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Inspection report for residential family centre: St Michael’s Fellowship 1 St Michael’s Fellowship St Michael’s Fellowship 46 Herne Hill, London SE24 9QP Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

St Michael’s Fellowship is an independent charity dedicated to improving families’ lives. It provides three residential family centres located within South London. The team in this residential family centre specialises in offering a service to parents who have a learning difficulty. The centre is able to offer a residential parenting assessment for up to four families. At the time of the inspection, two families were living at the centre.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre was registered in March 2004. The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2016.

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Information about this residential family centre

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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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 requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers 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: 18 July 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: St Michael’s Fellowship 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents benefit from a wide range of support, which they commend for increasing their confidence. They are able to develop as parents, individuals and partners. A parent said, ‘It is a blessing to be given the opportunity. We have thrived.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Assessments are highly regarded among social, health and legal professionals. The assessment plan follows the letter of instruction and illustrates how parenting skills will be assessed and their capacity for change. Meticulous monitoring through observation, teaching sessions, role modelling, interactions and discussions extensively informs each assessment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families benefit from a transparent and empowering three-phase assessment process, which encourages self-responsibility. There is a strong emphasis on supporting and educating parents, and parents’ learning is uniquely adapted to their preferred learning style. Staff express pride in their ability to help parents make positive changes in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents routinely receive copies of their weekly progress reports, which they discuss with staff. This enables parents to have a clear idea of their progress and the areas of concern. Parents proudly detail their own and their children’s progress and the need to provide a routine and consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families benefit from the centre’s promotion of all aspects of their well-being. The research-informed five-a-day programme focuses on children’s brain development and the importance of reading, talking, praise and a healthy diet. Parents receive specialist support to help with their mental and sexual health and their alcohol and substance misuse.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The service expands each family’s world to a wide range of additional experiences, particularly with accessing children’s centres, specialist groups and resources in the community. Alongside services for children, parents have attended church, English as a second language classes, and visited the job centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

There is good consideration of the particular needs of fathers, through the provision of internal and external support. Families positively engage in house meetings, which enables them to have some influence over their activities and service development. Staff also aim to equip parents with the practical skills they need, for example cooking, budgeting and relationship advice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents have the opportunity to have fun, playing games together, going on trips, baking and enjoying art and craft sessions. Staff take photos of meaningful memories and collate them into albums for children and parents. This significantly contributes to children’s life story work. Inspection report for residential family centre: St Michael’s Fellowship 3

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improvement to be good

Parents receive an extensive education in keeping themselves and their children safe. This outcome area, however, is impacted by a dangerous hazard noted during the inspection. Families do not benefit from a proactive approach in regard to health and safety risks.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, it was observed that a bathroom window was wide open, which meant a person would have to lean out of the window to close it. The lever was not being used and bathroom windows did not have restrictors fitted. This is a high-risk hazard, particularly when working with vulnerable families and children who are able to climb.

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improvement to be good

The centre does not employ new staff unless all the necessary checks have been received. Recruitment files, however, did not evidence that references are verified. The responsible individual confirmed that references are verified, but these conversations are not recorded. This does not follow best practice guidance for safer recruitment.

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improvement to be good

Fire risk assessments are completed. However, a low-risk action relating to emergency lighting flick tests being completed has not been implemented. There has been an issue relating to who will complete these tests. The centre has certificates which verify the safety of the gas, electrical and fire safety equipment.

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improvement to be good

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, families have benefited from the support of the creative and solution-focused leaders and managers and the highly resilient staff team. This has enabled parents to safely self-isolate and still be involved in activities, for example using a video call to play charades. New families were able to quarantine in the home and routine lateral flow testing was undertaken.

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improvement to be good

Parents receive help to manage their anxiety, stress and anger. The centre has a range of resources to help parents with breathing, managing their worries and remaining calm. Parents can relax in the sensory playroom and they can use the ‘safe space’ to vent and resolve their feelings.

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improvement to be good

Parents receive training on health and safety risks, childhood illness, conflict resolution, domestic violence and child protection. They also receive help to understand the theories and research behind safeguarding practices. Parents learn to trust staff and share their personal histories, which helps with assessing risks and developing strategies for the future.

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improvement to be good

Each family has a risk assessment which identifies specific areas of concern. The centre does not use surveillance cameras and monitoring devices during assessments. Families receive a high level of monitoring through direct observation, which is centred on safeguarding children. Inspection report for residential family centre: St Michael’s Fellowship 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide an effective service which is able to substantially enrich the lives of families. Leaders and managers demonstrate a passionate dedication to their roles and their desire to make a positive difference to families and the wider social care sector. Staff demonstrate a cohesive commitment to helping parents maximise their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The service is being continually adapted to embrace new research and new initiatives. The dynamic partnerships and funding arrangements ensure that the organisation receives relevant training, which contributes to developing a meaningful service for families. An example of this is the development of specific support for fathers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff skilfully and sensitively manage assessments, which recommend that children are removed from their parents’ care. Parents praise the help they receive, with one parent stating, ‘staff have been very supportive and very kind’. The organisation’s continued work with Middlesex University and the ‘Securing Change’ programme is a further example of the support given to parents in recurrent child proceedings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents are prioritised for community services and the centre has a dedicated health visitor. Proactive staff produce easy-to-read guidance for parents and a traffic light system helps with their understanding of the issues. A social worker and a children’s guardian also praised the parents’ easy-to-read reports.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management comprehensively evaluates the quality of care. Excellent insightful reports are produced which include photographs and feedback from parents, staff, placing authorities and involved professionals. There are clear goals which concentrate on staff retention and improving the overall service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the monthly service monitoring visits and reports being completed. These were not undertaken for three months. During this period, Ofsted was unable to confirm that the centre was being managed effectively and efficiently, or that families were safe and supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All levels of staff are passionately dedicated to their respective roles. Staff feel well supported through a focused induction, mentoring, regular reflections and supervision, alongside ongoing training. The centre prides itself on its high standards and hardworking staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The residential family centre demonstrates a capacity for continuing improvement. The centre has successfully addressed the requirement and recommendations from the last inspection. Inspection report for residential family centre: St Michael’s Fellowship 5

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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

The registered person shall having regard to the size of the residential family centre and the number and needs of residents take adequate precautions against risk of accidents. (Regulation 14 (2)(g))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all bathroom windows have window restrictors. 1 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 25 (2)(a)(b)(c) (3)) 1 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should demonstrate that they consistently follow good recruitment practices. In particular, that they record the verification of references. (‘Residential Family Centres: National Minimum Standards’, 14.2)  The registered person should ensure that avoidable hazards are removed. In particular, undertake emergency lighting flick tests. (‘Residential Family Centres: National Minimum Standards’, 11.3) Inspection report for residential family centre: St Michael’s Fellowship 6

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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 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: St Michael’s Fellowship 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: St Michael’s Fellowship

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 136 Streatham High Road, London SW16 1BW

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Residential family centre details

Email address: Jo@Stmichaelsfellowship.org.uk

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Inspector

Sharon Payne, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: St Michael’s Fellowship 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 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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