Jamma Umoja

Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Jamma Umoja 1 Jamma Umoja 23 Haling Park Road, South Croydon CR2 6NJ 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 is a family resource service offering parental assessment and treatment services. A group of directors owns the company and another residential family centre. Both centres are based in the South London area.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre aims to complete residential parental assessments within a 12-week time frame, amending this if necessary, to meet the individual needs of families. The centre accommodates up to nine families and is staffed on a 24-hour basis.

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Information about this residential family centre

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this residential family centre

We last visited this setting on 1 October 2020 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Inspection date: 10 May 2021

Date of previous inspection: 24 October 2017

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was triggered by a significant number of complaints received by Ofsted expressing the following concerns about the centre:

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This monitoring visit

 Staff do not adhere to COVID-19 government guidelines.  Staff’s completion of final assessments is not comprehensive and is lacking in detail.  The provider employs inexperienced staff.  There is little staff cohesiveness, and this has a negative impact on the care families receive.  The provider continues to employ relatives of managers.  There is a high turnover of staff. Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Jamma Umoja 2  Managers do not recruit staff in line with safe recruitment guidelines.

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This monitoring visit

The main outcomes of the visit are as follows:

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This monitoring visit

 Staff adhere to government COVID-19 guidelines and related COVID-19 centre policies and procedures.  Staff’s written final assessment reports are comprehensive and analytical.  Staff are appropriately qualified or are working towards achieving relevant qualifications.  The members of the staff team work well together and are supportive towards each other.  Shortfalls were found in the frequency and quality of some staff’s supervision and appraisals.  Staff inductions are not comprehensive.  Relatives of senior managers are employed at the home.  There have been several changes in the management structure of the centre, and this sometimes results in staff receiving different guidance about the same issue from different managers.  Gaps were identified in some staff’s recruitment/vetting information.

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This monitoring visit

The visit explored concerns about the service following a complaint received by Ofsted. Some of the issues highlighted in the complaint are the same as shortfalls identified by Ofsted at the centre’s last full inspection. A subsequent monitoring visit was conducted on 1 October 2020.

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This monitoring visit

The centre’s manager, staff members and some resident parents were interviewed during this visit. The centre’s manager is not registered with Ofsted. The registered manager role has been vacant for several months.

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This monitoring visit

The complainant stated that staff do not always follow government and NHS guidelines in managing and preventing COVID-19 infection. Parents and staff are clear that all those accessing the premises are required to adhere to current government and NHS COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Related policies and procedures are in place and are complied with.

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This monitoring visit

The complainant also stated that the staff team are inexperienced and do not work well together and that as a result, families to do not receive good-quality care and support. The complainant noted that managers do not recruit staff in accordance with safe recruitment procedures, and that the relatives of senior managers continue to be employed at the centre.

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This monitoring visit

Staff recruitment records highlighted that staff are generally well qualified and experienced to work with vulnerable families undergoing parental assessments. The Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Jamma Umoja 3 provider ensures that staff who do not hold formal qualifications are enrolled onto relevant courses. For example, managers are currently completing leadership training courses.

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This monitoring visit

The core staff team has worked at the centre for some time and staff turnover is moderate. Staff recruitment has largely been successful. However, the centre’s induction programme is not comprehensive, and records of staff inductions do not confirm that their inductions have been fully completed.

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This monitoring visit

In recent months, there have been changes in the management structure. The absences of managers have been absorbed by other leaders within the organisation. One staff member said: ‘I had to adjust to some new faces, new social workers have come in. It’s not how it used to be, with lots of changes.’ Parents and other staff said that they continue to feel supported. Some staff commented that changes in the centre’s management arrangements have led to inconsistencies in their exchange of information with staff.

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This monitoring visit

The last monitoring visit highlighted shortfalls in the support provided to staff. In particular, the quality and frequency of staff supervision and appraisals were cause for concern. This trend continues, with significant gaps noted in some staff’s supervision and infrequent and poor-quality appraisals. This does not promote the professional development of staff.

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This monitoring visit

The safe recruitment of staff was also of concern at the last monitoring visit. Shortfalls are noted again at this visit. In particular, it is unclear whether written references are verified prior to the staff member taking up their posts.

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This monitoring visit

The complainant stated that some staff are related to senior managers. Some staff personnel records highlight this on their application forms; and managers confirm that some senior staff are related to other staff at the centre.

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This monitoring visit

Parents and staff said that the members of the staff team work very well together. One parent said of the staff team: ‘Staff are talking to me all the time, about the good and the bad. I take it all on board, as I’m here to learn. I feel better, more confident every day.’

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This monitoring visit

Staff conduct assessments in line with the instructions of the courts and placing authorities. Final assessment reports are comprehensive, evaluative and analytical. The assessments describe parents’ strengths and weaknesses, their capacity for change and the extent to which they understand the impact of their actions on their children. Final reports address the placement objectives and their outcomes.

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This monitoring visit

Some of the requirements and recommendations made at the previous visit were not reviewed during this visit and so are repeated in this report. These relate to the management of complaints, the review of the quality of care, communication between staff and the sharing of key information with families upon their arrival. Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Jamma Umoja 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

A person shall not manage a residential family centre unless he is fit to do so.

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Requirement Due date

A person is not fit to manage a residential family centre unless—

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the residential family centre, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs of the residents—

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Requirement Due date

he has the qualifications, skills and experience necessary to manage the centre; and

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Requirement Due date

he is physically and mentally fit to do so;

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Requirement Due date

he provides in relation to himself full and satisfactory information in respect of each of the matters listed in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the residential family centre has not had a registered manager in place for several months. It is essential that the current manager successfully completes the application process to register with Ofsted as manager of the home. This will allow the manager an opportunity to demonstrate her fitness and suitability for the role. 30 July 2021 Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Jamma Umoja 5 The registered person must ensure that a written record is made of any complaint or representation, the action taken in response, and the outcome of the investigation. (Regulation 20 (6)) 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must supply to Ofsted a report in respect of any review conducted by him under regulation 23 and make a copy of the report available to residents. (Regulation 23 (2)) 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that all persons employed by him—

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Requirement Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. (Regulation 17 (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, staff inductions must offer them comprehensive support and guidance. 30 July 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and that the level of delegation and the lines of accountability are clearly defined. In particular, that communication between staff members is effective. (NMS 19.3)  The registered person should ensure that all people working in or for the residential family centre are interviewed as part of the selection process and have references checked to assess their suitability before taking on responsibilities. Telephone enquiries should be made as well as obtaining written references. (NMS 14.1)  The registered person should ensure that except in an emergency, parents and children are given information, before arrival, about the centre and the placement, training, supervision, assistance and assessment they can expect, in a format which meets their needs. Parents and their children should visit the centre

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Recommendations

prior to a placement decision being made. (NMS 7.3)

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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 last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Jamma Umoja 6

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Jamma Umoja (Residential Services) Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Mazars Llp Apex 2, 97 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 5HD

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Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre – monitoring visit: Jamma Umoja 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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