Project Phoenix Ltd

Inspection report for residential family centre: Project Phoenix Limited 1 Project Phoenix Limited Project Phoenix Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This is a privately owned and run residential family centre. The primary purpose of the centre is to support local authorities, courts, parents and children in the provision of robust, fair and evidence-based parenting assessments.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre is registered to accommodate up to three families. The families have their own bedroom and share the communal rooms. The communal space includes a kitchen/dining room, playroom, a lounge and bathroom. There is a storage area for prams and a medium-sized garden to the rear of the property with external access.

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Information about this residential family centre

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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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 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: 19 June 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Inspection report for residential family centre: Project Phoenix Limited 2 Supportive relationships are built between the parents, children and the staff. Parents feel at ease and talk to the staff. Staff, including the manager, are described as ‘lovely’ and ‘approachable’. These trusting relationships assist with the assessment process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families are routinely provided the time and opportunity to talk about their experiences at the centre. The manager understands the importance of families feeling listened to. Families’ views are respected, and any suggestions or concerns are acted on, or investigated appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The home is decorated, furnished and equipped to a good standard. Parents report that the house has everything that they need, and that they have no concerns about the condition of the furniture in their individual bedrooms. There are ample toys and resources to support the parents with play and stimulation of their children, and the manager provides bespoke resources to meet the families’ individual cultural needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families move into the residential family centre in a planned and prepared way. Families’ plans are developed from meetings with the local authority social worker and the instruction of the court. The manager has started to incorporate visits to families before their admission. These processes help the manager to gather information and understand the needs of the family. The compatibility of families is evaluated, and the family’s assessment work is planned and structured to provide a fair and vigorous assessment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families are provided with a fair opportunity to demonstrate their parenting ability. Parents’ learning ability and equalities are understood and reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that there is equitable opportunity during parenting/support sessions. Plans are adapted and changed to respond to the families’ presenting needs. The manager keeps the families informed about the decision-making and any changes to their plans. Necessary changes provide families with fair opportunity for progression while maintaining the safety and well-being of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Detailed assessments are undertaken by a qualified social worker. These assessments draw on the family’s historical evidence, patterns of behaviour and parental commitment to change. Conclusions relate directly to the family’s court instruction. The welfare and safety of the child are paramount, and the assessment encompasses individualised recommendations about future care arrangements for children. To help families understand their assessment, a version that parents can easily understand is created.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families’ emerging health needs can be met and monitored when required, as they are registered with local health services. The service has also established connections with health visiting services and community resources. Staff help families to join activity groups within the local community. This provides children with the opportunity to gain new experiences, for example swimming.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Inspection report for residential family centre: Project Phoenix Limited 3 Families’ life experiences can affect their mental health and well-being. While some parents will accept specialist support and are prescribed medication to manage their mental health, others are unaccepting or unable to access professionals’ support. The manager knows that mental health support matters and has created opportunities for parents to boost their well-being during their assessment. This includes the running of a weekly ‘Euphoria’ group, where parents are provided time to focus on their own needs.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

