Rachel House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Rachel House 1 Rachel House

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

A charity runs this residential family centre. The primary purpose of the centre is to support local authorities in completing fair and evidence-based assessments of parenting capacity and skills.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre can accommodate up to three families. At the time of the inspection, there were three families staying at the centre. The families have their own bedroom, sharing a bathroom and communal areas.

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Information about this residential family centre

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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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: 28 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff build and sustain positive relationships with parents, children and external professionals. This is a clear strength of the centre. Leaders, managers and staff are committed to supporting parents to make meaningful progress and to overcome the difficulties that affect their ability to care for and bond with their children, and to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Relationships in the centre are characterised by respect, openness and transparency. The atmosphere is calm, welcoming and supportive. The environment is well- resourced and appropriately furnished, which helps parents to feel safe and secure throughout their assessment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families benefit from assessments that are tailored to their individual needs. Staff work together across the centre to ensure that areas of concern are thoroughly assessed. Parents’ progress is recognised and celebrated, while areas of continued concern are revisited to ensure that assessments remain robust and accurate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The team enables parents to learn a wide range of skills and provides them with opportunities to build their parenting, personal development and life skills. Parents are also able to attend a range of groups relating to child development alongside other fun activities in the community. One parent has particularly appreciated the links they have been able to make in ‘Lads and Dads’, which supports single fathers. They have found it very beneficial to have support from people in a similar position.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The assessments of families provide very clear recommendations to the court based on detailed evidence gathered over an assessment period. The assessment has the children’s needs at its heart. The final reports sampled are appropriately lengthy. They detail both the positives and the progress for families alongside any continuing concerns. Recommendations about next steps are clear, with the safety of babies being the paramount concern.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Professional feedback and discussions with parents are positive. There is much evidence of collaborative working and keeping external professionals well-informed. Parents say that they feel involved and are kept informed and that there are no hidden surprises. The assessing social worker writes in a helpful way, even when there are concerns to be discussed, helping families understand their difficulties in a kind way. The assessing social worker also says she is well supported with updates and sessions to help her with her work with babies and families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents know how to make a complaint. This was shown by a parent who has made a complaint about staff. The process was easy for the parent to understand. Urgent action was taken and a meeting was held with the parent concerned. Steps were taken to understand their views and why they had complained. This fed into work Inspection report for residential family centre: Rachel House 3 with the staff concerned, who were asked to reflect on their approach and how they could frame things in a better way.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding incidents are responded to appropriately. There are many instances where staff have supported parents who are upset and not managing. Staff have been reflective after events, to consider what might have been done differently. There appeared to be an unwritten rule around a curfew, which led to one incident escalating. Despite there being nothing formal in place, residents and staff say they need to be back at the centre by a particular time. This was discussed and resolved during the inspection.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Safety plans about how staff will work with babies and parents to keep them well supported and safe are detailed. However, there are some minor gaps in the recording around what is expected from staff and the actions they should take when issues arise. Although the manager shares updates with staff in weekly emails, the working document does not always reflect the updates. This needs to be held in one place that is easily accessible for staff should they need to refer to it.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Positive behaviour is promoted consistently. Staff use techniques to help parents when they are distressed, to try to calm the situation. These are successful even when it takes some time to calm parents. There is a follow-up with parents after events to help them consider what would help in the moment and how best staff can support them in the future. This shows that staff are looking for creative strategies to support the specific needs of parents and to include them in that process wherever possible.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff advocate on behalf of babies and families to ensure the right decisions are made for them, to ensure that their needs are met and that decision-making is safe. When gaps are identified or additional needs observed, this is raised with the local authority and appropriate steps are taken to ensure these goals are addressed. For example, staff advised the local authority that a cognitive and psychological assessment was needed for a parent, to better understand their needs and the best way to work with them.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The use of CCTV is appropriate and is in line with regulations and the centre’s published policy. The use is recorded and regularly reviewed with families and the placing authority. For example, the manager strives to reduce the use of CCTV as quickly as possible for families to preserve their dignity and privacy. However, if CCTV is needed again, this will be put in place for the safety of the babies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The centre is properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the families. The staff team is suitably vetted and is able to deliver high-quality services. Inspection report for residential family centre: Rachel House 4 Arrangements for recruitment are robust, ensuring that people working in the centre are appropriate to support babies and families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers regularly monitor the quality of assessment, care and help provided. They use learning from practice and feedback to improve assessments and the experiences of and support for children and parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team works collaboratively to provide consistency and stability for babies and families. Responsibilities are clearly defined, while staff draw on their individual skill sets to ensure families benefit fully. There is a strong sense of shared ownership in practice, and staff say they are consistently well supported by both the manager and the leadership team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Decisions about families coming to live at the centre are inclusive and balance the needs of families requiring a placement. However, there are some gaps in considering diagnosed needs alongside the families who already live here. Although leaders, managers and staff understand and respond to risks effectively, this is a gap in the admission process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have opportunities for continuous learning and development. The face-to-face sessions for staff are a real asset and guide them in working with vulnerable parents and parents with additional needs, such as oppositional defiant disorder or a learning disability. This ensures that staff have the skills to support parents with needs they have not experienced before.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are working proactively and positively with other professionals around babies and families and are building effective working relationships to secure the best outcomes for them. Professionals visit the centre frequently. Feedback is very positive, and they are reassured that babies and families are being well supported. One professional said staff went above and beyond to understand how to work with parents. Inspection report for residential family centre: Rachel 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

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—

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should evaluate the impact parents’ diagnosed conditions and/or mental health issues might have on families already living at the centre. 7 January 2026

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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: Rachel House 6

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Residential family centre details

Email address: rachelhouse@hopespringcharity.org

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Inspectors

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Natalie Clark, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Rachel House 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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