Sunflower House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Sunflower House 1 Sunflower House Buckinghamshire County Council 1a, Churchill Avenue, Aylesbury, HP21 8LZ Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This is a local authority run service. It is registered to conduct residential assessments for a maximum of four families. At the time of this inspection, four families were in residence.

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Information about this residential family centre

The service and manager were registered in March 2023

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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.

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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: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Sunflower House 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families receive good-quality support from staff committed to meeting their individual needs as a family. Staff ensure children’s safety and promote their positive health. They focus on children’s growth and development during their time living at the residential family centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Moves into and out of the centre are well-managed. The manager ensures they have full information about each family and the support they may need, before they move in. This helps staff to prepare well for their arrival. Staff sensitively support those parents who leave without their children. Staff recognise the unsettling effect that parents moving on without their children can have on the remaining parents. They ensure consistent support and encouragement to all parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff build good relationships with children, and parents. There is a relaxed atmosphere in the house with positive interactions between parents. They watch TV together and discuss what they are watching. For example, a programme about domestic abuse which some parents could identify with. Parents are positive about their relationships with staff. They say that they feel able to go to them for advice and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff try to make sure that they know the views and wishes of the families they support. Regular residents’ meetings provide a space for parents to give their views. They are encouraged to make suggestions for improvement. For example, one parent suggested regular activities such as, games nights or pamper days. The manager has been responsive to this request. Families look forward to the Sunday afternoon meal in which they all get involved. This creates a time where they can sit together, talk, and socialise. This creates a homely feel while also creating memorable moments for families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families have positive day-to-day experiences together with staff. They go on a range of trips and activities such as visits to the park, walks in local woods and trips to the zoo. Staff take pictures of these events to add to the individual and group memory books. Families take their individual memory books with them when they leave. This is a good way of recording the positive experiences during a time that many families find difficult. Families receive regular planned key-work sessions which they appreciate. These sessions give them time to review their progress and identify areas for improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families have access to extra support within the assessment process. The involvement of a play worker helps parents to work on their relationship with their babies and build stronger bonds. Inspection report for residential family centre: Sunflower House 3 The staff are skilled in assessment, and understand the assessment framework and model well. Consequently, assessments of parenting capacity are of a good standard. The assessment sessions are detailed, specific to the needs of the family and the areas that parents need to improve. They comprehensively cover areas of parenting strengths, areas for development and the progress parents have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff receive training that supports them to write clear and concise assessment reports. Staff work closely with professionals and respond to feedback about their weekly reports that feed into the assessment. The assessment reports clearly show how staff reach recommendations. The staff are closely monitored and supported by a highly experienced manager who ensures the consistent quality of the assessment reports. One professional said, ‘The reports are timely and well detailed.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents feel involved in their assessment and value the input from staff. They recognise that has helped them to make positive progress. One parent said, ‘I feel the support will help the two of us,’ and ‘They (the staff) are here to help us and not hinder us.’

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding children is paramount in the work that staff do with families. Consequently there is good promotion of children’s welfare. Staff are committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of all children that live in the centre. Staff notify partner agencies of concerns and significant events appropriately. They work together well with external bodies to safeguard children.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The manager ensures that she receives pre-placement risk assessments in preparation for working with families. The staff recognise the challenges based on the history of some families and know how to keep children safe. Staff are responsive to risk and keep this under regular review. When children are risk of harm, staff implement increased monitoring and observation. They make changes as risks reduce.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The manager ensures that good placement plans are in place. These take into consideration risks and areas to work on to keep children safe. Managers update the good-quality risk assessments as needed. They ensure an effective system is in place to show that staff read and understand them. Updates to risk assessments are discussed in team meetings and staff supervision. This ensures that all staff are aware of any changes in risk.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff know what to do if a parent and/or their child should go missing from the centre. All families have missing from home risk assessments in place. Staff took appropriate action on the one occasion this happened.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The manager has ensured staff receive de-escalation training. This prepares them for managing difficult or challenging situations. Physical intervention is not used. Consistent boundaries are in place and parents know what these are. For example, Inspection report for residential family centre: Sunflower House 4 they know that substance misuse will endanger their assessment. Staff use restorative interventions when possible. However, when parents present risky behaviours that cannot be safely managed, the manager takes appropriate action.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Safer recruitment process are in place to ensure that only safe and suitable staff work with these families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The service is well managed and the manager’s oversight is strong. Leaders and managers work together to ensure that families receive the best possible support. They know and understand the centre’s strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has realistic expectations of what parents, and their children can achieve and ensures that they have the right support. She knows the progress of each parent. She supports their involvement and helps them to see the importance of engaging with the assessment process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the progress of each assessment. She has high expectations of the work that staff do and only accepts reports that meet the required standard. Comments from external professionals about the quality of assessments are positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers invest in their staff to ensure that they deliver the best possible support to families. Good training opportunities mean that the staff experience opportunities for continuous growth. Staff receive specialist training specific to the needs of the families in the centre. For example, around substance misuse, self-harm, and nasogastric feeding. Staff value the regular reflective supervision that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager nurtures well-balanced professional relationships. Consequently, external professionals are positive about the relationships that they have with the service that support successful outcomes for families. For example, the local paediatric nurse visits regularly. They provide specialist input support and advice to families, and ensure good management of children’s health needs. The staff have good relationships with the local community and are well known to the local food bank that families sometimes access.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers show a strong commitment to the promotion of inclusion, equality, and diversity. For instance, they provide families with documentation translated into their first language to promote full engagement of families in their assessment. Consequently, they know what staff expect of them and how they can meet the needs of their children. Inspection report for residential family centre: Sunflower House 5

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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: Sunflower House 6

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Buckinghamshire County Council

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Buckinghamshire Council, Chief Executive, Walton Street Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury HP20 1UA

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Residential family centre details

Email address: noel.beaumont@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

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Inspector

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Sunflower 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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