Selina Cooper House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 1 Selina Cooper House Shap Ltd 12 Tickle Avenue, St. Helens, Merseyside WA9 1RZ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

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 who access the centre may be experiencing difficulties in parenting their babies or young children, including with education and support components. This could be as a result of their being in care proceedings or having current involvement within the Public Law Outline.

p.1

Information about this residential family centre

The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2019. The registered manager has a relevant level 5 qualification.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account inadequate

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and parents are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and parents are poor.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: This is the first inspection for the centre since it was registered in February 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: This is the first inspection for the centre since it was registered in February 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection : There was no enforcement action prior to this inspection. Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 2

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Statutory requirements

The registered person shall provide a copy of the statement of purpose to the [Chief Inspector]. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, regulation 4 (1)(2)) 17/01/2020

p.2

Statutory requirements

*The registered provider and the registered manager shall, having regard to the size of the residential family centre, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs of the residents, carry on or manage the centre (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, regulation 8 (1)) 17/01/2020

p.2

Statutory requirements

*The registered person shall prepare and implement a written child protection policy which—

p.2

Statutory requirements

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the residential family centre from abuse or neglect; and

p.2

Statutory requirements

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect.

p.2

Statutory requirements

The procedure under paragraph (1)(b) must in particular provide for—

p.2

Statutory requirements

the prompt referral to the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated, of any allegations of abuse or neglect affecting any child accommodated in the residential family centre; written records to be kept of any allegation of abuse or neglect, and of the action taken in response; 17/01/2020 Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 3 consideration to be given in each case to the measures which may be necessary to protect children in the residential family centre following an allegation of abuse or neglect;

p.2

Statutory requirements

a requirement for persons working at the residential family centre to report any concerns about the welfare or safety of any child accommodated in the residential family centre to one of the following—

p.3

Statutory requirements

(i) the registered person; (ii) a police officer; (iii) an officer of the [Chief Inspector]; (iv) an officer of the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated; or (v) an officer of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, regulation 12 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(d)(e)(f)) The registered person shall, before providing a family with accommodation in the residential family centre, or if that is not reasonably practicable, as soon as possible thereafter, draw up in consultation with the placing authority a written plan (in these Regulations referred to as ‘the placement plan’) setting out, in particular—

p.3

Statutory requirements

an assessment of the risks, if any, which a resident at the residential family centre may present to their own health, safety and welfare or that of other residents or staff at the centre. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, regulation 13 (1)(c)) 17/01/2020

p.3

Statutory requirements

The registered person must ensure that conclusions or recommendations are made as a result of the assessment or monitoring and that—

p.3

Statutory requirements

such conclusions or recommendations are objective and based on verifiable evidence; and that—

p.3

Statutory requirements

the evidence on which they are based is capable of being presented in a manner that is clear, accessible and appropriate to the persons who will need to consider them. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, regulation 13A (4)(a)(b)) 17/01/2020

p.3

Statutory requirements

The registered person shall ensure that all persons employed by him— 17/01/2020 Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 4 receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, regulation 16 (5)(a)) The registered person shall ensure that all persons employed by him receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, regulation 17 (5)(a)) 17/01/2020

p.3

Statutory requirements

If, in relation to a residential family centre, any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, regulation 26 (1)) 17/01/2020

p.4

Statutory requirements

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.4

Recommendations

 Parents are encouraged to communicate their views, wishes and feelings on all aspects of their placement, assessment and support. Staff take account of these views, wishes and feelings in the day to day running and development of the centre. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, NMS 2.1, page 9)  The centre provides each parent with sufficient supervision and assistance to protect children from likely significant harm. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, NMS 5.2, page 12)  Entries in records are legible, clearly expressed and non-stigmatizing; and distinguish as far as possible between fact, opinion and third-party information. (‘The residential family centres regulations 2002’, NMS 20.5, page 30)

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

This is the first inspection for the residential family centre since it was registered in February 2019. The inspector found that there are widespread and serious concerns about the safety and welfare of children at the residential family centre, resulting in a judgement of inadequate for the overall experiences and progress of children and parents.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The assessments produced by the centre for the purposes of informing care planning for families do not always accurately reflect the parents’ capacity to safely and effectively care for their child. For example, a parenting assessment report submitted Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 5 to the local authority and court contained factually incorrect information. This shortfall potentially has an impact on care planning and the welfare and safety of children.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The registered manager reported that placement matching takes place prior to parents and children moving in to the centre and that risks are considered in respect of the potential impact on other parents and children’s safety. However, there are no records to evidence that this risk management and matching activity take place.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Parents benefit from regular direct work sessions on a range of issues including safe sleep, health issues, feeding, routines and safety to enhance their parenting skills and to help them to safeguard their children. However, this does not always result in improvement in parenting capacity and children being safeguarded effectively. The lack of progress for some parents is reported to the placing local authority and court to inform the care planning and decision-making for children and their parents.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Records such as placement plans, risk assessments and direct work sessions do not always include the views, wishes and feelings of parents. This does not demonstrate that staff consult with parents and engage them in the assessment process.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

