Oikos Family Assessment Centres

Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oikos Family Assessment Centres 1 Oikos Family Assessment Centres

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Office F06, First Floor, Dawson’s House, Owlcotes Lane, Pudsey LS28 6PY

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Information about this residential family centre

This service is privately owned and managed, and is registered to provide parenting assessments for up to four families.

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Information about this residential family centre

The property is situated in a semi-rural setting, with a large garden to the rear. The families have their own bedrooms and share the communal rooms. The communal space includes two kitchen/dining rooms, and two lounges and bathrooms, with some of the bedrooms being ensuite.

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Information about this residential family centre

The residential family centre was registered in September 2020. The registered manager left the service in August 2022. An acting manager is in post, and they intend to apply to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this residential family centre

Date of previous inspection: 27 and 28 July 2022

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This monitoring visit

Following the full inspection on 27 and 28 July 2022, the service was judged inadequate.

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This monitoring visit

The inspection found significant breaches in regulations relating to the placement and assessments of families and the management oversight of the service.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted issued two compliance notices under section 22 of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to regulation 8, registered person — general requirements, regulation 13, placements and 13A, assessments. A notice to restrict accommodation was also issued with the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

It has come to light since the monitoring visit that the provider had not received the two compliance notices sent to them. The restriction of accommodation notice was the Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oikos Family Assessment Centres 2 only document they had received. The provider is therefore unable to satisfy all of the steps required to meet both of the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has made improvements that need to embed fully into the team’s practice. For example, the statement of purpose and policies and procedures have been implemented. This lays the foundation for promoting good-quality care and support to parents and children. However, the statement of purpose provides misleading information that refers to the acting manager as the registered manager. This does not provide up-to-date and accurate information to stakeholders.

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This monitoring visit

Systems have been put in place to ensure that the families’ assessments are structured according to the local authority or court instruction. The provider has implemented safe recruitment practices, which minimise opportunities for unsuitable adults to work with vulnerable children and families.

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This monitoring visit

The premises were clean, tidy and free from any obvious hazards. One of the bedrooms identified as needing improvement at the last inspection has had the fire door repaired and it now closes properly.

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This monitoring visit

The impact risk assessments do not explicitly identify the risk that families may pose to the health and safety of other families or staff. The strategies in the parents’ risk assessments do not provide clear guidance for staff to manage the risks. This does not provide staff with clear strategies to mitigate the risks so that families can live together safely.

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This monitoring visit

Not all social work assessments have been carried out by a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled assessing social worker. Not all assessments are consistently accurate, analytical and meet the requirements of the instructing body. Of the professionals contacted, one local authority has expressed their dissatisfaction about the quality of the assessments from the service.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has failed to implement effective management oversight and monitoring systems to ensure that all the parenting assessments are quality assured by a qualified social worker. It is of further concern that the management oversight has failed to identify and challenge poor social work practice.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are now receiving supervision at regular intervals. However, the quality of the supervisions is not completed to a consistently high standard to enable the staff to fulfil their respective roles. Specifically, the acting manager’s supervision records lack reflective practice, and some of the information and actions are repeated from one month to the next. This fails to provide evidence of progress. Similarly, the clinical supervisions that were given to the previous social worker lack detail. Professional development, reflection and challenge are not evident in these records.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, the monitoring and review systems fail to provide a clear evaluation of the records and a full management audit trail. This has missed opportunities for the provider to make the desired improvements at a quicker pace. Furthermore, this Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oikos Family Assessment Centres 3 breach does not promote safe, effective monitoring and review systems that support continuous improvement.

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This monitoring visit

The medication records do not have management oversight. This does not provide sufficient assurances that the medication management is safe and effective. The system used to report and record health and safety matters also lacks management oversight. This does not ensure that all issues are identified and prioritised without delay.

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This monitoring visit

The provider’s failure to notify Ofsted about at least two significant incidents has prevented Ofsted from monitoring safeguarding practice at the service.

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This monitoring visit

In summary, the compliance notices have been reissued. The requirement about complaints that was raised at the last inspection has not been checked and it is carried forward. Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oikos Family Assessment Centres 4

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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

keep under review and, where appropriate, revise the statement of purpose and resident’s guide; and notify the Commission within 28 days of any such revision.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6) the registered person shall ensure that the residential family centre is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 4 (a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the acting manager’s status in the statement of purpose is accurate. 27 November 2022

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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 (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill. (Regulation 8 (1)) 27 November 2022

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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

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.

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13A. Assessments

27 November 2022 Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oikos Family Assessment Centres 5 The methods of assessment or monitoring must be capable of evaluating the parents’ capacity to change.

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13A. Assessments

The registered person must ensure that conclusions or recommendations are made as a result of the assessment or monitoring and that—

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13A. Assessments

such conclusions or recommendations are objective and based on verifiable evidence; and

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13A. Assessments

the evidence on which they are based is capable of being presented in a manner that is clear, accessible and appropriate to the persons who will need to consider them. (Regulation 13 (1)(c) 13A (3)(4)(a)(b))

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13A. Assessments

The registered person must ensure that a written record is made of any complaint or representation, the action taken in response, and the outcome of the investigation. (Regulation 20 (6)) 27 November 2022

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13A. Assessments

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the residential family centre since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oikos Family Assessment Centres 6

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Oikos Family Centres Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Office F06, First Floor, Dawson’s House, Owlcotes Lane, Pudsey LS28 6PY

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oikos Family Assessment Centres 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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