Blue Lily Lodge

Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 1 Blue Lily Lodge Bluefront Care LTD 166 Barton Road, Barton Seagrave, Kettering, NN15 6RY Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this residential family centre

This family centre is privately owned and is registered to provide accommodation for up to four families.

p.1

Information about this residential family centre

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

p.1

Information about this residential family centre

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

p.1

Information about this residential family centre

This is the centre’s first inspection since registration in December 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: this is the first inspection

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: Blue Lily Lodge 2

p.1

improvement to be good

The shortfalls in the safeguarding practice, and leadership and management of the residential family centre, impact on the experiences and progress of children and parents.

p.2

improvement to be good

The parents’ and children’s guides provide families with the information they need to help them settle and understand why they are living at the centre.

p.2

improvement to be good

Some social workers for families report a positive working relationship with the manager and staff. They add that there is good communication. One social worker said, ‘They [staff] have been very nurturing and supportive,’ to the family she supports.

p.2

improvement to be good

Assessment plans for parents are well structured and consider the letters of instruction local authorities provide. A qualified social worker visits each family at the centre once per week to undertake parenting assessment sessions. One full assessment and three interim assessments have been completed since registration. The quality of assessments is mixed. One assessment has been returned by a local authority following quality assurance comments being left in what was a final version of the report.

p.2

improvement to be good

Parents do not always feel they are informed of the progress of their assessment. When assessments are shared with parents, there is limited recordings of parents’ responses to the assessment and recommendations. One parent said they were not aware of the current recommendations being made about their parenting capacity.

p.2

improvement to be good

If a parent makes a complaint, the registered manager responds promptly. Responses do not always consider the individual needs and experiences of parents.

p.2

improvement to be good

Weekly reports provide information to the assessing social worker which supports the parenting assessments. The assessing social worker said, ‘weekly reports are helpful about understanding patterns for families including strengths and concerns.’ This information enables support to be tailored to families’ individual needs.

p.2

improvement to be good

There has not been any significant child protection concerns since registration. However, there is one incident where an accidental injury to a child could have been avoided. Where practice issues are raised about staff, the manager takes prompt and effective action. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 3 Risk assessments do not work effectively as a safeguarding tool. They fail to provide adequate information. Crucial information relating to known risks are omitted from risk assessments.

p.2

improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are not always followed. For example, the manager has not undertaken their own checks of an employee transferring from one of the providers other companies.

p.3

improvement to be good

Working relationships between staff and external professionals is inconsistent. Some professionals have experienced positive communication and receive regular updates from staff about children and their families. Some professionals have received information from the provider about the wrong families. This impacts on the local authorities’ oversight of the care and support provided to families. One social worker said that incident reports sent by the provider do not always set out what staff will do to resolve concerns that have been raised about a parent’s ability to keep their child or children safe.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in the current monitoring and review system. The manager does not have effective oversight of incidents and safeguarding worries. Some safeguarding incidents have not been reviewed by a manager until 15 days later. This impacts on prompt and effective action being taken to ensure the safety and well-being of children and their families.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has minimal oversight of the interim and final parenting assessments. The assessing social worker has not received any feedback from the manager about the assessments completed. Some reports submitted to local authorities are not free from errors.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The centre was registered by Ofsted in December 2023. There has been no quality- of-care review submitted by the manager to Ofsted. Areas of development are not identified in a timely manner as a result. Staff are not supported by leaders and managers to develop their skills to provide positive support to families.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not always keep records up to date. Key information about the child and family’s day is not always recorded. Recording of incidents is inconsistent. The assessing social worker comments that there is a lack of quality recording about the interactions between parents and their child or children. Information is not routinely shared between the staff and manager.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not submitted an updated version of the statement of purpose to Ofsted since the centre was registered. The statement of purpose does not outline the experience, qualifications, and skills of the staff team.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality of professional supervision sessions and team meetings are variable. There is a high proportion of the team who are unqualified. The recording of supervision is minimal and there is limited evidence of reflective practice. Clear Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 4 actions are not determined and there is a lack of support for staff after supervision and team meetings.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager acknowledges the shortfalls. Leaders are reflective about changes required and committed to improve the quality of care and support provided by staff to parents and their children. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 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, 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, before providing a family with accommodation in the residential family centre, or if that is not reasonably practicable, as soon as possible thereafter, draw up in consultation with the placing authority a written plan (in these Regulations referred to as “the placement plan”) setting out, in particular—

p.5

Requirement Due date

an assessment of the risks, if any, which a resident at the residential family centre may present to their own health, safety and welfare or that of other residents or staff at the centre].

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person shall keep under review and revise the placement plan as necessary. (Regulation 13 (1)(c) (2))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure risk assessments are completed, detailed, reflect all known risks and are regularly updated. Staff must be informed by the risk assessments about how to reduce known risks and provide support to children and their families. 13 September 2024

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that conclusions or recommendations are made as a result of the assessment or monitoring and that—

p.5

Requirement Due date

such conclusions or recommendations are objective and based on verifiable evidence; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

the evidence on which they are based is capable of being presented in a manner that is clear, accessible and appropriate to the persons who will need to consider them. (Regulation 13A (4)(a)(b)) 13 September 2024 Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 6 The registered person must ensure they have robust oversight of the parenting assessments at all stages of the assessment.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

in a manner which respects the privacy and dignity of residents; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

with due regard to the sex, religious persuasion, racial origin, and cultural and linguistic background and any disability of residents. (Regulation 10 (3)(a)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that individual needs of parents and their children are considered at all times. This includes ensuring methods of communication are effective and take into account parents' health diagnoses. 13 September 2024

p.6

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

notify the [Chief Inspector] within 28 days of any such revision. (Regulation 4 (1) (4)(a)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff experience and qualifications are reflected in the statement of purpose. The registered person must also ensure an updated statement of purpose is submitted to Ofsted. 13 September 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person shall establish and maintain a system for—

p.6

Requirement Due date

improving, the quality of care provided at the residential family centre. 13 September 2024 Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 7 [(1A) 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.]

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person shall supply to the [Chief Inspector] a report in respect of any review conducted by him for the purposes of paragraph (1), and make a copy of the report available to residents.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (1) shall provide for consultation with residents. (Regulation 23 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure a review of the quality of care is completed at appropriate intervals.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

is kept up to date. (Regulation (19)(a)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all records are detailed and kept up to date. 13 September 2024

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that all persons employed by him—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. (Regulation 17 (5)(a))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure all staff receive regular and purposeful professional supervision. 13 September 2024

p.7

Requirement Due date

employ a person to work at the residential family centre unless that person is fit to work at a residential family centre; or 13 September 2024 Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 8 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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work at a residential family centre unless—

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that—

p.8

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

p.8

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. Regulation 16 (1)(a)(b) (3)(d) (4)(a)(b))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure staff are safely recruited.

p.8

Recommendations

 The manager should ensure there is a robust system to monitor and have oversight of safeguarding concerns. Prompt and effective action should be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of children and their families. (Residential family centres: NMS 19.2) Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 9

p.8

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 Lily Lodge 1

p.9

Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Bluefront Care, Corby Enterprise Centre, London Road, Corby NN17 5EU

p.10

Residential family centre details

Email address: contact@bluefrontcare.co.uk

p.10

Inspectors

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Rachael Sprigg, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 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.

p.10

Inspectors

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 http://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.11

Inspectors

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

p.11

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 4234 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11