There are some positive aspects of the parents and children’s experiences. Parents reported that they get on well with staff and other parents. There are opportunities for parents to participate in group sessions with external professionals to raise their awareness and understanding of various issues that may have an impact on them and their children, such as domestic abuse and substance misuse.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Parents spoken to during the inspection generally spoke positively about the residential family centre and the positive relationships that they have with the registered manager and staff. Additionally, the home environment is warm, clean and tidy, well furnished and decorated. Each family lives in a self-contained flat, which provides them with the opportunity to be assessed in an environment similar to that of a normal family home.

p.5

How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

The registered manager and staff do not always have the skills to recognise and act when safeguarding issues arise. For example, when a parent and child are not subject to 24-hour monitoring, closed-circuit television (CCTV) is viewed retrospectively. However, when parenting and safeguarding concerns are identified from the review of CCTV footage, effective action is not always taken to ensure that appropriate strategies are implemented to ensure that similar incidents do not occur. As a result, a parent continued to leave her baby for significant periods of time without feeding or changing the baby, and co-sleeping repeatedly occurred. Consequently, risks for the baby were not managed, and the baby remained at risk of harm. Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 6 The residential family centre does not have risk assessments for children. Risk assessments for parents do not include sufficient up-to-date information relating to

p.5

How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

serious safeguarding incidents and known vulnerabilities. Furthermore, risk assessments reviewed during the inspection do not include additional risks identified during the time when families are residing at the residential family centre. This means that staff are not always provided with clear guidance and appropriate strategies on how to keep children safe. As a result, staff cannot effectively manage risk.

p.6

How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Information shared with the registered manager and staff relating to a significant discussion with a placing local authority social worker about the level of monitoring for a parent and child is inaccurate. Furthermore, conflicting and inaccurate information was recorded in the centre’s logbook about the level of monitoring required. As a result, a parent and child were not monitored to the level agreed with the placing local authority and outlined in the parent and child’s placement plan. Consequently, the level of monitoring required to safeguard the child was not implemented, which places the child at risk of harm.

p.6

How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

The registered manager failed to take effective action when an agency waking night member of staff fell asleep for approximately two hours when she was monitoring a parent and child who required 24-hour one-to-one monitoring. The registered manager contacted the employment agency and informed them of the incident and said that the centre would not use this member of staff again. However, the provider failed to escalate details of the safeguarding incident to the placing local authority social worker and the designated officer. As a result, the local authorities have been unable to collaborate with the provider and the employment agency to ensure that appropriate strategies are implemented to safeguard children.

p.6

How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Co-sleeping is a regular occurrence for some parents at this residential family centre. Staff have failed to take effective action in response to co-sleeping, which has resulted in parents repeatedly co-sleeping with their babies. For example, on one occasion, staff intervened when a parent had fallen asleep with her baby in bed with her but did not ensure that the baby was returned to its cot. The parent fell asleep again with her baby in bed with her. Although the provider addresses co-sleeping with some parents through direct work sessions and providing information on safe sleeping, co-sleeping has continued to occur, which places babies at risk of harm.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The residential family centre is not led and managed in a manner that is consistent with the aims outlined in its statement of purpose. This fails to demonstrate that the care being delivered meets the individual needs of parents and children or promotes their safety and welfare effectively. Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 7 The standard of record-keeping is poor. There is insufficient detail in records of serious incidents. Incident reports lack detail, and some are missing all together. For example, there was only one cause for concern incident report for a parent who was regularly missing from the residential family centre with her child. Additionally, an accident record fails to demonstrate the decision-making in the case of medical attention not being sought for the child. The poor recording and lack of records leave parents and children vulnerable and prevent placing local authorities from being fully

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

informed of concerns and safeguarding issues.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although the centre’s statement of purpose has been kept up to date, the provider has not shared updated copies with Ofsted in line with regulation. Furthermore, a notification under regulation 26 has not been sent to the regulator as required. As a result, the regulator does not have sufficient oversight of the centre, and this hinders monitoring of the service.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The residential family centre’s assessing social worker has not received professional supervision since the centre began operating. This does not support the assessing social worker in her role or provide her with an opportunity to discuss and reflect on the needs of parents and children or the quality of care, support and assessments necessary to develop and improve practice.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Safer recruitment practice at the centre is not sufficiently robust. For example, one member of staff only had one reference, which was received by the provider more than a year earlier when the member of staff was recruited on a temporary basis. Recruitment records do not demonstrate that gaps in employment histories of applicants have been explored as part of the recruitment process, and there is no documentary evidence of relevant qualifications for the staff recruitment files viewed as part of the inspection. This does not demonstrate that the provider only recruits the most suitable staff to work at the centre.

p.7

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.

p.7

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 centres regulations 2002’ and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 8

p.7

Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Lakeside Building, Prescott Road, St Helens WA10 3TT

p.8

Inspector

Mrs Mulcahy, social care inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 4234 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9