Tide House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 1 Tide House Inclusis Limited 21 High Street, Bideford, Devon EX39 2AA Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is operated by a private provider. The centre was registered with Ofsted in October 2014 to provide accommodation for up to four families at any one time.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of this inspection, two families were being assessed at the centre. One family moved in during the inspection.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre sets out in its statement of purpose that it provides evidence-based residential assessments, in line with the ‘Framework for the assessment of children in need and their families’.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre offers self-contained accommodation to one or more children and single- or two-parent families. The centre is located in a town centre and has easy access to local services.

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Information about this residential family centre

The manager registered with Ofsted on 17 March 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre provides effective services that meet the requirements for good. Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 2 Date of last inspection: 12 April 2022

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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: Tide House 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff invest time to meet with families before they move in. They share information about what they can expect during their time at the centre. For those who cannot visit the centre, staff share a video of the accommodation. This reduces their worries about them moving into the centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Placement plans are individualised for each family. They detail important information to reflect care planning matters agreed with the placing authority. This includes details about any drug testing, specific health needs and medication arrangements, for example. Parents have access to specialist services, including therapeutic support, soon after they arrive at the centre. Additionally, children are seen by health visitors at the centre and staff seek parenting guidance from them when this is needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Assessments are completed by qualified social workers who are trained in the model of assessment used at the centre. Final assessment reports focus on each parent’s ability to care for their child safely. Recommendations are informed by detailed observation records and assessment sessions completed with parents. A placing authority social worker described the final assessment report received for one family as thorough and of good quality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents understand the reasons for their assessment and the possible outcomes for their child’s future care. Feedback is delivered to parents, and information is adapted to support any specific learning needs identified. Parents said that they feel able to challenge feedback from staff when they do not agree.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents know how to complain. The registered manager reviews and responds promptly to all complaints made. The outcome is communicated to parents in writing. However, there is insufficient learning from complaints to understand any patterns and trends linked to the quality of care provided and to inform additional actions that may be needed to improve families’ experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents and children have access to suitable amenities, including shops, outside areas and education provisions. While some parents have enjoyed taking their child swimming for the first time, staff approaches do not engage parents to attend community activities and groups with their child regularly. This reduces opportunities for them to promote their child’s physical, emotional and social development.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff understand risks for families. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. They take prompt and effective action to ensure that children are kept safe. External professionals and staff described safeguarding practice at the centre as a strength. Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 4 Managers have developed the centre’s risk assessments to include information about the risk to others. This is used to inform decisions about families moving into the centre. Risk assessments are updated regularly. However, in one example, managers had not included an external risk factor identified, nor was it known by staff working with the family.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

During the assessment process, parents receive opportunities to learn how to keep themselves and their child safe. Staff receive training that equips them with the skills to help parents to learn how to care for their child safely. This includes direct work sessions about the importance of healthy personal relationships.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is used to monitor families for the protection of children and to inform assessments. When families move in, parents are helped to understand the purpose of CCTV and how their care is assessed. Staff show them what they can see and hear, and the measures taken to protect their privacy.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Agreements for monitoring parents and their child are based on risk levels. When there are concerns about a child’s safety, monitoring and supervision arrangements are increased. However, the rationale for continuing increased monitoring levels is not recorded at each placement plan review.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Since the previous inspection, there have been two allegations made against staff. The registered manager has investigated each matter swiftly. However, investigations lack consideration of whether referrals to the local authority designated officer are necessary, nor have these events been notified to Ofsted.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

There are gaps in the centre’s safer recruitment procedures. Managers had not accounted for all gaps in one staff member’s employment history, and for another, the verification of a qualification that is a requirement for a specific role was not on file. Managers provided a copy of the qualification by the end of the inspection. Other checks to reduce the risk of unsuitable persons working at the centre, including Disclosure and Barring Service disclosures and identity checks, were complete.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The centre is led by an experienced registered manager. They are committed to their role and speak highly of the staff team. They are supported by the responsible individual, who is involved with the day-to-day operation of the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing arrangements have been a challenge. There has been a high turnover of staff. There has been disruption in staff allocated to assess and support families, but there have been no unnecessary assessment delays reported. The Responsible Individual has made the decision to reduce the number of families assessed at the centre temporarily. This is to ensure that there are sufficient staff to meet the needs of families. Action is being taken to recruit new staff. Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 5 There is a mixture of established and new staff team members working at the centre. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities. In the main, staff feedback was positive about working in the centre and the support that they receive from the registered manager. Induction and training activities were described as effective. Additionally, social workers benefit from supervision that allows them to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

reflect on their practice and to process their feelings after assessments have ended.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional feedback about practice at the centre was positive. Additionally, health visitors see children at the centre, and regular communication with staff ensures that they are kept up to date with health guidelines that underpin work carried out with parents to support them to meet their child’s daily care needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager reviews incidents and events. However, their review of the quality of care, in line with The Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002, has not been completed. Additionally, patterns and trends from assessment outcomes and complaints have not been analysed to identify practice strengths and areas for improvement that are needed to continually understand and improve the experiences of families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have not taken sufficient action to ensure that the centre’s physical environment is maintained to a high standard. While some furnishings have been updated, other areas need improvement to reduce signs of wear and tear. Additionally, creaky floorboards in one flat that cause undue stress for parents need repair and windows should be upgraded to ensure that they are in good condition. Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 6

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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

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

[F1(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.]

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall supply to the [F2Chief 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.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (1) shall provide for consultation with residents.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must complete reviews of the quality of care and examine patterns and trends, such as assessment outcomes and complaints, to inform future practice actions that continually improve the experiences of parents and children. 28 November

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Requirement Due date

If, in relation to a residential family centre, any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. 7 August 2025 Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 7 The registered person shall without delay notify the parent accommodated in the residential family centre with a child of any significant incident affecting the child’s welfare unless to do so is not reasonably practicable or would place the child’s welfare at risk.

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Requirement Due date

Any notification made in accordance with this regulation which is given orally shall be confirmed in writing.

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Requirement Due date

References in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 to a centre shall be construed as references to a residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

References in column 2 of the table to a local authority shall be construed as references to the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must notify the appropriate authorities within 24 hours of the occurrence of significant events when this is required in line with Regulation 26.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

the premises to be used as the residential family centre are of sound construction and kept in a good state of repair externally and internally.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the windows must be upgraded to ensure they are in good condition. Creaky floorboards must be in a good state of repair to limit this issue. The overall premises need to be maintained to reduce signs of wear and tear and to provide a welcoming environment for families.

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Requirement Due date

The requirement was made at the previous inspection. 30 January 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff approaches support parents effectively to attend activities and groups that promote their children’s physical, Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 8 emotional and social development needs throughout their time at the centre. (Residential family centres: NMS 6.1)  The registered person should ensure that the family’s placement plan is reviewed regularly and identifies the rationale for continued monitoring arrangements. (Residential family centres: NMS 9.6)  The residential family centre should ensure that records of the recruitment and vetting checks which have been carried out on those working (including as volunteers) for the residential family centre include checks to confirm qualifications which are a requirement and those that are considered by the centre to be relevant. (Residential family centres: NMS 14.3)

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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: Tide House 9

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 21 High Street, Bideford, Devon EX39 2AA

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Inspector

Louise Bacon, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Tide House 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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