Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road

Inspection report for residential family centre: Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road 1 Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road Ty Connections Limited 5a The Broadway, Friern Barnet Road, London N11 3DT Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

Ty Connections III is a privately owned company that specialises in providing parenting assessments. This residential family centre provides care and support for up to three families in individual self-contained studio apartments. The centre offers a broad range of support, including on-site counselling. The centre can also assist with community-based assessments.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of this inspection, there were no families undergoing a parenting assessment. The inspector spoke with a parent who had recently completed their parenting assessment.

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Information about this residential family centre

The manager, who is also the centre’s responsible individual, registered with Ofsted in September 2012.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account

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good

How well children and parents are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The residential family centre provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Children and their parents benefit from staff completing comprehensive, fair and effective parenting assessments. Families understand from the start of their placements the nature and scope of their assessments. Staff address the local authorities’ concerns for children well, and assessments fully explore all highlighted issues. Parents receive regular feedback about how well they are doing, and there are good opportunities for parents to also share their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families share trusted, positive relationships with staff. One parent said, ‘The staff were nice and understanding throughout. They pointed out what I was doing well and the things I needed to work on. They gave me advice, showed me how to care for the baby. I really began to see the difference in what I had been doing.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families know how to make complaints but do not do so, preferring to speak directly with staff and managers if they have concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff support families to live healthy lifestyles. They ensure that children and parents register with primary healthcare services and that they attend healthcare appointments. Parents’ and staff’s communication with healthcare professionals is consistent. For example, parents work closely with health visitors to ensure that their children are immunised and that they reach the expected healthcare milestones. Parents receive weekly counselling through the centre’s psychotherapist.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Children access education and play provision that meet their learning and developmental needs. For example, babies and toddlers attend local children’s centres for play, stimulation and learning. Staff ensure that older children continue to attend the schools that they attended before moving into the centre. Staff ensure that there is no disruption to children’s education. For example, managers arrange and sometimes fund transportation to take children to and from school. This is particularly the case when the journey between the centre and school is of a considerable distance. Families take part in leisure activities together that promote experiences of fun and family bonding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Children have contact with other family members that is appropriate, safe and in their best interests. Staff arrange family contact that is in accordance with local authority plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Final parenting assessment reports are comprehensive, evaluative and analytical. These are evidenced-based and include recommendations for the safe care of children, and they identify what support children and parents need once they leave the residential family centre. Inspection report for residential family centre: Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road 3

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The safeguarding arrangements at the centre are effective. Staff protect families from harm and neglect, and families benefit from staff’s understanding of the centre’s adult and child protection policies and procedures. Parents say they feel safe at the centre. Staff respond promptly and appropriately to any concerns they have for families.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff use CCTV and baby monitors to help them review parents’ care of their children. Staff’s use of CCTV is with the agreement of families and local authorities. Staff receive training in the use of CCTV. However, it is not clear who within the organisation has access to the CCTV footage and where they can view it from. The registered manager confirmed that she has access to footage when she is off site. This practice requires review as it does not ensure that the families’ rights are fully maintained, that their confidentiality is guaranteed or that families and others are explicitly aware of this practice.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Risk assessments are detailed and relevant to individual families. They highlight known and anticipated risks, and staff regularly update these. Risk assessments include clear strategies that help to manage and reduce risks to children and their parents.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff are vigilant in their support and supervision of families. As a result, very few incidents occur. There have been no instances of family members going missing from the centre or families making allegations against staff. When critical incidents do occur, staff ensure that they inform the appropriate external professionals.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff work in close partnership with the network of professionals working with families. This helps to coordinate the protection of children. A local authority social worker said, ‘The placement was smooth. The assessment was very effective. Perfect. Staff are skilled and worked well with the family. Communication was great; the manager updated me regularly.’

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Managers ensure the safe vetting and recruitment of staff. This confirms that staff are suitable to work with families.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The centre’s premises are comfortable. Families stay in self-contained flats with en-suite facilities. Flats contain kitchen and laundry facilities; there is no communal living space. As required, staff arrange cots and beds to meet families’ specific accommodation needs. Recently, the residential family centre was able to accommodate a family with both very young children and older children. Staff were therefore able to conduct the parenting assessment with the entire family together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A permanent, suitably experienced and qualified manager effectively and efficiently manages the residential family centre. Inspection report for residential family centre: Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road 4 The statement of purpose accurately outlines the purpose of the residential family centre and how the centre is run. It describes what families can expect from their placement and the expectations of them. However, the document requires revision as it does not contain updated information about the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels are good. This ensures that staff meet the assessment needs of families well. Staff confirm that they receive good support, regular supervision and annual appraisals. However, there are gaps in the records of staff supervision. This was of concern at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is relevant to the work that staff undertake at the residential family centre. An effective training programme supports staff’s learning and development in providing families with high-quality support and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ monitoring of the quality of care is effective. This helps to improve services to families. The assessment process demonstrates the positive impact that placements have on families. However, there are significant gaps in the frequency of independent monthly monitoring visits. This is in breach of the regulations and is a missed opportunity to further improve the quality of support and care provided to families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work well together to provide stability and consistency when working with families. Case records are clear, sufficiently detailed and outline, based on evidence, an evaluation of parents’ capacity to care safely for their children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management of the centre are strong. Identified shortfalls do not negatively impact on families’ progress and experiences, which are positive. Inspection report for residential family centre: Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road 5

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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 ensure that all persons employed by him—

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Requirement Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. (Regulation 17 (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to records of staff supervision. These should be agreed to and signed by both the supervisor and supervisee. 15 March 2023

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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 person carrying out the visit shall—

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Requirement Due date

interview, with their consent and in private, such of the residents and persons working at the residential family centre as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the residential family centre;

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Requirement Due date

inspect the premises of the residential family centre and records of any complaints; and

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Requirement Due date

prepare a written report on the conduct of the residential family centre.

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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 Chief Inspector. (Regulation 25 (3) (4)(a)(b)(c) (5)(a)) 15 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

keep under review and where appropriate revise the statement of purpose and resident’s guide; and 15 March 2023 Inspection report for residential family centre: Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road 6 notify the Chief Inspector within 28 days of any such revision. (Regulation 4 (4)(a)(b))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a clear and effective policy on the use of surveillance in parenting assessments. The policy should set out how the surveillance will be used to contribute to assessments, how legitimate privacy will be protected and how residents will be protected from the potential abuse of such measures. This relates to managers’ use of remote surveillance systems. (Residential family centres: NMS 10.1)

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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: Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Ty Connections Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 98 Reading Road, Northolt, Middlesex UB5 4PJ

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Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Ty Connections III - Friern Barnet Road 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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