To help to keep the children safe from harm, the families are aware of the clear rules and boundaries in place at the centre. Written warnings are issued to families when rules and boundaries are not adhered to; examples include the display of aggression and alcohol consumption. Placing authorities are consistently informed about any emerging concerns. Families’ plans are reviewed, and additional support measures are implemented to mitigate risk.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Families routinely meet with the manager. This supports ideas and views to be exchanged and issues to be resolved. The manager advocates well for families and she will support them to contact their placing authority when this has proven difficult. Parents can raise complaints. These are taken seriously and are investigated by the leadership team.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Night staff have lone worked. Lone staff are guided by risk assessments that identify the risks for families and emergency procedures. Technology within the centre enables the lone staff to maintain oversight and monitoring of families from any area within the centre. However, the manager has implemented measures to reduce the occurrence of lone night-working.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The staff recognise and respond to safeguarding incidents and they take action to promote the children’s welfare. The safety of children is the staff’s priority and they generally take immediate action when there is a concern about the children’s care and well-being. Staff record any injuries to a child on body maps and there are procedures to ensure that these are shared with the placing authority and the manager. However, the manager has missed an opportunity to demonstrate her oversight of these records.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The families understand that closed-circuit television (CCTV) is fitted in the service, and they sign their consent to its use. The placing authority’s decision to monitor families through surveillance is recorded in the families’ plans. However, the staff do not have clear direction about the frequency of when they should record their monitoring of their CCTV observations. This leads to inconsistent recording practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed her knowledge and understanding of regulation and the inspection framework. Her knowledge and skills are being developed further as she undertakes the level 5 qualification. The service benefits from her insight and necessary oversight of the centre. Inspection report for residential family centre: Project Phoenix Limited 4 Professionals and families confirm that they are kept up to date. Professionals say that this is an excellent project for families. The manager is held in high regard by professionals, staff and families as she creates a supportive and nurturing ethos at the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective in her practice and lessons have been learned to develop this service for families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that risk assessments for children, when they are out in the community, are in place. However, one incident has recently occurred and one child has been harmed. At the time of this inspection, this safeguarding incident was being investigated. The manager has already implemented procedures to improve the safeguarding arrangements for children and to prevent recurrence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are clear practice expectations for staff to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. The manager has taken disciplinary action and followed conduct procedures in response to poor and unprofessional practices. The manager is also addressing inconsistencies in the recording in families’ records. The review of this is recorded by the manager in staff supervision sessions to evidence developments in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The core staff have regular supervision sessions. This protected time supports the staff to reflect on the needs, safety and well-being of children and families. However, the manager has failed to ensure that these arrangements are in place for the independent social worker.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems are in place to develop the staff’s knowledge and practice. In addition to training and supervision sessions, team meetings are also used for practice learning and reflection. Handovers between the staff are also used to share day-to-day information about the families. However, this time is not protected, and this limits the time for discussions and planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a detailed knowledge of the families that have lived at the centre. She has a learning attitude and she talks clearly about the strengths and developments for this service. The monitoring systems support the manager to identify any shortfalls. When these are identified, she responds to these swiftly to prevent impact on the children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A requirement to improve the external monitoring of the service was made at the last full inspection. Submitted reports demonstrate that the quality of external monitoring has improved. However, the provider has failed to submit these reports to Ofsted consistently, as required. Inspection report for residential family centre: Project Phoenix Limited 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, The 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—

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Requirement Due date

any activities in which residents participate are so far as reasonably practicable free from avoidable risks; and

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Requirement Due date

unnecessary risks to the health or safety of residents are identified and so far as possible eliminated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall make arrangements, by training persons working at the residential family centre or by other measures, to prevent residents being harmed or suffering abuse or being placed at risk of harm or abuse. (Regulation 11 (4)(b)(c) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that the staff always take effective action and respond to the health needs of the child, when the parents do not act in the child’s best interest. 25 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

Where the use of such devices is used for the purpose at paragraph (1)(b), the registered person must also ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

its use is provided for in the placement plan.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff at the residential family centre are appropriately trained and understand the requirements imposed by this regulation before they use any such devices. (Regulation 21A (3)(b) (4))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that there are clear procedures in place so that the staff know when they must record their observations of the CCTV. 25 August 2023

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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— 25 August 2023 Inspection report for residential family centre: Project Phoenix Limited 6 the responsible individual or one of the partners, as the case may be;

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Requirement Due date

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 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, its daily log of events 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

in the case of a visit under paragraph (2)—

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Requirement Due date

where the registered provider is an organisation, to each of the directors or other persons responsible for the management of the organisation.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 25 (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b)(c) (5)(a)(b)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This regulation has been reissued. Inspection report for residential family centre: Project Phoenix Limited 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they regularly monitor in line with the Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002, as amended, all 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. In particular, the manager should evidence their oversight of the children’s body maps. (Residential family centres: NMS 19.2)  The registered person should ensure that they exercise effective leadership of the centre’s staff and operation, so that the centre is organised, managed and staffed in a manner that delivers the best possible outcomes for parents and children. In particular, the manager should ensure that there is protected time for the staff to undertake an effective handover. (Residential family centres: NMS 12.4)  The registered person should ensure that the staff have access to support and

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Recommendations

advice (including from external specialists) to provide a comprehensive service for the parents and their children and are provided with regular supervision sessions by an appropriately qualified and experienced member of staff. In particular, the manager should ensure that the assessing social worker receives supervision as detailed in ‘Working together to safeguard children’. (Residential family centres: NMS 17.4)

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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: Project Phoenix Limited 8

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Project Phoenix Limited

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Residential family centre details

Responsible individual: Lucille Gabriel-Gilchrist

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Residential family centre details

Email address: admin@projectphoenixltd.com

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Project Phoenix Limited 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 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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