Dumbell House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 1 Dumbell House Kaleidoscope Assessment Services Limited 13 Dumbell Street, Pendlebury, Swinton, Manchester M27 6FP Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is privately owned and is registered to accommodate two families. Families access the centre at the direction of the family court and/or the local authority for the purposes of assessment.

p.1

Information about this residential family centre

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023 and holds a management qualification.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

As the centre is small, only two families are in residence at any one time. This ensures that parents are given individualised support. Children and parents are enabled to build trusted and secure relationships with staff at the centre. Staff know the children and parents well, listen to them and promote their welfare. One family member said, ‘The team is supportive in helping me to feed my baby.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Placement plans are comprehensive and kept up to date. There is a good system in place for gathering information from placing authorities in relation to the families’ needs before placements commence. This is shared with the staff team, the family and the children’s social workers to ensure that all key information is available. This results in effective plans to provide individualised direct work for parents to develop parenting capacity.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parenting assessments are of a good standard and are in line with local authority and court directions. They highlight progress made and detail the specific issues that need to be addressed at the centre. The assessment process is thorough. Parents’ views are listened to and are evidenced in the work that is carried out at the centre. The assessing social workers monitor these assessments to ensure that all key areas of development are addressed. One parent said, ‘I really understand now about childhood illness and how to detect if my baby is poorly.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents know how to make a complaint. The centre’s complaints policy is accessible and easy to understand. Families understand what has happened as a result of their complaint. Their complaints are treated seriously and are responded to clearly by the manager.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The parents’ guide and induction to the centre’s processes and assessment are good. The guide provides families with the information they need to help them settle, understand why they are living at the centre and what to expect from their stay.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Community resources are identified for families to access help and support for activities and community participation in baby groups and health services. A play worker visits the centre to promote the children’s development through craft play, singing and sensory activities. Parents said that they enjoy the sessions and have learned about the development of their child.

p.2

How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

There is a good focus on safeguarding at the centre. Positive management of families’ care ensures that safeguarding concerns are identified and addressed. This ensures children’s safety. The centre maintains good relationships with stakeholders and social workers so that they are aware of any developing concerns. Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 3 There is a risk-based approach to the use of closed-circuit television and monitoring for individual families. All families spoken to are fully aware of the need to be monitored as part of their assessments. This ensures transparency with staff, professionals and families.

p.2

How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Risks are clearly understood, and risk management plans begin at the pre- placement stage. Staff are fully aware of any risks that families may present. The management team has introduced a mental health checklist. This ensures that the staff team takes a positive approach to supporting the families to maintain positive mental health.

p.3

How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Each family has a schedule at the centre, which includes supporting parents with basic skills. Depending on the individual needs of the family, this could include understanding topics such as domestic violence, safer sleeping and reducing drug and alcohol misuse.

p.3

How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Some families are involved in The Freedom Programme, which supports families who have suffered domestic abuse and violence. The programme has resulted in improved practice for staff and parents in recognising the effects of domestic violence as well as safeguarding the needs of the families.

p.3

How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The centre offers good-quality accommodation and is warm and welcoming. Parents can develop skills to meet the challenges of daily living, including breast feeding, healthy eating, cooking and household management. However, one unused bathroom downstairs has a damp odour, which could have a physical effect on babies’ health should it go unresolved. A good practice recommendation has been made to address this.

p.3

good

The management and leadership team is confident and committed to developing the service in line with their other two family centres. The senior team has good knowledge and experience in driving improvement in the lives of families who attend the centre and shares good practice across the service.

p.3

good

Managers are present in the centre, and staff say that they are approachable and supportive. Staff receive supervision to support them in their roles. Professional therapeutic supervision is given to the senior management team and social workers. The manager demonstrates that he identifies and addresses any practice issues promptly and effectively. This supports staff in producing positive outcomes for families.

p.3

good

The manager has a good understanding of parents’ needs, risks and progress they are making. He has a clear vision of how the centre needs to develop. He recognises the need to ensure that parents access community activities, to provide a realistic Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 4 home environment and assessment to see if families can parent in the community safely without the support of the staff team.

p.3

good

Social workers are very positive about the staff team and the quality of the assessment process. They are kept informed on a weekly basis about their families’ progress. This demonstrates good professional relationships and that the centre communicates well with stakeholders.

p.4

good

Team meetings have a focused agenda that includes monitoring families’ progress and exploring any safeguarding issues. Staff report that there is a good team culture where people respect and support each other.

p.4

good

The statement of purpose and staff rotas do not always reflect that staff working at the centre during the evening and at weekends are qualified, competent and experienced. A requirement is made to reflect this shortfall.

p.4

good

There are some gaps in safer recruitment processes. Employment checks for some staff are not always evidenced, particularly the right to work in the UK. A good practice recommendation has been made to address this. Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that there is, having regard to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

the statement of purpose of the residential family centre, its size and the numbers and needs of its residents; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of residents,

p.5

Requirement Due date

a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working for the residential family centre. (Regulation 15 (a)(b)) 28 March 2024

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a record is kept of the recruitment and vetting checks carried out on those working at the centre, including volunteers, which includes: checks to confirm the right to work in the UK; and, where the person has lived outside the UK, further checks, as are considered appropriate, where obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service disclosure is not sufficient to establish suitability to work with children. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that they provide a suitable physical environment for parents and children. (‘Residential family centres: national minimum standards’, 11.2)

p.5

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: Dumbell House 6

p.5

Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Kaleidoscope Assessment Services Limited

p.6

Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Finsley House, Finsley Street, Briercliffe, Burnley, Lancashire BB10 2HN

p.6

Inspector

Claire Mason, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7