Abbeyfield

Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 1 Abbeyfield Progressive Care Limited 38 Christchurch Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S3 9HN Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre registered with Ofsted in January 2004 and is privately owned. It can accommodate up to 12 families. At the time of the inspection, seven families were living at the centre. During the inspection, two families were spoken to in detail, other families were all aware of the inspectors’ presence and were invited to share their views. Inspectors viewed ongoing assessments and those recently completed.

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Information about this residential family centre

There are two registered managers for this centre. The existing manager registered in June 2017. The new manager registered in April 2024 and led the 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 inadequate

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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: 15 March 2022

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 2

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improvement to be good

Parents say that they feel supported and value the advice given by staff. They feel that feedback is given frequently to help them understand their progress and that they have opportunities to comment on the reports about them and their children. However, assessments carried out by the assessing social worker are difficult to read and lack evaluation. They do not always show how an outcome is reached. The assessment outcome for one family was not in line with the feedback given during assessment to the local authority or family. An independent review of this assessment has overturned the outcome.

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improvement to be good

The assessment process has failed to address issues relating to contextual safeguarding risks in the community. This means that these risks remain untested at the end of the assessment process, which leads to some families often requiring further input from services. This leads to further delays for some families from moving on and accessing the services needed.

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improvement to be good

Most parents felt welcomed and had access to the things they need during their stay. However, the lack of planning has meant that third-floor flats have been allocated to people without consideration to their health needs and their recovery. Studio apartments have been allocated to families consisting of two parents and a child. Overall, some families with more than one child or older children have limited space. Leaders have not considered this or acted to ensure that it does not impact on the assessment process. The newly refurbished play area and kitchen are bright and welcoming and offer a space for parents and their children to spend positive time together. The outside grounds are well maintained and provide parents and their children with space to enjoy time together.

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improvement to be good

Recordings of key-work sessions are poor quality and lack detail. The recordings do not support the assessment process. The new manager is actively addressing this, but changes are not yet embedded. Staff do not always consider routines or personal issues when planning work with families. Pre-planned activities and key- work sessions do not always go ahead, and dates are often changed. Information shared in the home about local activities is out of date. One family was left without support during an emotional event. Staff were not aware of the event and left the family to manage this stressful event alone and without support.

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improvement to be good

There are well-established links to community health services and the in-house education team, which has resulted in parents achieving qualifications. Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 3

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improvement to be good

Families and staff know the rules and expectations of the centre. Staff know how to apply de-escalation strategies with parents and have a good understanding of domestic violence. Leaders and staff understand the impact of adversity on parents and work with them to overcome these barriers.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently report injuries to children and any accidents. This has caused delay in children receiving medical attention. Additional training has been given to some staff to improve their knowledge but not all the staff were present. The staff spoken to have a clear understanding of the timescales and importance of acting quickly.

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improvement to be good

There have been times, particularly overnight, when only one waking night member of staff has been working. This is not sufficient for families needing high levels of supervision and support. The staffing levels are not in line with the statement of purpose.

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improvement to be good

The quality of risk assessments is poor. They are not updated to include pertinent risks or strategies for staff to take when risks escalate. This does not ensure that staff would know how to respond consistently to support families. The derogatory language used in these records is inappropriate and does not demonstrate they are valued. Staff spoken to know how to respond to the parents’ needs and are aware of the risks, but newer staff would not know this.

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improvement to be good

The individual needs of some families are not fully considered before they move into the centre. This does not ensure that plans created are bespoke to their needs. The lack of presence from leaders in planning meetings for new families has further impacted on the individualised support for families. For at least two families who do not speak English fluently, a lack of input from interpreters has delayed the assessment. Communication between staff and these families is ineffective.

