The Kensington

Inspection report for residential family centre: The Kensington 1 The Kensington Ty Parenting Assessment Services Ltd 7 Kensington Road, Northolt UB5 6AL Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

The residential family centre provides parental assessments for up to 5 families at any one time and is staffed on a 24-hour basis.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of this inspection, one family was living at the centre.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre and the manager registered with Ofsted in March 2025.

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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.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: not previously inspected

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for residential family centre: The Kensington 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The centre provides a welcoming, relaxed and friendly environment. The decor and comfortable furnishings create a homely, family-like atmosphere. Families receive individualised care and support tailored to their assessed needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff demonstrate warmth, compassion, creativity and professionalism. As a result, parents develop positive and trusting relationships with staff. One parent described staff as being ‘really amazing, helpful and patient’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents benefit from a clearly structured assessment process that focuses on safeguarding and meeting the social, emotional and health needs of children and their parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Assessments are evidence-based, well-reasoned and proportionate. They provide a measured and fair analysis of parents’ capacity to meet their children’s needs and promote their welfare. Assessing social workers demonstrate a good understanding of the assessment framework and triangulate evidence from the centre’s observations, key-work sessions, specialist reports and the legal bundle to develop a balanced, well-informed assessment of parental capacity. Assessments consider parents’ strengths, alongside areas of challenge, and lead to realistic recommendations for the court.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents receive weekly progress updates that help them understand what is working well and what requires improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Family placement plans are comprehensive, including robust risk assessments with appropriate mitigation strategies in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Specialist support is available to parents, including access to an in-house therapist and parenting practitioner. This support helps parents understand how their experiences and history may influence their parenting. External agencies provide additional support regarding parental experiences of domestic abuse and substance misuse, when required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents with additional learning needs are supported using a specialist framework, and their needs are incorporated into their family placement care plans and agreements. Tools such as the ‘traffic light’ approach are replicated throughout the centre’s recordings; this helps parents clearly understand their progress during each stage of the assessment. Staff and managers respond promptly when previously unidentified needs emerge, and they advocate effectively with local authorities to ensure that assessments remain fair and accessible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents are encouraged to access a range of activities at the centre and in the community, including baby groups, cooking sessions, arts and crafts and day trips. Inspection report for residential family centre: The Kensington 3 The centre is well resourced with toys, books and safe indoor and outdoor play opportunities.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

There is a strong safeguarding culture at the centre, underpinned by a clear commitment to promoting the welfare of the children and their parents. Parents are supported in understanding how best to keep themselves and their children safe.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff are suitably qualified and experienced and receive appropriate safeguarding training for working with adults and children. Staff demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Incidents are recorded well, with strong and evaluative management oversight, which contributes to a balanced and reflective approach where safeguarding the child remains central.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The manager regularly evaluates incidents, identifying any lessons learned and areas for staff reflection. This process is embedded in daily practice and reflective team meetings, ensuring that staff remain alert to emerging risks or behaviours that may affect progress or increase risk to children.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The manager and staff make sustained efforts to resolve any concerns and explore all viable options to continue working with parents, prioritising children’s safety, welfare and stability before considering decisions such as ending a placement.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Risk assessments are regularly updated. They are robust and comprehensive, and clearly identify mitigation strategies, including consideration of staffing skills and capacity.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Parenting and key-work sessions are thoroughly aligned with family placement plans and court directions. The recordings of these are reflective and balanced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers demonstrate a strong and ambitious vision for the service and set consistently high expectations for practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a knowledgeable, empathetic and compassionate practitioner. She is child focused and professionally curious. She models a caring, relational approach, ensuring that families and staff feel supported and understood. The manager is well supported by the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they are happy at work and feel valued in the team. They report having good opportunities for training and further professional development. One staff member commented that the manager ‘makes you feel motivated; the way she manages gives you that push to go the extra mile’. Inspection report for residential family centre: The Kensington 4 Staff and the manager receive effective regular supervision. Leaders and managers show a commitment to ongoing practice development at the centre, with reflective practice at the forefront. Regular and reflective team meetings take place; staff report that their ideas and suggestions raised at these meetings are heard and acted on where appropriate. Reflective practice supports managers and staff in providing fair and robust assessments for families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and staff show a strong awareness and commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. The manager is a strong advocate for families, demonstrating constructive and measured challenge when needed to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides consistent oversight and quality assurance of the centre’s records and assessments. Assessments carried out in the service are of a high standard. Parental feedback, questionnaires and regulatory reports are used effectively to identify areas for improvement and drive service development. Inspection report for residential family centre: The Kensington 5

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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: The Kensington 6

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Ty Parenting Assessment Services Ltd

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 98 Reading Road, Northolt UB5 4PJ

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Residential family centre details

Responsible individual: Barbara Walters-Ennis

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Inspector

Amanda Burrows, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: The Kensington 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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