Maple House Family Centre

Inspection report for residential family centre: Maple House Family Centre 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Maple House Family Centre Fairways Community Benefit Society 6 Stoneham Lane, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 2NL Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

The residential family centre can accommodate up to six families. The centre offers a service to parents and children who are referred by the courts, solicitors or local authorities. At the time of the inspection, there were five families in residence.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre was registered on 5 December 2024. The manager was registered at the same time.

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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: not applicable Inspection report for residential family centre: Maple House Family Centre 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families in this centre receive good-quality support that is specific to their individual needs. The families, who may initially be reluctant to be at the centre, recognise the value of the support that they receive. They have positive experiences of the assessment process and feel part of it. The staff consult them to gather the fullest information. This supports a fair and realistic assessment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff have helped parents to make changes to better meet the needs of their child. One parent ended a poor relationship, protecting their child from exposure to negative interactions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

There are good relationships between the staff, children and parents. There is a relaxed atmosphere, even when babies are crying. Laughter permeates the environment, and parents feel able to approach staff with any concerns or worries. Babies are happy in the company of the staff; the staff relax and soothe them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents feel listened to. Staff encourage families to express their views, and families feel that their views are respected. Parents contribute to reviews of the service and make suggestions for change. The manager responds to these suggestions, enabling families to feel valued. The staff support parents with family time when this forms part of the family’s plan, and they recognise the importance of this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Children and their parents have positive experiences at the centre. They access various activities and groups, for example sensory time and arts and crafts. Parents enjoy film nights and see this as a chance to relax. They cook together on Sundays, creating a homely feel to the environment. Additionally, they go out together on buggy walks. This enables access to the community, as well as providing an opportunity to exercise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Whenever possible, families experience well-planned moves into and out of the centre. The staff involve the families in this process, enabling them to prepare for the changes. A period of stability before the start of an assessment helps to prepare parents. This provides time for them to get to know the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Assessments are of a good standard. Assessors work together with the support team to ensure that they gather all relevant information. They share this evidence with parents, ensuring transparency. This assists the parents’ understanding of their progress. Assessment reports are comprehensive. They provide an extensive view of the family’s parenting capacity, and they make clear how the assessor has arrived at their conclusions and recommendations. Staff have a good understanding of the assessment framework and the models of assessment used. Inspection report for residential family centre: Maple House Family Centre 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Children are at the centre of the work of the staff, and staff are effective in ensuring the safety of the children. There is good promotion of children’s safety all around the building. This includes information about how to keep bedrooms free of mould, maintaining the right temperature and safe sleeping.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the risks for each family and how to manage them. Risk assessments are rigorous, with clear control measures to mitigate risk. Regular reviews of risk by the manager and weekly case discussions mean that staff and parents can work together to keep children safe. The staff involve parents in placement planning. This helps to improve parents’ awareness of how to manage the risks that their child could be subject to. Some parents have hair strand tests as needed, to ensure the safety of the babies in the centre.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

CCTV is in place to ensure that the parents’ care of their children can be observed. This is one of the many ways that staff ensure the safety of children. One-to-one supervision also helps to keep children safe and provides space for parents to take responsibility for this.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff receive excellent de-escalation training. This prepares them for managing difficult or challenging situations. Managers and staff work together skilfully and well, particularly when parents are receiving an unwelcome outcome following the assessment. Debriefs and lessons learned activities help the staff to handle their emotions effectively.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff know and follow the safeguarding procedures. They know how to raise concerns about a parent, staff or professional who may have caused harm to a child. The managers know when to consult with relevant safeguarding officers in the local authority and within the organisation. Records of incidents and outcomes are clear. There is learning from incidents and reflection on what they could have done differently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers show a strong commitment to the service and to each of the families who stay there. They have realistic expectations and provide an environment in which families can achieve and develop. Leaders and managers ensure that assessors provide good-quality assessments that reflect parenting capacity. There is a strong commitment to providing good support to families, including the provision of a safe environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are responsive to parents and staff’s views and suggestions. For example, the need for extra space has led to the building of a multi-use garden room.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An effective process is in place that helps managers to know the progress that families make. Weekly meetings and a strong monitoring system support this Inspection report for residential family centre: Maple House Family Centre 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

process. Leaders and managers have good oversight, and they quality assure the assessments. This provides further opportunity to learn how families are doing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide a supportive environment for staff, with a strong commitment to their development. The staff speak highly of the learning opportunities available to them. This includes the manager approaching a national charity to develop a bespoke training package for staff as the standard training was not suitable. Supervision and an annual appraisal of practice mean that staff learning and development are under regular review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know what they do well and continue to build on areas of strength. Identified areas for improvement are reviewed regularly to ensure that targets are met, including staff sufficiency and recruitment, both of which have improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have built effective relationships with a diverse range of professionals, ensuring the best possible opportunities for families to be successful. Partner professionals speak highly of the working relationship, describing the effectiveness of the service as impressive. Because of these relationships, the manager is confident to challenge partner professionals if needed, ensuring improved services for families. Inspection report for residential family centre: Maple House Family Centre 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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: Maple House Family Centre 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Fairways Community Benefit Society

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Fair Ways, Building 1000, Lakeside North Harbour, Western Road, Portsmouth PO6 3EN

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Residential family centre details

Responsible individual: Natalie Merriman

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Inspector

Vevene Muhammad, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Maple House Family Centre 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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