Treasure Keepers

Inspection report for adoption support agency: Treasure Keepers 1 Treasure Keepers Registered provider: Treasure Keepers Limited Oaktree Resource Centre, 62-64 Hogg Lane, Grays, Essex RM17 5QS Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this adoption support agency

This privately owned agency registered in January 2022. There are currently seven practitioners who provide therapeutic services to 63 adopted children or adults and their families.

p.1

Information about this adoption support agency

The agency provides adoption support services for adopted children and adults who have experienced developmental trauma. It provides support and therapeutic parenting interventions to adoptive families to promote resilience and well- being.

p.1

Information about this adoption support agency

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2022.

p.1

good

How well children, young people and adults are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The adoption support agency provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for adoption support agency: Treasure Keepers 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

The agency makes a great difference to children and families. It provides emotional and practical support strategies to help children and families manage day-to-day challenges. Families are highly complimentary about the quality of support that they receive. Parents and professionals described the agency as ‘a lifeline for families’. One parent said, ‘We would be lost without them. They have brought us back from the brink of an adoption breakdown quite a few times.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

The agency provides highly individualised therapeutic support packages which meet the children and their families’ needs. The considered family liaison means that children and families quickly begin to develop trust and confidence in the agency.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

The high-quality assessments help families and professionals understand the child’s trauma and the dynamics in the family. The assessment reports are very detailed. Agency staff spend time with families and professionals to explain the summary of the findings. As a result, children and families feel fully supported throughout the assessment process.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

The agency’s assessments have sometimes challenged professionals’ perceptions about children and their support needs. Some assessments have initiated access to other support services, such as speech and language therapy.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

The agency ensures that the child is central to all of the work and that their voice is heard. One parent said that the therapist ‘saw through the smile to the highly traumatised child beneath’. As a result, the child was able to articulate how they felt and what they wanted to change.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

Most children and families show improved emotional well-being as a result of the therapeutic support that they receive from the agency. This is demonstrated through increased confidence, resilience and their ability to manage difficult feelings. One parent described the individual progress for their child as ‘huge’. This child moved from not accepting any physical contact, to a child who climbed onto their parent’s knee for a cuddle and sang a nursery rhyme. The parent said, ‘The first time he [the child] sang a nursery rhyme to me, I cried.’

p.2

good

Some families remain in crisis, but they know that the agency is always there to support them. The agency provides free, highly accessible family support on demand through its support sessions. This support helps families to trust the agency. Families who are in crisis and require immediate help have contacted the agency and received responsive help. This has helped keep the children and families safe. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Treasure Keepers 3 The therapists quickly build trusting relationships with the children and families. This helps children to explore their life stories in the knowledge that they are emotionally supported. One young person said, ‘They [the therapists] are really good at making me feel safe and at ease. It is like I have known them for ages.’

p.2

good

The agency is conscious of the safety of all members of the family. The agency actively reminds professionals of the need to keep all family members safe when there have been incidents between children.

p.3

good

The therapists have undertaken safeguarding training and understand their core safeguarding responsibilities. Any concerns about children’s welfare have been appropriately reported to partner agencies. However, training in the wider aspects of safeguarding, such as preventing radicalisation and female genital mutilation, have not been considered. This reduces the therapists’ ability to identify, and respond to, any concerns.

p.3

good

Agency records do not demonstrate that recruitment systems are consistently followed. Records for one member of staff fail to explore gaps in employment history or show that identity documents were viewed. The agency fails to explore prospective staff’s physical and mental health history. Overall, there is a lack of information to make a judgement of suitability prior to employment.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The skilled management team is knowledgeable and passionate about the work it does. The managers lead and inspire the team of therapists. Professionals and families hold the agency in high regard. The agency managers have a good understanding of adoption and the particular challenges faced by children and families.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children and families are provided with good information from the agency. The managers work closely together to ensure that all of the children and families using the service feel well supported. The support provided is non-judgemental and inclusive. One parent said that, despite difficulties, ‘It feels that they [the agency] are in our corner.’

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The vast majority of the therapists are self-employed. Despite this, the managers provide good support. One therapist said, ‘This is the most supportive team I have ever had.’ The therapists find management supervision a helpful space to reflect on the families’ needs and any safeguarding issues, as well as their own professional development.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains good oversight of the therapeutic services. Children and families’ progress is kept under regular review. The agency manager works closely with children, families and professionals to ensure that the support package continues to meet the families’ needs. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Treasure Keepers 4 There is, on occasion, a lack of attention to detail in the monitoring systems. The manager has not fully reviewed recruitment records to ensure sufficient information is held about the staff. Furthermore, the manager has not obtained a building safety certificate or a risk assessment of the premises. As a result, the manager does not have clear information to ensure that the premises are safe and suitable. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Treasure Keepers 5

p.3

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 and the national minimum standards. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

employ a person to work for the purposes of the agency unless that person is fit to work for the purposes of the agency.

p.5

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work for the purposes of an agency unless—

p.5

Requirement Due date

he is physically and mentally fit for the work he is to perform; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to him in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2. (Regulation 19 (1)(a) (2)(c)(d)) 5 December2022

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a good-quality learning and development programme which equips therapists to keep up to date with professional, legal and practice developments and reflects the policies, legal obligations and business of the agency. This is with a particular reference to ensuring that all therapists undertake training and awareness raising in respect of female genital mutilation and preventing radicalisation. (NMS 23.1)  The registered person should ensure that the agency takes action to address any issues of concern that they identify or which are raised with them. This is with particular reference to ensuring the safety and suitability of any premises used by the agency. (NMS 25.7) Inspection report for adoption support agency: Treasure Keepers 6

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, young people and adults, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the adoption support agency, how it meets the core functions as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Treasure Keepers 7

p.6

Adoption support agency details

Registered provider: Treasure Keepers Limited

p.7

Adoption support agency details

Registered provider address: Jubilee Pavilion, Love Lane, Ongar CM5 9BL

p.7

Adoption support agency details

Email address: admin@treasurekeepers.co.uk

p.7

Inspector

Joanna Heller, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for adoption support agency: Treasure Keepers 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8