Majestic Family Services - The Laurels

Inspection report for residential family centre: Majestic Family Services - The Laurels 1 Majestic Family Services - The Laurels Majestic Family Services 16 Freemans Road, Minster, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 4EL Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is owned by a private provider and offers a service to parents and children of all ages who are referred from the courts and local authorities. The centre can accommodate up to five families. At the time of this inspection, three families were in residence.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and parents are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The residential family centre provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the residential family centre contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and parents.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Majestic Family Services - The Laurels 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Staff provide parents with a consistently high level of care. The support that staff offer to parents is exceptional and enables them and their children to make significant progress. Staff identify the needs of families from the outset. They know the required support needed and how to work with parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

The active involvement of parents in the assessment process means that they know what staff expect of them at every stage. Staff provide parents with daily feedback and updates, along with extensive support, so they understand their progress. This means that parents know what to expect and there are no surprises in assessment reports.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Assessments are of exceptionally high quality and take full account of the placing authority’s and court’s requirements. The assessments show the level of parental capacity and capability well. Staff provide highly evaluative and analytical reports that show clearly the progress that families make and capture anything of concern.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

The assessments hold the child’s needs at the centre and prioritise them throughout. They demonstrate the effectiveness and commitment of the centre’s approach to working together with partner agencies for the benefit of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

The assessing staff receive training in the model used to assess families and are then licenced to carry out this work. Staff have access to the developers of the model used, providing an extra level of support when needed. They receive additional research-based training and support that is reflective. One social worker said of the quality of assessment, ‘It shows child focused writing from his [the child’s] perspective.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

There are positive relationships between staff and parents. Staff are calm with parents, and this further supports strong and trusting relationships. These excellent relationships create a warm and relaxed atmosphere in which parents feel able to approach staff for support and advice at any time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Families have opportunities to give their views and express their wishes. They say that they feel valued and respected. Staff understand families’ situations and work with them with emotional warmth and empathy. Staff recognise the importance of family time and go to great lengths to support it, for example taking parents long distances for family time and other meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Staff work effectively with families to ensure that they have memorable, lasting and positive experiences whenever possible. They support parents to access activities in the community and at the centre, such as baby massage and sensory sessions. Additionally, staff show a strong commitment to supporting parents to widen their experiences, for example by accessing cultural events. At the end of the assessment, Inspection report for residential family centre: Majestic Family Services - The Laurels 3 all families receive a baby photobook charting their experiences and progress in the centre. This is well received by parents, many of whom keep in contact with staff after they have moved on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Parents and children are welcomed into the centre by staff in a planned and sensitive manner and can visit the centre before they move in. This helps to reduce parents’ anxiety and helps them gain a better understanding of what to expect during their stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Staff work with parents with great sensitivity when giving negative feedback. Staff are also highly skilled in protecting parents and other families in the centre from any possible fall out or conflict.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The centre is staffed by a range of professionals. Staff are highly skilled and experienced, and they have a strong awareness of the welfare of children and how to keep them safe. They are alert to children’s needs and work well together to enable positive outcomes for children.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Families are supervised at the level that is right for them. When parents are not able to provide appropriate care and protection to their child, staff’s response is effective. Assessing staff make clear recommendations when there is a premature end to an assessment.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

A rigorous process is in place before a family is accepted for assessment. This is to ensure their welfare and safety and that of the families already in the centre. A significant amount of support and advice is given to parents to help them understand the risks that their children could be subject to. Detailed risk management processes are in place, and this helps to further ensure children’s safety.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Parents who are looked-after children themselves receive extra support. This additional support includes increased oversight to ensure their safety in the centre. For example, the centre accommodates them in the side of the house where there is more supervision and where they are closer to staff.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

There is a high level of visual monitoring of parents with their children, both during the day and at night. Parents agree to this and understand why it is in place. The skilled staff support parents to work towards reduced supervision and monitoring.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

There have been no incidents at the centre when parents have gone missing. However, there is a clear strategy in place should this happen.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff receive excellent de-escalation training. This helps to prepare them for managing difficult or challenging situations. Additionally, they receive training on mental health issues. This helps staff to work with and understand parents experiencing difficulties with their mental health. There are consistent boundaries in Inspection report for residential family centre: Majestic Family Services - The Laurels 4 place, creating an environment where families feel safer. For example, there are strict procedures around the use of the smoking area.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The safeguarding processes in the centre are a particular strength. The registered manager has significant experience in safeguarding and oversees the arrangements. There was an excellent response to a safeguarding incident that had a negative impact on the staffing levels in the centre. The response included a thorough investigation and new guidance being implemented in relation to the findings. This resulted in even stronger processes for the supervision of parents and the care of their children.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

A strong safer recruitment process is in place. This ensures that unsuitable or unsafe individuals do not work with the families in the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A strong and highly experienced leadership team oversees this service. Its members are ambitious, have high expectations of parents and what they can achieve and ensure the right level of support to families. The manager has excellent oversight of the assessment process and quality assurance of the reports is of a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The quality assurance process and extensive audits help managers to know the progress of families. Management oversight is effective and promotes excellence in all areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers provide a highly supportive environment. They invest in their staff and ensure excellent opportunities for growth and development. Staff receive specialist training specific to the needs of the families. Staff value their regular reflective supervision opportunities. These include clinical supervision provided by the developers of the assessment model used in the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers know and understand the centre’s strengths and weaknesses. They use new learning to inform and improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager challenges partner agencies when their responses are not effective. She escalates her concerns until there is a satisfactory outcome. Her focus is always on attaining the best for the families in the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have excellent professional relationships with the full range of agencies they work in partnership with. This includes health professionals, social workers and children’s guardians. These partnerships help staff to provide high- quality support, care and protection to families. Professionals spoken with used terms such as ‘exceptional’ to describe the service. One professional said, ‘They [the staff] support with patience and empathy.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers display extensive commitment to inclusion and to promoting equality and diversity. It is integral to what they do. Families receive care and support from staff committed to meeting their diverse needs. This is because staff Inspection report for residential family centre: Majestic Family Services - The Laurels 5 learn what is important to each family. For example, staff understand the culture or religion of a family, so that they can offer support to meet their needs. Inspection report for residential family centre: Majestic Family Services - The Laurels 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: Majestic Family Services - The Laurels 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Majestic Family Services

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 15 West Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2RL

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Inspector

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Majestic Family Services - The Laurels 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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