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improvement to be good

Complaints and concerns are acted on and investigated by the safeguarding lead or seniors in the organisation. This helps to ensure that learning can be implemented. However, learning and actions to take are not always shared with the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are two registered managers at the centre. This temporary arrangement allows for the transition of the new manager with the view that the existing manager will step down from having day-to-day responsibility of the home. The new manager does not yet have full oversight, knowledge or understanding of all the families and these gaps have not been addressed by other leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Communication between the support staff, assessing social workers and deputy manager is not always effective, and essential information held by staff is not always Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 4 shared with managers. Staff attendance at team meetings is poor and it is not clear that staff know what has been discussed or whether they have read the minutes. This does not ensure that staff practice is consistent, and any changes needed are not known by all staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality assurance checks carried out by managers are not effective. Many records relating to the families’ assessments have not been updated. There are errors in documents and checks have been missed. Several records requested during the inspection were not presented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision sessions are difficult to evidence they have taken place as records are not on file and management trackers are not up to date. Not all staff feel they receive the support they require. The supervision sessions that are recorded are of poor quality.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Assessments are delayed for various reasons, such as not having suitable interpreters present to translate for families. This is impacting negatively on the families. The manager is not always challenging other professionals or advocating for families effectively. Issues are not escalated further when there is a lack of response. This leaves families feeling vulnerable, and poor communication does not help them to build trust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a lack of responsiveness from the managers in supporting families to move on from the centre after their assessments have been completed. The lack of forward planning towards the end of an assessment reduces the ability for families to move on quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The parents’ guide and statement of purpose have not been updated since May 2023. This does not provide stakeholders with accurate, up-to-date information regarding the management of the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The new manager is keen to develop the service and has identified some additional sources to support the staff and families. She has also started to address some of the shortfalls. However, none of this has yet impacted positively on families. Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 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 Centres 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff know and understand their roles and act quickly to share information and ensure that children access medical attention if any injuries or accidents are identified. 1 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the residential family centre is conducted so as to—

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Requirement Due date

promote and make proper provision for the health (including physical, mental and emotional health) and welfare of residents;

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Requirement Due date

make such provision for the care, treatment, education and supervision of residents as is appropriate to their age and needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall, so far as is practicable, ascertain and take into account the wishes and feelings of residents when making decisions concerning their health and welfare, or the manner in which they are treated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall make suitable arrangements to ensure that the residential family centre is conducted—

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Requirement Due date

in a manner which respects the privacy and dignity of residents; and 1 October 2024 Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 6 with due regard to the sex, religious persuasion, racial origin, and cultural and linguistic background and any disability of residents. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the centre must only provide admission to parents and children whose assessed needs it can expect to meet, consistent with the centre’s statement of purpose. Staff must liaise with the placing agency when parents and children are due to leave so that appropriate follow-up and resettlement support may be arranged, whether or not the children remain in their parents’ care when they leave the centre.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall maintain in respect of each family accommodated in the residential family centre a record which—

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Requirement Due date

includes the information, documents and other records specified in Schedule 3 relating to the members of the family;

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Requirement Due date

is retained in the residential family centre so long as the family to which it relates is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

is retained in a place of security for a period of fifteen years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 19 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all records are accessible in line with the regulations and are kept up to date to ensure that information is accurate and individualised, including risk assessments. The language in these documents must be appropriate. 1 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure the residential family centre is suitably furnished with adequate living, storage and communal space to—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (2)(k)(i)(ii)) 1 October 2024 Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 7 In particular, ensure that consideration is given to parents’ physical and emotional health needs when identifying the type of accommodation.

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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. (Regulation 17 (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that supervision sessions take place in line with the statement of purpose and that they support learning and development of staff. These should be recorded in detail to further support development. 1 October 2024

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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 system referred to in paragraph (1) must provide for adequate consideration of matters raised under regulation 18 by persons working at the residential family centre. (Regulation 23 (1)(a)(b) (1A))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that appropriate checks are carried out to ensure the safe running of the centre and that any shortfalls are identified and acted on. The registered person must take action to address any issues of concern that they identify or which are raised with them. 1 October 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

The registered person shall provide a copy of the statement of purpose to the Chief Inspector and shall make a copy of it available, upon request, for inspection by—

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Requirement Due date

any person who works at the residential family centre;

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Requirement Due date

any resident; 1 June 2025 Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 8 any local authority exercising any functions under the 1989 Act in relation to any resident.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall produce a written guide to the residential family centre (“the resident’s guide”) which shall include:

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Requirement Due date

a summary of the complaints procedure established under regulation 20;

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Requirement Due date

the address and telephone number of the Chief Inspector; and

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Requirement Due date

the address and telephone number of the Children’s Rights Director.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall supply a copy of the resident’s guide to:

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Requirement Due date

each parent accommodated in the residential family centre; and

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Requirement Due date

each person in respect of whom accommodation in the centre is being considered.

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Requirement Due date

keep under review and where appropriate revise the statement of purpose and resident’s guide; and

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Requirement Due date

notify the Chief Inspector within 28 days of any such revision.

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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. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d) (3A)(a)(b)(c) (4)(a)(b) (5)) Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 9

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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 Centres Regulations 2002 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 1

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Progressive Care Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 51 Attercliffe Common, Sheffield S9 2AE

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Residential family centre details

Registered managers: Kerry Seymour and Rosemarie Hull

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Inspectors

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Honor Hamshaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Abbeyfield 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 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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