Blossom House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Fairways Residential Family Centre 1 Fairways Residential Family Centre Fairways Care (UK) Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

The residential family centre can accommodate up to seven families. The centre offers a service to parents and children who are referred by the courts, solicitors or local authorities. At the time of inspection, there were seven families in residence.

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Information about this residential family centre

The previous manager left in April 2023. The new manager has been in post since 8 May 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and parents are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The residential family centre provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the residential family centre contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and parents.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Fairways Residential Family Centre 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Families receive consistently high-quality support and guidance in this centre. The staff help the parents to achieve their goals of providing good care to their children and promoting their long-term development. Families speak positively about their experience of the assessment process. One parent stated, ‘I was not expecting it to be like this. I am feeling more relaxed about the process.’ Social workers say that their families make marked progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Staff welcome families into the centre in a planned and sensitive manner. The parents are able to visit, or have a virtual tour of the centre before they move in. This reduces parents’ anxiety and helps them gain a better understanding of what to expect during their stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

The staff are open and calm with parents, which promotes strong and trusting relationships. These excellent relationships between the staff, children and parents create a warm and relaxed atmosphere. Parents feel able to approach the staff for non-judgemental advice at any time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

The skilled staff offer a range of activities to parents and children. The parents value the weekly sensory play activity. One parent’s suggestion of a pamper day has become a consistent part of the experience at the centre. The highlight of the week is the Sunday afternoon meal, which involves all families. This supports the making of memorable moments and creates a homely family feel.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

The close working with parents is remarkable. Staff seek the parents’ views and wishes in several ways, to ensure there are opportunities for their voices to be heard. Consequently, parents feel respected and valued. They feel able to share their views on their assessments, and challenge when they do not agree with anything written about them. They do this confidently, knowing that they will not be judged for it. Staff support parents to have appropriate contact with friends and family members, if this is part of the support plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Staff welcome suggestions from parents. They are responsive to feedback and the service is continuously developed. One parent suggested that the garden would benefit from new plants and flowers. The staff quickly responded to this and involved some parents in planting and rearranging the garden. The staff have produced a ‘voice of the child’ toolkit to enable them to better seek the views of children and aid their participation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Families have exceptional day-to-day experiences at the centre. The staff work to empower the parents rather than judge them. The staff support parents to make positive choices for their children. This helps to build parents’ confidence and their capacity to care for their children. However, parents are aware that staff will intervene if necessary. Inspection report for residential family centre: Fairways Residential Family Centre 3 The detailed assessments take full account of the placing authority and court requirements. These assessments show the level of parental capacity and capability. The evaluative and analytical reports provided by staff clearly demonstrate the progress the families make, much of which is substantial. Parents are consulted and their views are evident. The reports show clear working together for the benefit of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

The training programmes delivered to families are a significant strength of the centre. For example, experienced and well-trained staff deliver a course designed to support parents to learn about intimate relationship abuse and how it can affect them.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The staff are highly skilled and experienced. They have a strong understanding of how to protect children from harm. The manager ensures that a suitable risk assessment is received from the responsible authority before agreeing for the family to move in. Staff ensure that families moving into the centre are compatible and pose no risk to the other families.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The centre staff complete detailed risk assessments to make sure that all the staff understand each family’s particular vulnerabilities and risks. The staff regularly review and update these risk assessments as needed. Social workers spoke positively and confidently about how the centre manages risk.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The staff work successfully with families to help them reduce risk and understand how to keep their children safe. The clear and consistent boundaries in the centre help parents to feel that their well-being and safety are paramount. Parents trust the staff and value their skills, knowledge and experience.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

There is a high level of visual monitoring of parents with their children, both during the day and at night. Parents agree to this and understand why it is in place. Parents said that they have learned a lot from the staff. The skilled staff support parents to work towards reduced supervision and monitoring.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The staff are vigilant at times when parents are thought to have taken and be under the influence substances. This information is considered in the parenting assessment. Staff know what to do if a parent and/or their child go missing from the centre. The staff take appropriate action when this happens. The staff are responsive and keep the children safe on the rare occasion when a parent leaves their child at the centre.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff receive excellent de-escalation training that prepares them for managing difficult or challenging situations.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The safeguarding arrangements in the centre are a particular strength. The organisation’s safeguarding lead provides clear and consistent guidance for Inspection report for residential family centre: Fairways Residential Family Centre 4 managing safeguarding concerns. There is exceptional partnership working with local safeguarding partners. Leaders and managers carry out extensive learning reviews to help their staff to reflect on practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The new manager has worked at the centre for seven years. The strong senior leadership team works closely with the manager to create a highly effective service. There is vigorous managerial oversight, with a clear vision and high expectations of staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure the active engagement and involvement of parents in their assessment. The support to families is remarkable and parents spoke highly of this. Partner professionals say they are impressed by the quality of support. They used words such as ‘fantastic,’ ‘amazing’ and ‘nurturing’ to describe the support the staff provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Through effective tracking systems, leaders and managers have an excellent understanding of the progress families make. This means that they are always aware of what needs to happen to encourage and support successful outcomes for the families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers provide a highly supportive environment and invest in their staff. Excellent training opportunities mean that the staff experience continuing professional development. Staff receive specialist training specific to the needs of the families in the centre, for example, around mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. Staff value the regular reflective supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that there are strong partnership arrangements with external agencies, including health professionals, social workers and children’s guardians. These partnerships help the centre to sustain the high-quality support, assessment, care and protection of families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers know and understand the centre’s strengths and weaknesses. They use new learning to inform and improve their practice. However, they have not realised the level of unrest felt by staff around relatives working together on shift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager challenges external agencies when their responses are not effective and continues until there is a satisfactory outcome. Her focus is consistently on achieving the best for the families in the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers demonstrate considerable commitment to inclusion and promoting equality and diversity. Families with mobility difficulties have accessible ground floor accommodation. There is a diverse staff team which reflects the families who use the centre and the people of the local area. Inspection report for residential family centre: Fairways Residential Family Centre 5 Inspection report for residential family centre: Fairways Residential Family Centre 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they are a fair and competent employer who understands and acts on concerns raised by the staff in respect of the employment of staff who are related to the registered person. (Residential family centres: NMS 17.1)

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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: Fairways Residential Family Centre 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Fairways Care (UK) Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, Building 1000, Western Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3EZ

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Inspector

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Fairways Residential Family Centre 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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