Jamma Umoja

Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 1 Jamma Umoja Jamma Umoja (Residential Services) Limited 94 Plaistow Lane, Bromley, Kent BR1 3JE 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. The centre is registered to provide care and accommodation for nine families. The centre generally completes residential assessments within a 12-week timeframe, amending this, if necessary, in order to meet the individual needs of families. The centre is staffed on a 24-hour basis.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of the inspection, nine families were staying at the centre. The manager is in the process of being registered with Ofsted.

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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 5 May 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 21 November 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: Jamma Umoja 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Children and parents receive good support through a range of parenting sessions and programmes. These have a positive impact on families’ progress and experiences and are tailored to meet their needs. A parent said, ‘I now know more about myself. Being here has been worth my while. It’s provided a lifetime of advice. I wish I had this before.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families are welcomed when they arrive at the centre. This is often with very little notice and on an emergency basis. Parents are clear about the purpose and scope of the service and generally settle in well. They receive good information about the centre’s services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Children and parents largely share positive relationships with the staff team. One parent said, ‘Staff are quite good. They’re supportive and tell you what you need to know.’ Parents know how to make complaints and do so. However, managers do not consistently document how complaints have been resolved. This does not demonstrate that parents know the outcome of their complaint.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Children and parents are encouraged to share their views about the centre. Staff regularly hold residents’ meetings and provide parents with opportunities to give feedback about how they are feeling about the work being completed. Managers have recently introduced ‘reflections of the week’ sessions to help with obtaining parents’ views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Children and parents’ day-to-day experiences are good. Staff encourage parents to fully participate in sessions and programmes which inform families’ assessments. For example, parents are encouraged to engage with health services. This is to ensure that children and parents receive the support they need to live healthy lives. Typically, parents access health visiting services, mental health specialists and drug and alcohol services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff have effective links with local and community resources. These help to broaden the range of services that families have access to. For example, various baby sessions are accessed through local children’s centres. During COVID-19 restrictions, managers and staff provided creative and innovative programme alternatives. This was to ensure that parents continued to have opportunities to develop safe care skills. The organisation’s in-house psychologist provided families with essential counselling sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff place the well-being of children and parents at the centre of their practice, and families are treated with respect. Staff adhere to agreed support plans. This ensures that families’ identified needs are well met. Placements cater well for children and parents’ identity needs. Staff are skilled in meeting the cultural, gender, religious and linguistic needs of families. Staff tailor assessment activities to ensure that Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 3 parents with learning difficulties or mental health support needs are able to fully participate with sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff complete assessments in line with the instructions of the courts and placing authorities. Final assessment reports are comprehensive, evaluative and analytical. They 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 expertly address placement objectives.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The protection of children remains the central focus of all staff’s work. Parents say that they feel safe at the centre. Staff protect children and their parents from abuse, neglect and harm. The centre’s child protection policies and procedures are thorough, and staff are very familiar with these. This helps to keep children safe. However, managers are yet to develop and implement detailed adult protection policies to enhance the protection of parents.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff complete risk assessments in line with the assessment of parents’ capacity to protect their children and provide safe care. Staff ensure that they obtain comprehensive background information from the placing local authority at the point of referral. This ensures that staff have a clear understanding of family history and risks. Risk assessments outline risks posed to individual family members and provide staff with strategies that help to reduce risks.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff vigilance is strong and consistent. As a result, very few critical incidents happen at the centre. For example, there have been no instances of a parent or children going missing. Parents receive help and support to manage their own behaviour and that of their children. Staff promote positive behaviour. They set clear and realistic boundaries with parents that help to keep them and their children safe.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The home’s premises are physically safe and appropriately secure. Staff routinely conduct health and safety checks and there are good fire precautions in place. Families say that they are happy and comfortable in their surroundings.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff use of surveillance and electronic monitoring is appropriate. However, the centre’s current CCTV coverage does not include the full view of all communal areas. This would ensure that staff have a good view of key areas of the centre. The centre’s meeting room requires urgent redecoration to ensure it is well equipped and comfortable for use.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The recruitment and vetting of new staff require improvement. Managers do not consistently verify all written references. This practice does not confirm that staff are suitable to work with vulnerable children and adults.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Managers deal with any allegations made against members of staff effectively. They take prompt action that is in accordance with safeguarding policies and procedures. This promotes the protection of children and parents. Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 4 Managers and staff work in very close partnership with other safeguarding professionals. Staff’s communication with placing authorities, designated officers and others is consistent. This ensures that external agencies are kept well informed of families’ progress and of any safeguarding issues.

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good

The effectiveness of the management and leadership of the centre has improved since the centre’s last inspection. The manager is in the process of being registered with Ofsted. Recent changes to the staffing structure have resulted in the appointment to a new service manager post. This post has strengthened the leadership of the centre in supporting its day-to-day operation.

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good

Leaders and managers’ monitoring of the centre is an area that requires further improvement. Monitoring reports to Ofsted are not in compliance with regulation. These do not identify weaknesses of the service or offer strategies to remedy shortfalls. Furthermore, managers do not always advise Ofsted of key events as required. The centre’s development plan is outdated and needs reviewing. Managers’ overall monitoring of the service is not strong. This does not help to encourage and make improvements to the centre.

