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 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 no families staying at the centre at the time of this visit. Inspectors case tracked two families who had left the centre in the preceding few weeks.

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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 in March 2023. The acting manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this residential family centre

The inspectors were 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 inspectors’ judgements.

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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. Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 2 Date of last inspection: 10 October 2023

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following 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 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. A restriction of accommodation notice was also served.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted carried out two separate monitoring visits on 1 November 2023 and 6 December 2023. Inspectors found that the provider had acted to meet all of the steps outlined in the three compliance notices. At a case review on 7 December 2023, it was decided that the restriction of accommodation notice would be lifted, as the grounds for the notice no longer applied. Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents are supported to make good progress in their parenting and to develop their capacity to respond to their child’s needs. The staff are invested in the families and they are committed to achieving the best outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff understand parents’ individual circumstances and use a nurturing approach to help them to develop the skills they require to meet their child’s needs and promote their welfare. One parent said: ‘The staff in this house have become like a second family to me and my daughter. This is a company that not only care about the baby’s well-being but also the residents.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Placement planning is individualised. Care plans are regularly reviewed to reflect families’ progress in the programme. The plans correlate to each of the stages of the assessment process and they drive any additional learning and support for families to improve their parenting capacity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

A teaching programme and additional activities are in place to support bonds between parents and their children effectively. They provide parents with opportunities to promote play and stimulation for their child in an age-appropriate way. They also promote routine and structure for parents to carry on when they leave the centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The staff team works positively with health agencies to ensure that the appropriate support and guidance are provided to parents. Staff are responsive to health information provided by professionals and they use this to help parents to understand their child’s and their own health needs. This includes encouraging parents to access support for emotional well-being through the centre’s counselling service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parenting assessments accurately reflect the evidence gathered during the assessment process. The assessments provide clear conclusions and recommendations to ensure the safety and well-being of the child. Parents are provided with opportunities to express their views throughout the assessment process and through weekly key-work sessions. A quality assurance process ensures that the reports are scrutinised before they are provided to the court.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

When families move out of the centre, there are support plans in place to ensure that their transition from the centre is supportive and sensitive. This includes the staff team providing outreach support for families to help them in their home.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Leaders and managers provide the staff team with clear information about any risks associated with each family prior to them moving into the centre. This means that Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 4 the staff team is responsive to any signs of concern, they can identify risk and understand how to manage it.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

For one family, not all parents’ historical risks were recorded within an initial risk assessment undertaken prior to the family moving into the centre. This means that the potential impact of the parents’ risks on families already living in the centre had not been widely considered. However, the inspectors found that there had been no impact on the safety of parents as the omitted risks were identified in additional risk assessments in place for the parents.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Risk assessments are updated regularly to ensure that staff are provided with current strategies and support systems to work effectively with parents. Staff understand the risk assessments and they implement the guidance in their daily practice.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff are trained in areas that are relevant to ensuring families’ safety. Some staff are allocated champions for the parenting and freedom programme. This enables staff to help parents to understand risks to their children, how to minimise risks and care for them safely.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Parents receive help to manage their emotions appropriately and positive behaviour is promoted. When parents make unsafe decisions and put children at risk, leaders and managers make prompt decisions to end parents’ placements to safeguard and ensure the well-being of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior leadership team has worked hard to drive improvements during what has been a challenging period. Together with the staff team, they have implemented changes to develop the operation of the centre and the work they do to support families. They have introduced wider training and workshops for the staff team relating to the programme. There is also more focus on recognising and evidencing children’s development, milestones and their journey during their stay in the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are positive role models for the staff team, specifically in their approach with parents and being sensitive to their needs. Partnership working is a strength. Leaders and managers challenge placing authorities and professionals when relevant information and important documents are not provided, such as the court direction for assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and appropriately qualified staff team in place, with a range of relevant experience to support families and help them develop their parenting. Staff attend regular team meetings and have been provided with the relevant training to meet the needs of the families. Staff have been responsive to changes made by leaders and managers to improve the service. Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 5 Leaders and managers have implemented a system for staff appraisals and they are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. However, staff have not previously had their practice regularly appraised. This is a missed opportunity on the part of leaders and managers to review staff professional development and to identify any areas of support they require to carry out their duties effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff well-being has been a priority for the senior leadership team. Staff reported that they felt extremely well supported by leaders and managers and that they have had the opportunity to access counselling if needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been no complaints made by parents or others. Parents are provided with information about the procedures to make a complaint and the manager ensures that there is an open door to hearing parents’ views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring and oversight of the centre have developed. She has more ownership in her role and demonstrates that she is central to the decisions made in the centre. However, the independent person’s visit reports do not always evaluate the quality of care provided to families effectively, to enable leaders and managers to identify strengths and areas of development required for the service. Arrangements have been made for an independent company to undertake the independent person visits, so that there is additional oversight and scrutiny of the service provided to families. Inspection report for residential family centre: Oak House New Spring Residential Centre 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a clear procedure is implemented for introducing families to the centre so that their move is managed with sensitivity and care. Specifically, prior to moving into the centre all risks for parents are evidenced as having been considered in relation to the impact they may have on other families already living in the centre. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, 7.1, page 14)  The registered person should ensure that all staff and the registered manager are properly managed, appraised and supported and understand to whom they are accountable. Specifically, that staff routinely have their practice appraised by leaders and managers to support their ongoing professional development. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, 17.2, page 26)  The registered person should ensure that there are clear and effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the centre. Specifically, the

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Recommendations

independent person’s visit reports should evaluate and assess the quality of care provided to families in an effective manner. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, 19.1, page 29)

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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 7

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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 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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