Norden Hills Family Centre

Inspection report for residential family centre: Norden Hills Family Centre 1 Norden Hills Family Centre Norden Hills Family Centre Limited Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is registered to accommodate up to five families. The centre is privately owned. Families access the centre at the direction of the family court and/or the local authority for the purposes of assessment.

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Information about this residential family centre

The registered manager has been in post since the centre’s registration in June 2023.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of the visit, one family was residing in the centre. The inspector spoke to the parent during the visit.

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Information about this residential family centre

This inspection was brought forwards due to a serious safeguarding notification having been received from the provider. The centre has also had two separate monitoring visits to address safeguarding concerns, on 13 August 2024 and 8 May 2025 since its last full 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 requires improvement to be good

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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: 19 March 2024

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Norden Hills Family Centre 2

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding practice is not always consistent or effective. Staff failures have potentially compromised a child’s welfare.

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improvement to be good

Assessments to consider the suitability of families living in the centre have not always been completed in a timely way. Additionally, care planning has not been carefully considered to ensure that the needs of the families can be met, and that staff understand their roles.

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improvement to be good

Parents develop positive relationships with staff. They feel supported and are enabled to build trusting relationships. When there have been communication issues between parents and staff, leaders and managers have taken action to respond to these promptly. For example, an independent social worker was commissioned for the second part of a parent’s assessment, in line with the parents’ wishes.

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improvement to be good

Final assessment reports are evaluative, balanced and well evidenced. There are clear recommendations made to inform decision making about children's futures. Staff ensure that parents understand the reasons for their assessments and how the assessment process works. Families are supported to understand the contents of their reports, including areas where they have progressed and areas to be improved.

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improvement to be good

Children’s feeding schedules are now only used in the centre if directed by health visitors or medical professionals, based on the health needs of the child. Otherwise, responsive feeding is promoted with all families. There are also now clearer processes in place for the use of a bell each parent has in their room and what this means for parents. This ensures the safety of the child and promotes the child and parent bond. Parents and staff spoken to demonstrated that they understand the process.

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improvement to be good

Direct work with families is relevant to their assessment and well informed. However, some of the advice given by staff has been contradictory with other professionals, such as health visitors. Leaders and managers have taken steps to ensure that health professionals and staff in the centre understand each other's roles and perspectives. A feedback form for external professionals has been introduced to ensure that communication is consistent.

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improvement to be good

Children and their parents have access to a range of social, educational and recreational opportunities, including classes in the local community. Staff ensure that parents have clear schedules, which prioritise activities that best meet the needs of the family, such as baby massage, cooking classes, cultural days and support sessions for fathers. Inspection report for residential family centre: Norden Hills Family Centre 3

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always followed appropriate safeguarding procedures in relation to reporting and recording of unexplained bruising found on a child without delay. This has left one child at potential risk of harm. When leaders and managers became aware of the concerns, they have taken prompt action to have the child medically assessed and to report the concerns to the appropriate safeguarding professionals. Lessons learned have been conducted and poor staff practice has been appropriately addressed. Safeguarding policies have been amended, and records have been improved following this incident.

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improvement to be good

That said, some staff skill levels are not yet effective in relation to conducting child body checks and the recording of body maps. On one occasion a body check on a child was not conducted as it should have been. This is despite recent attempts by leaders and managers to develop staff skills and knowledge. Leaders and managers are exploring this with staff and acting to ensure that this practice is not repeated.

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improvement to be good

Systems for communicating key information and safeguarding issues between staff at shift changeover have been ineffective. Written and thorough handovers have not been carried out, until a lessons learned exercise identified that this was a shortfall that contributed to poor staff communication. A new handover record has now been introduced to ensure that staff evidence the information they share with each other in relation to safeguarding children.

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improvement to be good

Some staff are unclear on the role of the local authority designated officer and the role of a local authority’s emergency duty team. Leaders and managers are to readdress this with the team, to ensure that staff understand how these services support effective safeguarding of children.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments provide staff with clear information about risks for families and how the families are to be monitored. However, they lack information to assist staff to identify when risks are escalating or strategies for them to follow to respond to and manage the risk.

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improvement to be good

Parents say they feel safe and supported. Staff have taken appropriate action and sought medical support for parents who have been at risk of self-injury. Leaders and managers ensure that when parents make a complaint, that they are managed promptly and parents are kept up to date and consulted with throughout the investigation. Work is also implemented to try to rebuild relationships between staff and parents, when these have become affected by complaints raised.

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good

Leaders and managers oversight of monitoring systems and staff safeguarding practice requires improvement. Safeguarding records fail to show that a clear process has been followed during investigation into child protection practice Inspection report for residential family centre: Norden Hills Family Centre 4 concerns. Leaders and managers have failed to record key discussions with the staff team, as part of their exploration of unexplained bruising to a child.

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good

Leaders and managers are aware of some current practice concerns, and they are taking action to address this. However, they do not consistently monitor staff practice from their employment commencing at the centre. Probationary reviews are not always conducted within the providers own policy timescales. Some staff practice review records are contradictory and unclear about staff capabilities and competence.

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good

Safer recruitment processes are not thorough. Leaders and managers have not taken suitable steps to explore gaps in employment for new staff. This was a requirement at the last visit and so it has been restated.

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good

Some staff have not undertaken refresher paediatric first aid training in line with the providers training requirements. In addition, not all staff have undertaken direct training that is specific to family’s needs and essential in the work they do with parents, such as attachment, toxic trio and perinatal and infant mental health training. Leaders and managers have recently introduced reflective learning records, so they can determine the impact of training on staff learning and development.

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good

Leaders and managers are working with health visitors and placing authorities to improve professionals’ confidence in the ability of the staff team to support families, following some previous external concerns raised.

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good

Managers use team meetings to share learning from practice issues and to communicate their expectations in relation to safeguarding procedures. All staff are provided with regular supervision, including bank staff. Staff reported that they feel supported by leaders and managers, and they have the option of well-being support through a mental health practitioner. The manager has introduced a new supervision observation of practice task, which is a toolkit to develop the staff team and ensure that the manager has improved oversight of her staff team's practice needs and development.

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good

The managers review of the quality-of-care report identifies the strengths and areas of practice to be developed in the centre. An action plan of areas to improve is in place. The manager uses reflective practice in her oversight of records. She makes changes to systems and guidance based on her findings, to promote improvements to the service families receive. Inspection report for residential family centre: Norden Hills Family Centre 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, 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

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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider and the registered manager shall, having regard to the size of the residential family centre, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs of the residents, carry on or manage the centre (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall 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

employ a person to work at the residential family centre unless that person is fit to work at a residential family centre; or 4 August 2025 Inspection report for residential family centre: Norden Hills Family Centre 6 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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are equipped with the skills and experience required to meet the needs of the parents and their children and the purpose of the centre. (Residential family centres: NMS 16.1, page 25)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that prior to a placement, a risk assessment is carried out to ensure both that the centre is well placed to meet the family's needs and that the family is able to fit in with the centre's other residents. It informs the level of supervision necessary for the parents and is kept under review throughout the placement. (Residential family centres: NMS 9.1, page 17)

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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: Norden Hills Family Centre 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Norden Hills Family Centre Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 9 Highfield Road, Rochdale OL11 5RZ

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Residential family centre details

Responsible individual: Chitsva Tafangombe

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Residential family centre details

Email address: priscilla@nordenhillsfamilycentre.org.uk

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Inspectors

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Norden Hills Family Centre 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 children who are looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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