Chroma

Inspection report for adoption support agency: Chroma 1 Chroma Chroma Therapies Limited Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-On-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7US Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this adoption support agency

This is a large adoption support agency, operated by a private company. The agency provides specialist assessment services and drama, art and music therapy to children and young adults who have been adopted. The agency has over 100 staff, who are either employed or contracted to the service. Since its registration, the agency has worked with more than 400 children and young adults. The agency provides other therapeutic services to children and adults that are unrelated to adoption. These services are not subject to inspection by Ofsted.

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Information about this adoption support agency

The service and the manager were registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

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Information about this adoption support agency

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this adoption support agency

This is the first inspection of this service.

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outstanding

How well children, young people and adults are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The adoption support agency provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the adoption support agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for service users.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for adoption support agency: Chroma 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for adoption support agency: Chroma 3

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The work of the adoption support agency has a significant and positive impact on the lives of children and their families. Extremely sensitive support helps children and their adoptive parents to understand the impact of adoption in their families. Children and young adults show substantial and lasting progress as a result of their therapy. One child’s social worker told inspectors: ‘I have noted that changes for our children can be a very powerful experience. We have noticed greater confidence and self-esteem, improved feelings of self-worth, acceptance of experiences not being their fault; they are often calmer and less aggressive …. Understanding of their life narrative through therapy is empowering for the families we work with and helps to build stronger bonds and attachments.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Managers ensure that children have access to high-quality assessment and therapies that are carefully matched to a child’s individual needs. From the outset, early discussion by therapists with children, adoptive parents, social workers and schools prevents unnecessary delay. This excellent early communication ensures that identified interventions are right for the child and their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Staff and therapists create a culture where adoptive parents and children experience absolute acceptance and understanding, from their initial contact with the agency. This positive regard enables adoptive parents who may have previously experienced stigma when asking for help, to engage openly with the therapist. An adoptive parent told inspectors that their therapist ‘has supported us in our roles as parents … allowing us to feel both seen and heard with compassion and honesty’.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Therapists are extremely flexible and responsive to children’s individual and complex needs. For example, one therapist recognised that a child was not responding well to online therapy sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. She took the decision to return to face-to-face sessions to sustain the relationship. This enabled some transformative work, which has resulted in the child making exceptional progress in all aspects of his life. This child-centred practice supports the building of strong therapeutic relationships. One adoptive parent told inspectors: ‘Time and patience, care, thoughtfulness and child-centred therapy has been used to support a child who didn’t trust anyone and was frightened of the world.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Managers, staff and therapists recognise that their role is one that extends beyond the therapy session, ensuring that children and families are supported in times of crisis. Adoptive parents and children have access to their therapist through calls, texts and emails. This holistic, inclusive practice supports the stability of children in their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The voice of children and their families is apparent at all stages of the therapeutic process, with clear consultation to understand the impact of therapy for children. Managers have begun to further develop this element of the service with the Inspection report for adoption support agency: Chroma 4 introduction of animated children’s guides. This ensures that information about the service is accessible to children with a range of developmental needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Managers are engaged in the wider adoption sector and are focused on making a positive difference for a wide range of children and adoptive families. During the lockdowns that arose in response to COVID-19, the agency partnered with a large national adoption service to provide free online creative art sessions to adoptive families. This not only supported adoptive parents adapting to home-schooling arrangements but also provided invaluable support to families at a time of real isolation.

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good

Managers understand their safeguarding responsibilities and have systems in place that enable them to provide strong oversight. This ensures that any emerging concerns are quickly identified and reported to statutory agencies, prioritising children’s safety.

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good

Therapists undertake risk assessments as part of the initial arrangements for any work with a child. This ensures that any risks are known and understood and work is carried out safely.

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good

All staff receive training in safeguarding children and adults to an advanced level. In addition, managers work with individual staff and therapists to ensure that they have the necessary skills to manage new risks or concerns that come to light during the course of a therapeutic relationship. This includes providing additional training when this is required.

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good

Managers ensure that staff who come to work for the agency, either as permanent staff or as contracted staff, are safely recruited. This helps to ensure that children are not placed at risk through contact with unsuitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The three directors of the adoption support agency have close day-to-day oversight of the service in their respective roles as manager, responsible individual and finance director. This gives them an impressive understanding of the agency and its activities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is good use of internal and external audits to support service development. These systems inform a strong development plan that is regularly reviewed. This means that managers are aware of emerging patterns and trends and are best placed to respond to them. This has been of particular importance during the COVID-19 pandemic, when referral patterns and the needs of individual families changed continually in response to the global challenge of a pandemic. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Chroma 5 Managers are innovative, dynamic and creative in their drive to develop a high- quality adoption support service. Practice is highly child-centred and managers show a ‘can do’ attitude. For example, managers will finance direct work with children pending agreement for funding to avoid unnecessary delay for children and their families at times of intense stress. This is reflective of a senior management team

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

that is focused on the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The agency is well resourced with staff. Managers recognise that the support of staff is fundamental to the success of the organisation. Everything, from the work environment to the planning of service delivery, has a strong focus on the well-being of staff. This positive environment supports and values staff who are working day-to- day with complex and emotive situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have developed a remarkable culture of using research in practice, and the links that have developed in the wider sector support the managers’ drive for excellence. The agency has been involved in internal research that has led to the development of a new therapeutic tool for the agency. In addition, collaboration on assessment models is informing international research. The extensive commitment to research and innovation ensures that the agency is at the heart of new developments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training and development are high priorities in the organisation. Therapists are well qualified in their field and managers are supportive of individual development opportunities. All training is linked to the therapist’s registration and the agency has implemented a programme of professional and practical training to support both newly qualified and established therapists to develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All therapists receive regular external clinical supervision as well as regular line- management supervision. This ensures that staff have constant opportunities to review and reflect on their practice. However, managers have not yet established line-management supervision for the senior managers. The impact of this is lessened by the regular clinical supervision and director peer support that are in place in the senior leadership team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership working is an exceptional strength of this agency. Feedback to inspectors from commissioners, social workers and adoptive parents during the inspection was wholly positive. Particular strengths include flexibility, responsiveness and communication. This positive approach to partners ensures that these key relationships are effective, supporting excellent outcomes for children and young adults. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Chroma 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the adoption support agency has in place suitable arrangements for the supervision of the manager and the registered person that reflect their role as managers as well as clinicians. (‘Adoption: national minimum standards’, page 71, paragraph 24.3)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, young people and adults, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the adoption support agency, how it meets the core functions as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Chroma 7

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider: Chroma Therapies Limited

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider address: Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-On-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7US

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Inspectors

Tracey Coglan Greig, Social Care Inspector Dawn Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for adoption support agency: Chroma 8 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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