Daffodil Family Centre

Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Daffodil House 1 Daffodil House 10 North Road East, Plymouth, Devon PL4 6AS Monitoring visit

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre offers strengths-based parenting assessments that aim to support parents to identify what changes they need to make in order to keep their children safe. Assessments usually take place over eight to twelve weeks.

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Information about this residential family centre

Daffodil House uses a psychologically informed approach to address the complex and often long-standing underlying issues that may have interrupted safe parenting techniques.

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Information about this residential family centre

The service can accommodate up to five families. One family can be accommodated in a self-contained flat.

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Information about this residential family centre

The manager is suitably qualified and has been in post since the service was first registered in January 2020.

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Information about this residential family centre

Date of previous inspection: Not applicable

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This monitoring visit

This visit was undertaken using a blended approach. There were four families undertaking parenting assessments. This was the centre’s first visit since it was registered in January 2020. The visit was undertaken to monitor the progress of the centre since registration.

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This monitoring visit

Staff work sensitively with families and support them effectively, using a nurturing and psychologically informed approach. Families reported that they felt safe. They were positive about how much they had learned during their assessments and how they had increased and improved their parenting skills.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have implemented robust COVID-19 measures. These measures help to protect families during their assessment. Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Daffodil House 2 Surveillance monitoring is used in the centre in the form of CCTV (closed-circuit television). This monitoring is used only when necessary. The aim for each family is that the use of CCTV is reduced as the family makes progress and once an assessment of risk has been carried out. The use of CCTV is explained to parents prior to the commencement of their assessment. Families reported that they understand why it is being used, and why and how it forms part of their assessment.

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This monitoring visit

The centre is maintained and decorated to a high standard. There are bright colours, soft furnishings and pictures that appeal to babies and children and help families to feel welcome and at ease when they move in. Families benefit from having access to all items and equipment that assist parenting, such as baby monitors, stair gates and bottle sterilising equipment.

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This monitoring visit

The primary focus of parenting assessments is the safety and welfare of children. Risk assessments are comprehensive and offer staff clear guidance on how to safely manage identified risks. However, parents are not always challenged in a robust way. On one occasion, staff failed to challenge a parent about inappropriate mobile-phone use, putting both parent and child at risk.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not always ensure that instructions from the placing authority have been received before the start of an assessment. The letter of instruction is important in ensuring that the aims and objectives of the assessment are clear and inform the assessment plan. One family had reached the midway review and the letter of instruction still had not been received. It was not evident if the manager had challenged the local authority in order to obtain this document.

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This monitoring visit

The centre has a consistent staff team that is well led and well supervised by the registered manager and registered individual. Many of the staff are professionally qualified and experienced.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of viability assessments is mixed. Three viability assessments were scrutinised. Some assessments are comprehensive and clearly evidence why the centre is offering a family a parenting assessment.

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This monitoring visit

Assessment reports are generally well written by suitably qualified members of staff, and give clear recommendations. There have been no concerns raised by courts about the quality of reports. Some reports are too lengthy and there is a risk that primary issues will be lost in the volume of the report.

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This monitoring visit

On two occasions, notifiable incidents were not reported to Ofsted by the registered manager as required by the regulations. Leaders and managers evidence learning from safeguarding incidents. For example, volunteers are no longer employed at the centre following a safeguarding investigation.

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This monitoring visit

The registered individual undertakes comprehensive monitoring visits each month. The visits inform the centre’s development plans. These plans comprehensively Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Daffodil House 3 detail how improvement will be implemented and embedded in order to develop and improve the centre and the quality of assessments. Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Daffodil House 4

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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

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 person indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. (Regulation 26 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to notifying Ofsted if a child is taken to hospital in the event of an accident, or requires emergency medical treatment. 26 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall, before providing a family with accommodation in the family centre, or if that is not reasonably practicable, as soon as possible after, draw up in consultation with the placing authority a written plan setting out, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

the objectives and intended outcome of the placement. (Regulation 13 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that a letter of instruction is obtained from the placing authority prior to the commencement of the assessment, and that this letter of instruction clearly informs the assessment plan. 26 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall establish and maintain a system for reviewing and improving the quality of care provided at the residential family centre. (Regulation 23 (1) (1A))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that the quality of viability assessments and final reports is regularly reviewed and monitored. 26 February 2021 Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Daffodil House 5

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the residential family centre since its registration.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 29 Sutherland Road, Plymouth, Devon PL4 6BW

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Inspectors

Polly Soper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Daffodil House 6 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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