Oak House New Spring Residential Centre

Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 1 Oak House New Spring Residential Centre New Spring Family Care (Preston) Limited 316 Blackpool Road, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire PR2 3AE 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 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

The centres statement of purpose states that families

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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

At the time of this inspection there were four families residing at the centre.

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Information about this residential family centre

Inspectors were aware during this inspection 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 inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and parents are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 2 There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and parents are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and parents are poor. Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 3 Date of last inspection: 16 February 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

This judgement is made due to the significant shortfalls identified in safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the centre. These have a significant impact on the overall progress and experiences of families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

From the parenting assessments sampled by inspectors, one was found to be of poor quality. The parenting assessment completed by an experienced qualified social worker did not fully explore and adequately address the risks parents may pose to their children. In this assessment, the conclusion and evaluation were not consistent with the risks presented by the parents as detailed in the body of the assessment. The conclusion of the assessment did not include a clear and decisive recommendation to help the local authority and court make informed decisions about care planning for the child. The parenting assessment was not completed in line with the letter of instruction from the court, in that it did not adequately address, and make recommendations about, parents’ capacity to sustain changes made to their parenting. The assessment was not reviewed and quality assured, therefore the inconsistencies and shortfalls had not been identified before

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

submission to the local authority and court.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Parents spoken to gave mixed responses about their experiences of the centre. Some parents said that they felt unable to talk openly about their feelings and anxieties relating to their assessment. In contrast, other parents said they had made progress in their parenting capacity and the ability to change their parenting approach. They said this was because they had good relationships with the staff and they had received positive care and support from the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Placing authority social workers provided positive feedback about the quality of parenting assessments and the support provided to families during their assessments. The amount of direct work undertaken with families to develop their parenting skills and awareness is positive. The sessions are recorded well and they are purposeful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The centre is welcoming and homely. There is a relaxed and calm atmosphere, which helps families to settle and feel comfortable in the centre.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Safeguarding practices are not robust. Poor safeguarding practice at the centre has compromised the safety and welfare of families.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to sufficiently address the continued medication errors, an issue which was raised as a requirement at the last inspection. One child’s prescribed medication has not been administered in line with their prescription. This resulted in the child being under-medicated, which potentially compromises their Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 5 health and well-being. Furthermore, leaders and managers have not always addressed this with staff in a timely manner. There are a high number of clerical errors in the medication records. Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to ensure that staff have a clear understanding of the necessity for the accurate recording of medication, and to safely administer medication.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

One family had not been monitored in line with their agreed plan, leaving a parent who required intensive supervision unsupervised with their child for an extended period. The manager took immediate and appropriate action to address this poor practice. This included informing the placing authority and strengthening monitoring systems to ensure that hourly checks were recorded for all families. However, inspectors found similar shortfalls for other families; staff failed to record their checks consistently or accurately and the manager had either not identified the shortfall or failed to rectify it. As a result, it is unclear whether all families are appropriately supervised by the staff team. Therefore, the arrangements implemented to strengthen the monitoring and surveillance procedures are ineffective and children have continued to be placed at potential risk.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

A risk assessment for one family does not include all known risks that could potentially impact on parenting capacity. This means that the staff team has not been provided with the information, guidance and strategies required to be able to safely support the parents and meet the family’s needs. This potentially compromises the safety of parents and their children.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

There is no robust or clear process for managing and evidencing the outcome of complaints. Leaders and managers were unable to provide written evidence at this inspection of the action taken following a complaint made to the inspector by a parent at the last inspection.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to notify Ofsted and the local authority designated officer (LADO) of two serious incidents, one when a member of staff was suspended and another when staff failed to consistently monitor a family as required. This means that the LADO and Ofsted have not been able to oversee the concerns to determine if the provider has acted appropriately to safeguard families. These incidents demonstrate that safeguarding procedures are not followed, which places children at risk of harm.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that an actual fire drill was carried out with one parent when they were admitted to the centre. This means that parents are not always provided with clear instructions or guidance about emergency evacuation procedures to keep themselves and their children safe in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Poor leadership and management of the centre have compromised the safety and welfare of families. Significant shortfalls were identified in relation to leaders’ and managers’ oversight of the quality of parenting assessments and safeguarding Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 6 practice. Managers’ monitoring of systems, records and staff practice is not robust. Therefore, this makes it difficult for leaders and managers to understand and address any shortfalls in staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There continue to be shortfalls in safer recruitment practice. In some staff’s files, there are gaps in employment history which are not accounted for. The manager who is responsible for the oversight of staff recruitment records has not had safer recruitment training. Therefore, the provider cannot be assured that they are employing safe and suitable people to work in the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to conduct risk assessments or discuss potential risks related to safer recruitment practices when staff members are related to each other and frequently work together on the same shifts. This lack of attention to risk assessment and transparent communication does not promote an open culture or a transparent approach to safeguarding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some staff have not completed conflict management training that leaders and managers identified was necessary at the point of referral for one family. Staff failed to complete this training during the family’s stay at the centre. This places families and staff at potential risk should parents’ behaviour escalate while they are living at the centre. This is because staff have not been provided with the training or skills to de-escalate situations effectively and support families’ needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders’ and managers’ oversight of monitoring and review systems is weak. The manager’s review of the quality of care reports and the reports of visits undertaken by the registered provider in relation to the operation of the centre are not consistently sent to Ofsted as required. Additionally, there is no clear system in place to evidence when the reports have been sent to Ofsted. Therefore, the regulator is unable to have effective oversight of the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff say that they are supported by leaders and managers. They feel comfortable raising any concerns with the leadership team. The manager has improved the quality of team meetings and ensures that they take place more regularly. Staff are provided with regular practice-related supervision. The care manager is responsible for supervising some of the staff team. However, she has not completed the necessary training to supervise and provide support to staff to enable them to care for families to the best of their ability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of the inspection findings, three compliance notices have been served, under regulation 8 (registered person general requirements), regulation 12 (arrangements for the protection of children) and regulation 13A (assessments). A restriction of accommodation notice has also been served, which means that no more families can move into the centre. Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 7

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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 prepare and implement a written child protection policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the residential family centre from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure under paragraph (1)(b) must in particular provide for—

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Requirement Due date

a requirement for persons working at the residential family centre to report any concerns about the welfare or safety of any child accommodated in the residential family centre to one of the following,

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Requirement Due date

an officer of the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated. (Regulation 12 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(iii)(iv)) 31 October 2023

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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. 1 December 2023 Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 8 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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall make arrangements for the recording, handling, safe keeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the residential family centre. (Regulation 11 (2)) 31 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

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. 1 December 2023 Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 9 (Regulation 22 (1)(e))

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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

If, in relation to a residential family centre, any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. (Regulation 26 (1)) 31 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 1

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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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Residential family centre details

Email address: manager@newspringpreston.co.uk

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Inspectors

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Charlie Bamber, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 1 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 who are looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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