Hazel House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Hazel House 1 Hazel House Savannah Lodge Limited 39 Endersleigh Gardens, London NW4 4SD Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre provides parental assessments for up to four families at any one time and is staffed on a 24-hour basis.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre and the manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023. The manager is suitably qualified.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of this inspection, there were two families living in the centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account

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good

How well children and parents are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

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

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The centre has a welcoming, relaxed, and friendly feel. Parents develop positive relationships with staff. Children and their parents receive individualised care and support to meet their needs. Staff demonstrate warmth and compassion towards families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents gain from a clear and structured assessment process. Assessments focus on safeguarding issues and meeting the social, emotional, educational and health needs of their children and themselves. One parent said, ‘It’s been challenging but staff have taught me.’ The centre has an in-house counsellor who provides individual support to parents. One parent said that this has been extremely helpful as they now feel less anxious and are able to focus more on improving the care of their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families benefit from good quality, evidence-based assessments. They are measured and fair in assessing parents’ capacity to meet their children’s needs and promote their welfare. Assessments effectively consider parents’ strengths as well as weaknesses and come to realistic and clear recommendations for the court. The assessment and findings are built upon explicit evidence from observations, key- work sessions, reflective discussions, specific parenting tools and the triangulation of historic and known information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents receive weekly updates on their progress, which helps them to see what is working well and what they can improve. Family placement plans are comprehensive, they include good quality risk assessments with appropriate mitigation strategies identified. Parents are encouraged to provide feedback following a reflective discussion or key-work session. Reflective discussions are sensitively written and include praise for parents’ individual achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents’ individual needs and risks are well considered within the centre’s suitability assessments. Those parents with additional needs are supported to ensure that their understanding and specific tools such as Parent Assessment Manual (PAMS) or parent assess workbooks are used. Timetables and key-work sessions are inclusive with the inclusion of visual prompts and pictorial characters to support those parents with learning needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents are able to access various activities. Activities include swimming, baby groups, baby massage, day trips to local farms or sightseeing venues and specialist parenting courses. Parents can also have access to an attachment coach to offer further specialist support around parenting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents have opportunities to attend the regular monthly residents’ meetings where they have the opportunity to take part and make decisions in how the centre is run. Inspection report for residential family centre: Hazel House 3 Parents’ views are listened to and acted upon. Parents know how to complain and complains are responded to promptly by management.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The centre is well furnished and decorated. It is suitably resourced with toys, books and opportunities for children to play safely both inside the home and outside.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The centre demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Parents learn how to keep themselves and their children safe.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Professionals have stated that they have no concerns regarding the staff or manager’s understanding of safeguarding practice at the centre. One social worker said that they ‘Know that they [parents and child] are safe and protected.’

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff have undertaken appropriate training and demonstrate good understanding of safeguarding processes and whistleblowing procedures. The local authority designated officer has worked with the staff team and is satisfied with the way the centre has dealt with allegations.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Historic risks are understood alongside the parent’s presenting needs. This means that staff always have in mind all of the information that they need to enable them to be alert to any emerging risks. Key-work sessions and reflective discussions are held in response when new risks are identified.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Incidents are recorded appropriately with management oversight recorded. Work with parents such as key-work sessions and reflective discussions are thorough and align with court directions.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The centre ensures that parents consent to the surveillance that is in place at the centre. However, the CCTV policy and subsequent agreement does not make it clear to parents as to whether audio recording is required also and has been consented to.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The staff team’s communication with other professionals is clear, frequent and effective. Feedback from external partners about the staff team’s conduct and professionalism is positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The residential family centre is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified social care practitioner. The registered manager shows a commitment to on-going development of practice at the centre and keeps up to date with emerging child development and social work theories and training. The registered manager demonstrates high aspirations for families, staff and the centre. She is an empathic and motivated person who wants to provide the best care to the children and families that come to the centre. Inspection report for residential family centre: Hazel House 4 Leaders and managers provide staff with regular individual and group supervisions. These are reflective and staff say that they are listened to and offer ideas which are acted upon. Staff say that they are well supported by the registered manager and by the wider organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider provides opportunities for career development through internal promotion or by offering opportunities for staff to achieve more formal child focused qualifications. The registered manager is committed to providing good quality training to all staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides consistent oversight and quality assurance of the centres’ records and assessments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The weekly reports sent to social workers are comprehensive. However, these can at times be too long, including repeated information that may not be particularly relevant.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager collates feedback from parents and visiting professionals. However, this feedback has not been used to evidence the good practice that is taking place at the centre. Leaders and managers monitor the centres’ work monthly, as well as through the six-monthly regulation 23 reports. Including this feedback could help to identify themes and patterns that could further influence the organisations’ policies and the running of the centre. Managers have realistically recognised areas for improvements within their own quality review and are eager to put these in place. Inspection report for residential family centre: Hazel House 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 Centre Regulations 2002 and the national minimum standards. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6) and any requirements for electronic monitoring imposed by a court under any enactment, the registered person must ensure that electronic or mechanical monitoring devices for the surveillance of residents are not used in a residential family centre, except for the purpose of—

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Requirement Due date

safeguarding their welfare, or that of other residents accommodated in the centre; or

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Requirement Due date

assessment or monitoring carried out under regulation 13A.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any use of such devices is subject to the following conditions:

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Requirement Due date

the residents are informed in advance of the intention to use the device; and

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Requirement Due date

its use is no more intrusive than necessary.

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Requirement Due date

Where the use of such devices is used for the purpose at paragraph (1)(b), the registered person must also ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

the resident being assessed or monitored consents to the use of the device in question; and

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Requirement Due date

its use is provided for in the placement plan. (Regulation 21A (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the use of audio recording should be clear to residents in the CCTV policy and consent forms. 10 September Inspection report for residential family centre: Hazel House 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that as part of the quality assurance process that feedback is regularly sought from parents, children (when of appropriate age) and professionals. (Residential Family Centres: NMS, 1.15)  The registered person should implement an effective policy that clarifies the purpose, format and content of information to on parent’s weekly reports to ensure that the information is purposeful. (Residential Family Centres: NMS, 20.1, 20.6)

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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: Hazel House 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Savannah Lodge Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 5A The Dells, South Street, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3AB

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Residential family centre details

Registered manager: Mariechen Van Rooyen

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Inspector

Amanda Burrows, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Hazel House 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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