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good

The manager is well qualified and experienced to manage the residential family centre. The staff team works effectively and sensitively with families. Staff ratios are appropriate to meet the individual needs of each family member. Where staff identify high risks, additional support staff are promptly made available to ensure that children are kept safe.

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good

Managers have appointed new staff in the last year. The staff team works cohesively and shares the commitment and ethos of the management to provide a high quality service. This has not always been the case.

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good

A staff member said, ‘I am seeing the changes the new management team is working hard to implement. The cultural changes it is trying to instil have been a refreshing and necessary process, which in my professional opinion can only enhance the service we provide for the residents and staff.’

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good

Children and parents benefit from staff’s effective induction, and regular supervision. Gaps are noted in the completion of some staff annual appraisals. Staff training opportunities are good, and managers encourage staff to reflect on their practice. There is a move towards offering staff training that is focused on trauma-informed practice and mental health. These reflect some of the complex issues families present with.

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good

Leaders and managers show an ambitious vision, have high expectations for what children and parents can achieve, and ensure high standards of care. Managers have a clear understanding of the progress children and parents are making. They Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 5 ensure that they are visible to families, and that families know that they can approach them for anything. Staff and managers are passionate about their work and enjoy working directly with families.

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good

The quality of record-keeping is variable. Although some file audits have taken place, this is not the case for all files. Some key documents are unsigned and undated, and case files do not consistently reflect the same content. Some information is missing, yet to be written up and placed on file. This prevents staff and families from reviewing up-to-date information.

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good

Managers and staff work in very close, effective partnership with other professionals. This is particularly the case with local authority staff, children’s guardians, the courts, health professionals and community-based early years’ services. This ensures that external agencies are appropriately informed of placement issues and progress, and that families receive the external support that they require.

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good

A child’s guardian said, ‘The key worker and manager seem to have a really good understanding of the risks, the family, the complex dynamics between mother and her family, and they talk about the mother with a wealth of knowledge and understanding.’ Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 6

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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

For the purpose of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work in a residential family centre unless—

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available for each person employed in respect of all matters specified in Schedule 2. (Regulation 16 (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that all written references are verified. 1 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

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)) 1 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall establish and maintain a system for—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided at the residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall supply to the Commission a report in respect of any review conducted by him for the purposes of paragraph (1) and make a copy of the report available to residents.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (1) shall provide for consultation with residents. Regulation 23 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)) 1 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

Where the registered provider is an individual, but is not in day to day charge of the residential family centre, he shall visit the residential family centre in accordance with this regulation. 1 December 2021 Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 7 Where the registered provider is an organisation or a partnership, the residential family centre shall be visited in accordance with this regulation by—

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual or one of the partners, as the case may be;

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Requirement Due date

another of the directors or other persons responsible for the management of the organisation or partnership; or

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Requirement Due date

an employee of the organisation or partnership who is not directly concerned with the conduct of the residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

Visits under paragraph (1) or (2) shall take place at least once a month and may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The person carrying out the visit shall—

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Requirement Due date

interview, with their consent and in private, such of the residents and persons working at the residential family centre as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the residential family centre;

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Requirement Due date

inspect the premises of the residential family centre, its daily log of events and records of any complaints; and

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Requirement Due date

prepare a written report on the conduct of the residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider shall supply a copy of the report required to be made under paragraph (4)(c) to—

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Requirement Due date

in the case of a visit under paragraph (2)—

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Requirement Due date

where the registered provider is an organisation, to each of the directors or other persons responsible for the management of the organisation; and

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Requirement Due date

where the registered provider is a partnership, to each of the partners. (Regulation 25 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b)(c) (5)(a)(b)(c)) Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 8 The registered person shall ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

all parts of the residential family centre are kept clean and reasonably decorated. (Regulation 21 (2)(c)

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the centre’s meeting room, which is in need of clearance, redecoration and new furniture. 1 January 2022

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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 persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall without delay notify the parent accommodated in the residential family centre with a child of any significant incident affecting the child’s welfare unless to do so is not reasonably practicable or would place the child’s welfare at risk.

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Requirement Due date

Any notification made in accordance with this regulation which is given orally shall be confirmed in writing. (Regulation 26 (1)(2)(3)) 1 December 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 supervision and appraisal. (Regulation 17 (5)(a)) 1 December 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they develop and implement adult protection policies and improve the centre’s CCTV coverage to promote parents’ and children’s safety and welfare at the centre. (NMS 5.1)  The registered person should ensure that there are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the centre. In particular, that the centre’s development plan is reviewed and updated. (NMS 19.1)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the nature of records maintained. There is a system in place to monitor the quality and adequacy of record-keeping and take action when needed. (NMS 20.2)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and parents using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 9 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: Jamma Umoja 1

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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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Residential family centre details

Email address: r.crosbie@jamma-umoja.org

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Inspector

Mrs Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Jamma Umoja 1 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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