Connecting Families Residentials

Inspection report for residential family centre: Connecting Families Residentials 1 Connecting Families Residentials Connecting Families Residentials Limited 1 Windham Mews, Windham Road, Bournemouth BH1 4RF Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

Connecting Families registered with Ofsted in July 2025 and can accommodate three families. The family centre is privately owned. The centre offers strength-based parenting assessments that aim to support parents to identify what changes they need to make to keep their children safe. At the time of inspection two families were living at the centre and spoke with inspectors.

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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 inadequate

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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: 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: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Connecting Families Residentials 2

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improvement to be good

There has been a high use of agency staff at the centre and this has impacted negatively on consistency for parents and children. Twenty-three different agency staff members have worked at the centre since it opened.

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improvement to be good

The centre is well equipped for families and maintained to a good standard. However, there is limited living space and privacy for families. Access to the main staff office is through one family's living room and access to the bedrooms is via another family's living space. This means that staff are walking through each family's living spaces several times a time a day. This increases when there are visitors and meetings taking place.

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improvement to be good

The arrangements for CCTV and surveillance are not clear enough for parents to understand when they first move in. There is no clarity in respect of when its use will be reviewed or how it will be reduced in line with parents' progress. The way in which privacy and dignity will be promoted is also not fully explored with parents.

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improvement to be good

Parents are not always clear on how they will be assessed and timescales do not always correlate to those specified in key documents. This has left some parents feeling uncertain about what is required of them.

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improvement to be good

Families are given information about the centre before moving in and staff visit parents prior to the move to help them feel more at ease. There is good quality support given to parents to help them learn how to care for their children safely. Staff use approaches which build positive relationships and help families to settle quickly.

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improvement to be good

Overall, positive feedback has been provided by parents who are currently living at the centre, and from a parent who has moved on to live independently with their child. Staff are empathic and support parents when they are feeling distressed. Parents describe staff as 'kind' and said, 'they are there when you need them'. This helps parents feel able to speak to staff and to seek help and support when needed.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practice in respect of agency staff is not robust. There is an overreliance on recruitment agencies to determine the suitability of staff to work at the centre.

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improvement to be good

Allegations made by parents about staff and professionals are not always managed transparently. Advice and guidance from the LADO are not always sought when concerns arise. Inspection report for residential family centre: Connecting Families Residentials 3 There is a theme of institutional language used within case recordings which does not align with the therapeutic ethos outlined in the statement of purpose. In contrast, daily observations demonstrate nurturing language and meaningful narrative regarding parents' care of their children.

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improvement to be good

Overall safeguarding concerns are appropriately managed and actions taken to safeguard children are prompt with clear management oversight of decision making. Any updates or changes to care planning in response to concerns are effectively shared with the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Safer care planning for babies and children is clear. Staff use up to date guidance. Safeguarding practice is informed by existing and evolving risks. Issues, for example, safer sleeper for all babies is kept under close review and any concerns are acted upon. However, due to the fact agency staff have worked overnight without employed staff present, consistency of practice is unclear.

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improvement to be good

The management of medication is individually assessed. This promotes parents' independence to meet their own and their children's health needs. When this is not possible, safe arrangements are in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been challenges and changes in the management structure at the centre, and this has impacted on service delivery and effective management oversight. A new manager has now been appointed, and a new responsible individual is being recruited. The impact of the new structure could not be seen at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the centre is properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the families at the centre. Agency staff have worked several shifts including overnight without employed staff present. Furthermore, agency staff are not robustly vetted and have not been supervised. This places babies, and children at possible risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff hold the appropriate levels of knowledge regarding the assessment frameworks and relevant legislation. Language used across records is not sensitive to parents' perspectives and at times uses negative and blaming language to describe parent's words or actions. When parents are unhappy about the service they are receiving, leaders and managers do not respond effectively to those concerns. When parents share their views, it is not clear what action has been taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The centre has a core staff team of experienced staff and qualified social workers who complete family assessments. Their assessment processes are underpinned by skilled, therapeutic support workers who complete direct work with families and compile detailed recordings of their parenting. Inspection report for residential family centre: Connecting Families Residentials 4 Assessment reports are comprehensive and clearly written, describing parent's strengths and vulnerabilities and their capacity for change, with clear recommendations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings take place regularly and there are opportunities for group learning and reflection on practice. For example, a team meeting was held which focussed on the early ending of a placement and the learning to improve staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff enjoy their jobs and feel well supported by approachable managers. Staff have talked about the positive changes being made to practice and recording systems and how their views are positively responded to. Inspection report for residential family centre: Connecting Families Residentials 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 ensure that there is, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the statement of purpose of the residential family centre, its size and the numbers and needs of its residents; and

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Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of residents,

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Requirement Due date

a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working for the family centre.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the use agency staff at the centre must not breach the national minimum standards cited below.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should make every effort to achieve continuity of staffing. No more than half the staff on duty at any one time at the centre are to be from an external agency, and no member of staff from an external agency is to be alone on duty at night in the centre, unless they have successfully completed an induction period at the centre. (NMS 15.4) 28 February 2026

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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

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Requirement Due date

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. 28 February 2026 Inspection report for residential family centre: Connecting Families Residentials 6 Where the following conditions apply, the registered person may permit a person to start work at the residential family centre notwithstanding paragraph (4)(b)—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2 in respect of that person, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters specified in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of that person has been obtained in relation to the matters specified in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

pending receipt of, and satisfying himself with regard to, any outstanding information, the registered person ensures that the person is appropriately supervised while carrying out his duties.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall take reasonable steps to ensure that any person working at the residential family centre who is not employed by him and to whom paragraph (2) does not apply is appropriately supervised while carrying out his duties. (Regulation 16 (1)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)(c)(d) (6)

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that safer recruitment processes are robust with specific reference to the employment of agency staff. Agency stuff must also receive practice supervision.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the assessment and final report are linked clearly to the court instruction and/or local authority requirements and should be delivered within the timescales specified. (NMS 1.4)  The registered person should ensure that methods of supervision and assessment are made clear to parents and children (of an appropriate age), including likely changes dependent on progress and any use of monitoring and surveillance systems. (NMS 1.11)  The registered person should ensure that parents are encouraged to communicate their views, wishes and feelings on all aspects of their placement, Inspection report for residential family centre: Connecting Families Residentials 7 assessment and support. Staff take account of these views, wishes and feelings in the day to day running and development of the centre. (NMS 2.1)  The registered manager refers to the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer

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Recommendations

any incident, allegation or reasonable suspicion of significant harm of a child by a parent or other child while resident at the centre - in accordance with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, Department for Education guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children and Department of Health guidance Clinical Governance and Adult Safeguarding. (NMS 18.3)  The registered person should ensure that entries in records are legible, clearly expressed and non-stigmatizing; and distinguish as far as possible between fact, opinion and third-party information. (NMS 20.5)

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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: Connecting Families Residentials 8

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Connecting Families Residentials Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Flat 1, Barrington Court, 5 Cavendish Place, Bournemouth BH1 1RQ

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Residential family centre details

Email address: admissions@cfresidentials.co.uk

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Inspectors

Stacey Pellow, Social Care Inspector Polly Soper, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for residential family centre: Connecting Families Residentials 9 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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