Family Assessment Centre

Inspection report for residential family centre: Family Assessment Centre 1 Family Assessment Centre Kaleidoscope Assessment Services Limited 881 Chester Road, Stretford, Manchester M32 0RN Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is registered to accommodate up to three families at any one time. The residential family centre is privately owned. Families access the centre at the direction of the court and/or the local authority for the purposes of assessment.

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Information about this residential family centre

The residential family centre was registered with Ofsted in July 2014.

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Information about this residential family centre

There was no registered manager in place at the time of the inspection. An application to register with Ofsted has been received from the manager.

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Information about this residential family centre

There were three families living in the centre at the time of the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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 requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre is not yet delivering good assessments, help and care for children and parents. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: 10 July 2018 Inspection report for residential family centre: Family Assessment Centre 2 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: Family Assessment Centre 3

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improvement to be good

Parents describe positive relationships with staff. They say that staff are helpful and supportive. One parent described feeling anxious and worried when she arrived at the centre. She felt that staff took the time to listen to her concerns and made her feel reassured.

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improvement to be good

Placement plans vary in quality. In some cases, they fail to clearly identify people’s individual needs or the nature of support to be provided. These shortfalls do not support effective, person-centred practice and mean that parents could miss out on valuable support.

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improvement to be good

Some social work assessments are completed to a good standard. However, arrangements for assessments are inconsistent. One parent had been staying at the centre for six weeks but staff were still not clear about how her assessment should be completed. Another family had waited several weeks for their assessment to commence. These delays were due to information not being provided by local authorities.

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improvement to be good

Not all staff demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the centre’s assessment framework or their role in supporting the assessment of parental capacity. Furthermore, consideration is not always given as to how key work can be best delivered to support parents’ progress and help safeguard children.

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improvement to be good

Parents and children have opportunities to take part in enjoyable and fulfilling activities. Parents spoke enthusiastically about regular events such as baby massage and baby disco. Activities such as swimming are also available in the local community.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff ensure that families leaving the centre are provided with appropriate support. For example, the manager was working closely with one family’s local authority to ensure that suitable housing support was in place for their impending transition.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and work well to keep families safe. Staff are vigilant and able to anticipate concerning situations. Monitoring is effective and, as a result, incidents of significant concern rarely occur.

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improvement to be good

Risks relating to families’ safety and well-being are not always clearly identified or effectively managed. For example, there were significant concerns about the mental health of a parent who recently left the centre, but no clear strategies were in place Inspection report for residential family centre: Family Assessment Centre 4 to manage identified risks relating to the parent’s history of self-harm and suicidal ideation.

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improvement to be good

Families feel able to raise concerns or make complaints. The manager responds appropriately to any complaints that are raised. Parents are clear about expectations of behaviour, and clear boundaries help parents to maintain positive relationships with staff and each other.

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in relation to the completion of the centre’s fire risk assessment were identified. The fire risk assessment failed to properly assess the suitability of fire exits. The manager took immediate action to address the concerns identified about fire exits, and agreed to consult with the fire authority regarding necessary improvements to the risk assessment process.

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improvement to be good

Effective arrangements are in place for the safer recruitment of staff. A requirement raised at the last inspection of the service was confirmed to be met. Appropriate checks and references are undertaken prior to all new staff being employed. This helps to ensure that children and parents are protected from contact with adults of unsuitable character.

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good

At the time of the inspection, there was no registered manager in post. However, a manager has been appointed and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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good

The staff team is diverse with a good range of staff skills and knowledge. There is a mandatory training programme in place which provides core training in areas such as safeguarding and first aid. However, training in relation to assessment frameworks requires review to ensure that the service is able to function in line with its statement of purpose.

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good

Relevant records are in place. This addresses a requirement made at the last inspection. However, some concerns were identified regarding the quality of recording. For example, one entry relating to a parent was found to be inaccurate and overly negative. Some records of key-work sessions were also of a poor standard, as were the evaluations of the sessions.

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good

Shortfalls were identified regarding delays in some parents’ assessments due to placing authorities not providing the necessary information. Some parents are not receiving timely assessments, their progress is unclear and they themselves are unclear about their placement and its objectives. Evidence of robust challenge of local authorities that are failing to provide the necessary information was limited.

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good

The manager has reviewed and improved monitoring systems in line with a requirement made at the last inspection. However, some monitoring remains Inspection report for residential family centre: Family Assessment Centre 5 ineffective. For example, shortfalls in support planning, risk management and record-keeping had not been identified prior to the inspection.

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good

Monthly reports produced under Regulation 25 are inconsistent in terms of quality and frequency. Reports are not always provided to Ofsted. Those that have been provided vary in quality and are often lacking external feedback. This does not support the continuous improvement of the service. Inspection report for residential family centre: Family Assessment Centre 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 provider and the registered manager shall, having regard to the size of the residential family centre, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs of the residents, carry on or manage the centre with sufficient care, competence and skill. (Regulation 8 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, monitoring arrangements for the centre shall meet requirements and clearly identify shortfalls. 15 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that the residential family centre is conducted so as to—

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Requirement Due date

promote and make proper provision for the health and welfare of residents;

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Requirement Due date

make such provision for the care, treatment, education and supervision of residents as is appropriate to their age and needs. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)) 15 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall after consultation with the fire authority—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that the persons working at the residential family centre and, so far as practicable, residents, are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire, including the procedure for saving life. (Regulation 22 (1)(b)(e)) 15 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; 15 April 2022 Inspection report for residential family centre: Family Assessment Centre 7 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 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

the Commission. (Regulation 25 (2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(5)(a))

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Recommendations

 The purpose and scope of the parenting assessment is laid out clearly in the family placement plan and is based upon the referral information provided at the start of the placement. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, page 6, paragraph 1.3)  The registered person should ensure that parents’ and children’s physical, emotional and social development needs are identified in their family placement plan and promoted throughout their placement. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, page 13, paragraph 6.1)  Prior to a placement, a risk assessment is carried out to ensure 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. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, page 17, paragraph 9.1)

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Recommendations

 Staff are equipped with the skills and experience required to meet the needs of the parents and their children and the purpose of the centre. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, page 25, paragraph 16.1)  The registered person should ensure that the manager regularly monitors, in line with the Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002, as amended, all the records kept by the centre to ensure compliance with the centre’s policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends. Immediate action should be taken to address any issues raised by this monitoring. This is with specific reference to placement plans, records of direct work and daily records in relation to families. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, page 29, paragraph 19.2)  Entries in records are legible, clearly expressed and non-stigmatising; and distinguish as far as possible between fact, opinion and third party information.

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Recommendations

Inspection report for residential family centre: Family Assessment Centre 8 (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, page 30, paragraph 20.5)

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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: Family Assessment Centre 9

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Kaleidoscope Assessment Services Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Finsley House, Finsley Street, Briercliffe, Burnley, Lancashire BB10 2HN

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Inspector

Marie Cordingley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Family Assessment Centre 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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