Oak House New Spring Residential Centre

Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 1 Oak House New Spring Residential Centre New Spring Family Care (Preston) Limited

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316 Blackpool Road, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire PR2 3AE

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is registered to accommodate up to five families at any one time. The residential family centre is privately owned. Families access the centre at the direction of the family court or the local authority for the purposes of assessment.

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Information about this residential family centre

There were four families staying at the centre at the time of this visit.

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Information about this residential family centre

The residential family centre started operating in April 2020. There is currently no registered manager. The previous registered manager left their position in March 2023. The acting manager has applied to Ofsted for registration, and this is currently being progressed.

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Information about this residential family centre

The inspector was aware during this visit that serious child-protection concerns were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate concerns of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the concerns were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the visit to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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Inspection date: 1 November 2023

Date of previous inspection: 10 October 2023

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This monitoring visit

During a full inspection on 10 and 11 October 2023, Ofsted judged the residential family centre to be inadequate. Serious shortfalls were identified in relation to the quality and oversight of parenting assessments, the leadership and management of Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 2 the centre and the oversight of safeguarding practices. Three compliance notices were served under regulation 8, registered person general requirements, regulation 12, arrangements for the protection of children, and regulation 13A, assessments.

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This monitoring visit

A restriction of accommodation notice was also served on 17 October 2023 with immediate effect until 8 January 2024. The provider has complied with this notice, as no families have been admitted to the centre since the full inspection. However, the restriction of accommodation notice remains in place.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring visit, the inspector looked only at the compliance notice under regulation 12, arrangements for the protection of children. The inspector found that the provider has acted to meet all the steps in this compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has an improved understanding of her roles and responsibilities, and the general monitoring of the operation of the residential family centre. The responsible individual has been working closely with the manager to ensure that there is regular senior management oversight of the centre and together they have agreed an action plan to drive improvements in the quality of care.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has reviewed the process for recording hourly checks for all families in the centre. She has addressed this at length in a team meeting, and through other systems, to ensure that staff are completing records consistently and that families are monitored in line with the placing authority’s expectations. The senior leadership team now completes daily checks of the records to ensure that families are appropriately safeguarded. Staff spoken to demonstrated that they understood the process for recording these checks effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and assessing social worker have reviewed all families’ risk assessments to ensure that they include all relevant risks and significant information. The assessments are shared and reviewed with parents on a weekly basis. The staff team is responsible for reporting any new identified risks for families to the senior leadership team, so that plans can be updated as and when necessary. This means that the staff team is provided with all the information they require to support families and to work with them to minimise risk.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has reviewed the medication policy so that it provides clear guidance about the procedures for administering and recording medication to prevent any errors. It includes the procedure for reviewing staff competency should the manager have concerns about staff’s practice. Safe medication management has been addressed with the staff team and medication records amended, to ensure that staff are following the correct procedures. All staff are trained in safe administration of medication and the staff spoken to by the inspector understood the procedures in place when handling and administering medication.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have revisited their understanding of what meets the threshold for notifying Ofsted and the local authority designated officer (LADO) in relation to serious incidents. The responsible individual and manager are to review Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 3 all incidents to ensure that all the appropriate professionals have been notified. A clear policy is now in place that details the circumstances in which Ofsted and the LADO should be notified of concerns.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have demonstrated a more robust approach to the management of complaints. Parents’ complaints are acknowledged and appropriately investigated and a written response provided to the parent within suitable timescales. Any action to be taken in response to the nature of the complaint is followed through and any changes required have been implemented in the daily operation of the centre.

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This monitoring visit

The remaining areas of concern and the remaining two compliance notices were not looked at during this visit. Therefore, they remain active compliance notices and requirements until the centre’s next inspection. Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 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, 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 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)) 1 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must ensure that the parents’ capacity to respond to the children’s needs and to safeguard their welfare is monitored or assessed by a suitably qualified person in accordance with the requirements of this regulation.

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Requirement Due date

All assessment or monitoring of parents’ capacity to respond to the children’s needs and to safeguard their welfare must be carried out in accordance with appropriate and generally recognised methods for such assessment and, in particular, having due regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State relating to the assessment of children in need and their parents under section 7(1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970.

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Requirement Due date

The methods of assessment or monitoring must be capable of evaluating the parents’ capacity to change.

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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 13A (1) (2) (3)(4)(a)(b)) 1 December 2023 Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 5 For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work at a residential family centre unless—

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Requirement Due date

he has the qualifications, skills, and experience necessary for the work he is to perform;

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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 16 (3)(b)(d)) 1 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

[Subject to paragraph (1A) the registered person] shall after consultation with the [fire and rescue authority]—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that the persons working at the residential family centre and, so far as practicable, residents, are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire, including the procedure for saving life. (Regulation 22 (1)(e)) 1 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall establish and maintain a system for—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided at the residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall supply to the [Chief Inspector] a report in respect of any review conducted by him for the purposes of paragraph (1), and make a copy of the report available to residents. (Regulation 23 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 1 December 2023

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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 (5)(a)) 1 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of 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: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 6

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: New Spring Family Care (Preston) Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 316 Blackpool Road, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire PR2 3AE

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 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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