Abbeyfield

Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 1 Abbeyfield Progressive Care Limited Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre is owned by a private organisation and can accommodate up to 12 families. Parents who are referred to the centre complete a 12-week residential parenting assessment either directed by the courts or by the local authority. The centre has specific facilities to accommodate families with disabilities. At the time of the inspection, there were 10 families in residence.

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Information about this residential family centre

The registered manager is experienced and appropriately qualified. She has been in post since 19 June 2017.

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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 outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the residential family centre contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: 21 June 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: Abbeyfield 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Managers and staff recognise the anxiety and stress parents feel when they first arrive at the centre. Considerable effort is made to ensure that parents and their children receive a warm and friendly welcome. This goes a long way towards helping them to feel comfortable in their new surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Thorough and good-quality impact assessments are completed prior to admission. Much thought is given to any compatibility issues that could potentially arise with families already in residence. Any shortfalls or lack of information in the referral documentation are followed up so that informed decisions can be made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Parents are provided with all the information they need soon after their arrival. Agreements are explained so that parents are fully aware of the monitoring and surveillance arrangements and expectations around their behaviour. Equally, parents are informed of the support and help they will receive from staff to help them to relax and settle down in their new surroundings. Parents say that staff are extremely helpful, and they are treated sensitively and with respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Parents and their children form trusted and open relationships with staff, including their key worker, the assessing social worker and support workers. The centre has an atmosphere that reflects its values of engagement and empowerment. Parents are kept well informed and participate at every stage of their assessment. They receive regular feedback on their progress. Difficult discussions are managed sensitively, and parents are given clear guidance and support to help them make the necessary changes to enable them to safely look after their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Parents participate and engage in activities that help them to give their child positive experiences at each stage of their development. This includes activities such as sensory play, baby massage, language development and learning through play. In addition, parents can come together and enjoy themed events, such as Halloween, movie nights and craft sessions. This helps the parents to integrate socially with other parents, which was particularly beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Parents are given a range of opportunities to improve their education and learning. This includes courses in English, mathematics, paediatric first aid and the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network programme. Many parents have left the centre with qualifications that will help them with future learning or employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Key work, parenting assessments and observations are very well organised and undertaken by a well-qualified and skilled workforce. All work completed with parents and the written reports are of an exceptionally high standard, evaluative and Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 3 evidence based. They inform next steps and make recommendations in the best interests of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

The environment of the home is well equipped and tastefully furnished. Some areas of the home are tired looking and would benefit from refurbishment and redecoration.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The protection of children is embedded in the culture and working practices of the centre. Excellent safeguarding processes are implemented to keep children safe. Highly effective planning from the point of admission helps to minimise any identified risks for each placement.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Risk assessments and safety plans are highly individualised, well documented and underpin safe practice with parents. Frequent and close monitoring of parents takes place with a suitable reduction when there is evidence which demonstrates the safe care of children in the home and in the community. This is supported with relevant observations, key work, and social work sessions to determine parents’ understanding of keeping their child safe.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Action is taken to manage serious incidents and protect children while also supporting parents in crisis. Professionals and placing authorities are notified at the earliest opportunity once the immediate safety of the child has been determined. All statutory procedures are followed, which ensures that children and their parents are protected from further harm.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff and management come together to look at significant incidents and reflect on their practice. This helps to improve professional practice. Specialist advice and support from community-based organisations are used to provide additional support for parents who have drug or alcohol problems, mental health concerns or have experienced domestic abuse. Multi-agency working is a key strength of this centre.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Parents are involved and supported well to understand and minimise the risk they may pose to their children. The detailed risk assessments are regularly reviewed and fit for purpose. They are quite lengthy and include generic risks that apply to all children, which makes them quite cumbersome to read. However, there is no impact on children or their families and the care they receive.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Safer recruitment practice is robust and meets regulatory requirements. Staff are suitably vetted to ensure that they are safe to work with children.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Video and audio surveillance systems are used effectively and proportionately to monitor and support the safety of children. Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The centre is led effectively by an experienced and motivated manager. She is suitably qualified and is currently undertaking her level 7 diploma. The management team provides visible and confident leadership which is based on professional respect, autonomy, fairness and transparency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Families benefit immensely from living in this well-managed centre. The families spoken to during the inspection and those who provided written feedback comment positively on the support they receive from the staff and the managers. For example, one person said, ‘Thank you for all your kindness and support.’ Another person commented, ‘Thank you so much for the immense support during my placement here at the family assessment centre. You have created opportunities for me to grow.’ Another person said, ‘Thanks for giving me a chance.’ These comments clearly demonstrate that the managers have been effective in driving an open culture where everyone feels respected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is cohesive, supportive and brings a variety of skills and knowledge to the centre. Staff spoken with during the inspection said that they enjoy their work and are proud of what they do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff morale is high. The team members work very closely together and have positive relationships, which adds to the settled and relaxed feel of the centre. The consistency they offer in their approach greatly benefits the families, and there are positive relationships across the board.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from regular, good-quality training that keeps them well informed. Staff benefit from regular supervision, which enables them to reflect on their practice and recognise their strengths and areas of development. Staff are very well supported and feel that effective management enables them to operate as a highly functioning team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a thorough understanding of the centre’s strengths and weaknesses and was able to articulate this throughout the inspection. Staff benefit from ample opportunities to talk about practice during supervision sessions, handovers and team meetings. This means that staff are well informed and equipped to support the families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s monitoring systems are highly effective. Her footprint is on everything. The manager demonstrates that she evaluates the progress made by parents and children and that she has a wealth of knowledge about assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is an open culture of learning in the centre. When issues or incidents arise, the management team undertakes an analysis of what happened and agrees on learning outcomes. This process has helped the wider organisation as good practice is disseminated across the company into a workforce development plan. Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the centre provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards,’ page 19, paragraph 11.2)

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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 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: Abbeyfield 6

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Progressive Care Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Progressive Care Limited, 51 Attercliffe Common, Sheffield S9 2AE

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Residential family centre details

Email address: Kerry.seymour@progressivecare.co.uk

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Inspectors

Cath Sikakana, Social Care Inspector Debbie Foster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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