Tide House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 1 Tide House Inclusis Limited 21 High Street, Bideford, Devon EX39 2AA Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is operated by a private provider. The centre was registered with Ofsted in October 2014 to provide accommodation for up to four families at any one time. At the time of this visit, four families were being assessed at the centre.

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Information about this residential family centre

The service provides 24-hour evidence-based parenting assessments, in line with the ‘Framework for the assessment of children in need and their families’. Assessment usually takes place over a period of six to 12 weeks. The centre offers accommodation to one or more children and single or two-parent families.

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Information about this residential family centre

The service is located within a town centre and has good access to a range of local services and community facilities, including nurseries, health centres and parks. Each family is accommodated in a fully self-contained flat on either the ground floor or first floor of the building. There is a registered manager in post.

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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: 27 July 2021

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 2 Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Environmental developments have taken place since the last inspection. The flats themselves have been refurbished to a good standard. New carpet, furniture and new kitchens (in three of the flats, while one kitchen is yet to be installed) are in situ. The windows are in the process of renovation, as is most of the exterior of the property. The creaky floorboards remain an ongoing issue. A structural survey has been completed and damp has been identified as an issue which needs to be addressed in the store area of the centre. Therefore, further restoration work is required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents told inspectors that staff met with them or spoke to them on video call before they arrived at the centre. They were provided with information that allayed their worries and helped them understand what to expect during their assessment. The resident’s guide is also a person-centred document that is accessible and clear for parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents told inspectors that the flats are well equipped and that they felt welcomed by staff when they arrived. Parents also know how to raise any issues, and these are dealt with in a timely way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Assessments are well structured, which provides important clarity for parents regarding how assessments will progress. Parents are also supported to access the community and learn new parenting skills within group sessions at the centre. Time with extended family members is also fully supported, with relatives now being able to spend time with parents and children in the flats. Family time away from the centre is also facilitated well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents are clear about the parameters of their assessments, and view that overall guidance provided by staff is consistent. Regular feedback is provided on assessments and parents’ views are incorporated within this process. One family has received delayed feedback, which has caused anxiety regarding their ability to address any identified concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Placement plans are purposeful documents that set out the expectations for parents and the team at the outset of the placement. The plans are updated regularly to reflect the progression within assessments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

On most occasions, assessment reports of parenting capacity are thorough and detailed. There is clear analysis of the strengths and vulnerabilities of parents. Risks to children are clearly identified and any plans to mitigate these are fully explored. The impact on the child is considered throughout and recommendations are underpinned by a clear evidence base. However, on one occasion there was insufficient analysis of all known concerns. Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 4 Specialist help is sourced in line with the individual needs of parents and children. This includes the provision of ongoing therapy post assessment.

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improvement to be good

Child protection concerns are managed well. Any concerns are recorded clearly and are well managed. Communication with other agencies when required is also effective.

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improvement to be good

Body maps are used to record any marks on children. Management oversight is clear and reviewing of CCTV to clarify descriptions is completed.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are completed for each family on arrival. These outline the vulnerabilities in respect of the family. However, these risk assessments lack consistency, and some plans seen do not fully explore all risks and have not been updated to reflect changes.

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improvement to be good

There is evidence of thorough discussions being had with the local authority to ensure that risks and vulnerabilities in respect of families are known. However, analysis of these risks by the registered manager and how well staff can meet the needs of families is not formally recorded within a viability assessment.

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improvement to be good

When concerns are apparent, staff handle these sensitively. When needed, challenge to parents is effective. This is helping parents to understand the impact that their behaviours can have on their children.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding training has been completed by most staff to a level 3 standard. Additional training is now consistently sourced and completed by staff, which is elevating the skill base of the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Medication is safely stored and there is good oversight by staff when parents administer medication to children. On one occasion the use of prescribed medication was not recorded accurately in the child’s plan. On another occasion, guidance for staff regarding support for a parent to manage their own medication was inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

Overall, any practice concerns are well managed. The registered manager is closely monitoring practice. She is also ensuring that, when needed, staff are supported to reflect on how families should be supported, and when it is appropriate to intervene to meet the needs of children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s oversight of the centre is far reaching. She is providing thorough oversight and dealing with any identified issues well. This is driving standards and helping to promote consistently good practice throughout the staff Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 5 team. This has been reflected further by positive feedback received from several staff members about the significant improvements which they are experiencing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a great deal of staff changes at the centre. However, it is evident that the needed improvements have directly impacted on this. The culture is now one of high aspirations for families and children both during and after the assessment process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The centre is well staffed, and new systems have been developed to ensure that there is no deficit in the staffing of shifts. Staff are also allocated to specific families, which is helping to provide a level of consistency. Leaders and managers are also ensuring that safe recruitment processes are followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are completing regular audits of the quality of the service. Ofsted is receiving regular monitoring reports inclusive of monthly independent visitor reports. These are of a good standard, and further demonstrate the improvements which are being made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Any complaints received from parents and staff are managed well. The shortfall within the disciplinary policy has now been addressed and a purposeful policy has been devised to support management of such issues. However, the practice of one staff member was not managed in a timely way. Concerns have been evident for several months and challenge regarding these has not been robust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported in their roles. Supervision is taking place on a regular basis. Supervision completed by the registered manager is of a high standard, helping staff to reflect and promoting learning opportunities well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Positive feedback has been received from several professionals during the inspection. External professionals view that assessments are of a good standard. They view that reports are clear and evidence based, and that the team is creative in replicating real-life situations to help families progress and to inform insightful assessments. Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 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

The registered person shall, before providing a family with accommodation in the residential family centre, or if that is not reasonably practicable, as soon as possible thereafter, draw up in consultation with the placing authority a written plan (in these Regulations referred to as "the placement plan") setting out, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

the facilities and services to be provided during the course of the placement;

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Requirement Due date

the objectives and intended outcome of the placement;

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Requirement Due date

an assessment of the risks, if any, which a resident at the residential family centre may present to their own health, safety and welfare or that of other residents or staff at the centre. (Regulation 13 (1) (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that placement plans and risk assessments provide clear guidance for staff in respect of any known risks or care planning matters such as the management of medication. These should also be kept under close review. 26 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

the premises to be used as the residential family centre are of sound construction and kept in a good state of repair externally and internally. (Regulation 21 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the windows need to be upgraded to ensure that they are in good condition. Creaky floorboards need to be in a good state of repair to limit this issue. The overall premises need to be cleaned and maintained to provide a welcoming environment for families. This predominately relates to the exterior of the premises. 26 May 2022

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Recommendations

Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 7  The registered person should prior to a placement, a risk assessment is carried out to ensure both that the centre is well placed to meet the family’s needs and that the family is able to fit in with the centre’s other residents. It informs the level of supervision necessary for the parents and is kept under review throughout the placement. This includes a formal viability assessment which demonstrates the registered manager’s rationale for the offer of the placement, and the centre’s capacity to meet the needs of the family in conjunction with the other families currently residing at the centre. (Residential Family Centres NMS 9.1)  The registered person should have in place an effective staff disciplinary procedure which is clear and known by staff. The procedure clearly separates staff disciplinary processes from child protection enquiries and criminal

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Recommendations

proceedings. In particular, any issues regarding staff practice and their conduct should be formally addressed when concerns are evident in a timely way. (Residential Family Centres NMS 15.3)

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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: Tide House 8

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 21 High Street, Bideford, Devon EX39 2AA

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Inspectors

Miss Polly Soper, Social Care Inspector Penelope Kutz, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 9 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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