Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre

Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 1 Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre Blue Springs Social Care Ltd 7 Butterwick Walk, Corby, NN18 9HF Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This is a privately owned family centre. It is registered to accommodate two families at any one time. The primary purpose of the centre is to carry out evidence-based assessments of parenting capacity and skills. Families are typically assessed for 12 weeks.

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Information about this residential family centre

There were two families living at the centre at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this residential family centre

The registered manager post has been vacant since June 2023.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre registered in February 2023. This is the centre’s first inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre is not yet delivering good assessments, help and care for children and parents. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: Not previously inspected

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 2

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improvement to be good

Since registration, the family centre has gone through considerable change. The registered manager left in June 2023, and the post remains vacant. Some of the original staff who had relevant experience and qualifications have left. New staff have joined; however, some have not worked with children and families previously. Much of their learning is gained from more established colleagues. As such, the team does not have a shared theoretical understanding of working in this context. The centre is not yet providing a coherent, therapeutic approach to supporting families.

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improvement to be good

Despite this, families do build positive relationships with staff. Staff support parents and children to develop daily routines and to access groups and activities in the community. Staff are attentive to the needs of parents, offering them guidance about a range of issues and supporting them to make progress. However, some written records demonstrate limited understanding of the impact of parents’ lived experiences. A record of a reflective supervision session included examples of value- based language being used to describe parents. There was no evidence of senior staff challenging this or helping staff to develop a professional understanding. This can limit how staff respond to families in effective ways.

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improvement to be good

Families are made to feel welcome when they move in. The centre is homely, and families soon personalise their living space, which helps them to feel settled. Some families have stayed longer than the intended assessment period. In these situations, there has not been a clear written agreement between the centre and the placing authority about agreed expectations during this time. This could create confusion for families and staff about the purpose of their stay.

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improvement to be good

The centre provides clear ground rules that provide a structure to help parents meet their children’s needs. Parents discuss the rules regularly in residents’ meetings, seeing some of them as overly restrictive. The manager and staff respond to queries and make compromises when possible. The manager recognises the importance of wording the rules in a way that helps parents understand them from a child-centred perspective.

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improvement to be good

There is a qualified social worker co-ordinating the assessments. She is experienced, has appropriate training and undertakes assessments using a range of methods. Assessment reports are of a good standard, and there has been positive feedback from professionals in respect of their quality. This has helped inform the care proceedings for children in a constructive way. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 3

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff work hard to keep children safe. This is particularly evident in the risk assessment, monitoring and supervision arrangements. These arrangements are clear in placement plans and are reviewed during the assessment. Placement plans and supervision agreements are signed by parents, social workers and staff. As a result, all parties are clear about how children are to be kept safe during the assessment.

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improvement to be good

There have been some incidents when staff have not prioritised children’s safety. This placed children at increased risk of harm. The manager took appropriate action to address these shortfalls but did not report these incidents to the relevant agencies, including Ofsted. This limits the ability of external agencies to monitor the service and to act on information to safeguard children.

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improvement to be good

One child stayed at the centre without his parent overnight in an emergency, while the placing authority sought alternative care arrangements. An appropriate safety plan was implemented during this time. However, this was not shared in writing with the local authority for their agreement.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not always carried out the required checks when recruiting new staff. For one employee, only one reference had been sought and there was a significant gap in employment that had not been explored. References are not routinely verified. The manager accepted this shortfall and understood the importance of improving practice to prevent unsuitable people from working in the centre.

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improvement to be good

The social worker carries out direct work with parents to develop their understanding of keeping their children safe. She uses a range of tools to suit each parent’s learning style and maximise their learning. Staff use their training to de- escalate situations and minimise conflict. This helps to maintain a calm atmosphere at the centre.

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good

The registered manager post has been vacant for almost six months. Despite ongoing recruitment, there has been little interest. The service manager has stepped into the role and taken on the operational responsibilities. This is impacting on her ability to maintain consistent oversight of the service and take forward her ideas for development. The service manager planned to support an application from the deputy manager. However, the deputy manager does not yet have the required management experience. Currently, there is no viable alternative, which leaves the centre without permanency in terms of leadership. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 4 The statement of purpose does not accurately reflect the work carried out by the centre. For example, it indicates that there are experienced key workers and a range of therapeutic services. This was written when the centre registered and is not fully

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good

representative of the current situation. This is because not all workers completing key work sessions are experienced or qualified in this specific sector. Furthermore, although the manager can utilise external professionals, there is no in-house resource to access these professionals internally. As a result, professionals using the statement of purpose may not be able to make an informed decision about the service being offered.

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good

The service manager has faced challenges when recruiting staff with experience of working with children and families. As a result, she has recruited staff with transferable skills. They receive a good induction, including some relevant training. However, they have a range of training and development needs that have not yet been fully met. For example, not all staff are familiar with the national minimum standards required to provide a good service to families. The manager is aware of this and has plans to extend their knowledge and skills to ensure that improvements are made.

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good

Staff receive supervision that enables them to talk about their welfare and their work with children and families. Overall, supervision takes place regularly. However, actions are not regularly set and reviewed. This is necessary to ensure that staff are accountable for their practice. Group supervision sessions take place, led by the social worker. These focus on specific topics so that staff can develop their understanding of the legislative frameworks relevant to their work.

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good

The manager has reflective discussions with the responsible individual, but there are no formal supervision arrangements in place. This means that there is limited support, challenge, and accountability in relation to her decision-making and oversight of the centre.

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good

The manager has established positive working relationships with external professionals. Positive feedback has been provided about the work of the centre. The manager attends a forum with other providers. This helps her to increase her knowledge and learn from the experiences of others. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 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 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. (Reg 12 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all concerns about staff in relation to safeguarding practice are reported to the regulator and the local authority designated officer. 30 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall compile in relation to the residential family centre a written statement (in these Regulations referred to as "the statement of purpose") which shall consist of a statement as to the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6) the registered person shall ensure that the residential family centre is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. 30 January 2024 Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 6 (Reg 4 (1)(5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the statement of purpose accurately reflects the services available in the centre and who is delivering that service in terms of experience and skills.

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Requirement Due date

allow a person to whom paragraph (2) applies, to work at the residential family centre unless that person is fit to work at a residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

This paragraph applies to any person who is employed by a person other than the registered person in a position in which he may in the course of his duties have regular contact with residents.

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to him in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

any offer of employment to a person is subject to paragraph (3)(d) being complied with in relation to that person; and

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Requirement Due date

unless paragraph (5) applies, no person starts work at a residential family centre until such time as paragraph (3)(d) has been complied with in relation to him. (Reg 16 (1) (2) (3)(d) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that safe recruitment checks are completed in relation to potential employees as per schedule 2 of the regulations. 30 January 2024

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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. (Reg 17 (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff receive relevant training to develop their understanding of the needs 30 January 2024 Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 7 and experiences of parents and children undertaking assessments at the family centre.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that suitable arrangements exist for professional supervision of the manager. (Residential Family Centre National Minimum Standards page 26, paragraph 17.3)  The registered person should ensure the centre has and implements clear procedures for families leaving the centre that cover planned and emergency departures and take into account the needs of the parent while giving paramount importance to the safety of the child. In particular when families are staying beyond the period of assessment. (Residential Family Centre National Minimum Standards page 14, paragraph 7.7)

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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: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 8

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Blue Springs Social Care Ltd

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 45 Springbrook Road, Nuneaton CV11 6PA

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Residential family centre details

Responsible individual: Mabel Abunyewa Owusu

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Inspectors

Ms Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Mrs Cathey Moriarty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 9 regulates and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Springs Residential Family Assessment Centre 1

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