a system is established for the review of the monitoring of the quality of care provided at the family centre. (Regulation 23(1)) 15/11/2019 Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 4

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Recommendations

 The purpose and scope of the parenting assessment is laid out clearly in the family placement plan and is based upon the referral information provided at the start of the placement. (National Minimum Standard 1.3)  Parents are engaged in the process and provided with regular feedback. The engagement is reflected in the written assessment. (National Minimum Standard 1.8)  The registered person should seek feedback following a placement from professionals involved as part of their quality assurance process. (National Minimum Standard 1.15)  The registered manager should have: a. a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services, or other recognised social work qualifications . (National Minimum Standard 12.2)  All staff, volunteers and the registered manager are properly managed, appraised, supported and understand to whom they are accountable. (National Minimum

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Recommendations

Standard 17.2) In particular, ensure that appropriate internal line management arrangements are in place for all managers. Additionally, ensure that a record exists that reflects what training staff have done.  The registered provider’s written report of a visit carried out under regulation 25 is lodged in the centre for the manager and staff to read and respond to. (National Minimum Standard 19.6) In particular, ensure that the regulation 25 reports are submitted contemporaneously and comply with the national minimum standards. Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 5

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improvement to be good

Staff work sensitively with families and strive to have good working relationships with parents, who say they feel safe in the centre. However, day-to-day management arrangements and systems lack precision and do not ensure that key aspects of the assessment process are carried out thoroughly at all times. Consequently, such shortfalls have the potential to impact negatively upon these time-limited assessments, which result in life-changing recommendations for children. Preparation for families about what to expect and how assessment work will be carried out is not always clear enough and is generic in parts. A well-written parents’ and children’s guide is accessible on the internet to inform parents about the centre. The team also carries out introductions or home visits where possible. However, the initial placement planning meeting and resulting placement plan are not specific enough to ensure that parents understand exactly why they are being assessed and

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improvement to be good

how, and what questions need to be answered about their parenting. Timetabling for sessions is sometimes arranged at the last minute, meaning parents do not have time to prepare. Feedback mechanisms, such as case notes and weekly summary documents to parents, generally do not include parents’ views. These documents lack specific and individualised plans about what work will be done each week and what targets parents need to meet, to evidence good enough parenting. Each family is accommodated in their own self-contained flat, which enables them to be assessed in a similar situation to their home environment, helping the assessment to be more realistic. The manager, who is currently the only qualified social worker in the centre, writes all assessment reports for children. She is assisted by staff members and external professionals with different specialisms, who contribute to the assessments. Assessment reports are well written. The reader is left in no doubt as

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improvement to be good

to areas of concern as well as strengths. This information is articulated sensitively for children, should they wish to go on to read their records in later life. Recommendations are made, which are particularly clear in the area of basic care. The manager and staff welcome parents to the centre and show dignity and respect to families when assessments are not favourable to parents. They support children and parents when they move in and when they leave, and help them practically with their follow-on plans when they move out. External professionals spoke positively about the centre. They feel parents and children are supported well and helped to access local community facilities, and they are happy with the quality of assessment reports provided.

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improvement to be good

Staff focus on providing support, assessment and care to families but the way in which this is managed day-to-day is not consistently good. The infrastructure and lack of management guidance and support systems can inhibit staff from carrying out Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 6 their jobs effectively. Areas where this shortfall is evident include: access to and organisation of files; handover plans; and changing arrangements, such as moving a family to a different flat part way through their assessment, to accommodate another family. When managers do provide direction, for example at a staff handover meeting, it is delivered well. Guidance for staff on how to work with families can result in inconsistent staff practice; risk assessment and risk management plans are not always available. There are examples of body maps which show a mark or injury to children. However, these

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improvement to be good

documents do not have accompanying explanations or follow-up action recorded, and are not signed off by a manager. Health and safety arrangements, checks, and fire evacuation procedures and reviews need more attention. Families have access to Wi-FI, which is provided by the centre, but there are no safety filters, potentially putting children and adults at risk. Staff carrying out health and safety checks have not had sufficient training. If the staff member who completes daily checks is not at work, checks are not completed by another staff member. Fire drills are carried out, but the frequency is not in accordance with the centre’s policy. However, when they are carried out, evaluation of the drills shows that they are completed quickly and safely. Permanent staff are suitably vetted to carry out their role with these vulnerable children and parents, but the same robust process is not extended to agency staff.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not assure themselves that the agency staff they employ have the relevant checks, skills and experience; they rely on the agency to do this. Surveillance monitoring in the form of CCTV (closed-circuit television) is used where necessary to ensure the children’s safety without being unnecessarily intrusive. The system used is explained carefully to parents so that they understand how the use of CCTV forms part of the assessment.

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good

Management quality assurance, audit and monitoring are lacking to an extent that impacts negatively on the overall delivery of the service. A repeat requirement of regulation 23, which requires a regular review of quality of care, is made. An evaluation of work completed at the centre is absent and there is limited review of whether recommendations for children are timely and support effective decision- making. No formal feedback has been gathered from external professionals to inform practice. The development plan does not include all necessary areas for improvement and is not shared with or contributed to by the staff team. Overall, these factors lead to a lack of understanding of the progress and experience for families and outcomes for children. Reports of visits by the registered individual to monitor the quality and conduct of the centre have been completed, but not always in a timely manner. Staff are not

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good

regularly consulted during this visiting and have not had an opportunity to see the reports. However, the registered individual meets with parents during the assessment and conducts exit meetings to understand parents’ experiences in a sensitive manner. Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 7 This detail is included in the reports. While there is not a clear system for recording concerns or issues and corresponding action to address these if appropriate, formal complaints are dealt with thoroughly and appropriately. The physical environment of the centre, both internally and externally, is not maintained to a high standard and shows signs of wear and tear. Managers have recognised that induction and training for new staff could be improved, to ensure that staff are fully acquainted with the specialist nature of this work. Training records do not reliably show which staff have completed what training,

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good

including safeguarding training. Additionally, the registered manager is yet to finish completing the required diploma in leadership in accordance with the national minimum standards. All staff are either enrolled on the NVQ3 equivalent or already have this qualification, and managers have taken care to ensure that the qualification is meaningful in relation to family centre work. The staff team receives appropriate supervision on a regular basis, which they find helpful. However, some staff do not receive in-house line management supervision, which would assist with management quality assurance. In order to meet a previous requirement about supervision, managers also receive external professional supervision. The registered manager is a skilled, highly thought of and experienced practitioner. Her workload is considerable, which means that some management duties are not taken care of. The registered individual has an ambitious vision for the centre, and is

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good

visible and approachable. When formal complaints by staff or families are raised, he has ensured that these are dealt with effectively, often with positive conclusions. Leaders and managers took seriously any concerns raised during the inspection and sought to redress issues there and then, where possible. All staff spoken to enjoy their work and value their relationships with managers and colleagues. They are confident to raise practice issues and feel listened to.

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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: Tide House 8

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 21 High Street, Bideford, Devon EX39 2AA

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Inspectors

Sarah Canto, social care inspector Polly Soper, social care inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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