Setting run by Shap Limited in St. Helens

Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 1 Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

The residential family centre is privately owned. Families access the centre at the direction of the family court or the local authority for the purposes of assessment.

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Information about this residential family centre

The residential family centre is registered to accommodate up to two families at any one time. There were no families in the centre at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this residential family centre

The manager registered with Ofsted on July 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected inadequate

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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

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and parents are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and parents are poor.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: 26 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: Selina Cooper House 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and parents are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and parents are poor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The centre admitted and initiated an assessment of a pregnant person who did not have a child. This practice falls outside the statutory definition of a residential family centre, as set out in the Care Standards Act 2000, which requires the accommodation of parents together with their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The premises consists of a number of self-contained flats and is shared with supported accommodation. There is crossover in management and staffing across the two services and the communal areas of the premises are shared. Some documents for the centre, including the resident’s guide, reflect the purpose and structure of the supported accommodation service as well as the residential family centre. This demonstrates that there are blurred boundaries between the services, and staff lack a clear understanding of their role within the residential family centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Staff do not always understand why families are residing at the centre and what the purpose of assessment is. Staff describe a ‘one size fits all’ approach to getting to know families, based on a knowledge quiz. This is simplistic and does not take into account the varied and complex needs and risks for children and their parents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Parenting assessments are of poor quality. Staff do not understand the assessment model or how their observations contribute to the overall assessment. Assessments are largely descriptive and do not evaluate the impact of parenting on children. In some cases, despite positive assessment outcomes and decisions for children to remain in the care of their families, children have been removed from their parents care shortly after leaving the centre. This indicates that assessments do not support safe or well-informed decision-making for families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Placement plans are of poor quality. They do not clearly outline the services to be provided during placement, the objectives and intended outcomes or the views of the family. As a result, staff lack the clarity they need to provide effective support to families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The physical environment of the centre is not safe for children. Heavy furniture, including wardrobes and drawers, is not secured to the walls, posing a significant risk to mobile children. In one of the family flats, feeding equipment is available that does not comply with current national health service guidance. Communal areas are cluttered and unsuitable for their intended purpose. A boiler that is accessible from a communal area presents additional hazards. Maintenance and renovation work is not completed in a timely manner. Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 3 Case files for families are incomplete. Several files lack essential documents, including the placing authority’s placement plan, letter of instruction and current court orders. Managers do not escalate requests effectively to obtain these records, despite their importance in ensuring that staff understand the objectives of the court

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The centre is commissioned by one placing authority. The manager and staff maintain positive working relationships with this authority. Placing authority staff report that communication is good and that they are kept updated on the progress of families residing at the centre.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Safeguarding arrangements at the centre do not help children and parents effectively or protect them from harm.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff do not consistently recognise or respond to risks. On one occasion, they failed to intervene when a parent was experiencing a mental health crisis. On another occasion when a child’s face was covered with a cloth, staff did not step in to ensure the child’s safety. These incidents demonstrate that staff do not have a sufficient understanding of safeguarding practice or how to respond appropriately when concerns arise.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Risk assessments identify relevant risks but do not set out clear, actionable strategies for staff to follow. CCTV is routinely proposed as the primary response to risk, regardless of the nature of the concern. Some risk assessments were not completed until after families had moved into the centre. As a result, risks are not well managed, and children and parents have been placed in unsafe situations.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

The centre makes extensive use of CCTV. The service admits couples, yet there are no arrangements in place to ensure their privacy and dignity in bedrooms, particularly when a child sleeps in the same room. Placement plans do not specify how CCTV will be used and there is no evidence that parents fully understand what they are consenting to. Surveillance is overly intrusive and unnecessarily compromises the privacy and dignity of families.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

A fire occurred in the building below the centre during the inspection period. Although a fire risk assessment was promptly completed by a competent professional, some recommended actions were not addressed in a timely manner. Families continued to reside at the centre while important fire safety measures remained incomplete.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Some direct work undertaken by staff has had a positive impact. On one occasion, targeted parenting support contributed to significant progress for a disabled child. However, this does not mitigate the broader safeguarding concerns evident across the service. Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has been in post for a significant period and is supported by a deputy manager. The deputy acted as interim manager during the registered manager’s extended leave, providing consistency for staff and families. The registered manager has now submitted their notice but did not notify Ofsted of their intention to leave the service. There are currently no plans for their succession.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been periods when staffing across the centre has been insufficient. This has resulted in a relatively high use of agency staff. The lack of consistency in staffing has led to shortfalls in practice and low staff morale among the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not completed the required training to develop their knowledge and skills. They do not have the level of understanding required to carry out their roles effectively. Training records are out of date and unclear, making it difficult for leaders to identify which staff require specific training. As a result, families experience inconsistent and poor-quality support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have prompt oversight of incidents within the service. However, they do not consistently identify shortfalls in staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is not well supported. They do not have regular supervision. This limits senior leaders’ oversight of the service and restricts opportunities to support and develop the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual for the centre left the organisation over a year ago. Another individual from within the organisation has taken over this role. However, the provider did not notify Ofsted of this change as required. Therefore, the regulator has not had the opportunity to assess their suitability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A service manager from another part of the organisation visits the centre monthly to complete a report on the quality of care and support. These reports include feedback from families and are sent promptly to the regulator. However, they have not identified the shortfalls found during this inspection and therefore do not meet their purpose. As a result, it is a limited tool for oversight and improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A review of the quality of the service is undertaken annually. However, it is carried out by someone external to the service with limited knowledge and expertise in residential family centres. The reviews do not consider the full review period, track trends and patterns or evaluate safeguarding practice. Reports are not submitted to Ofsted as required. Consequently, the review process is a limited tool for oversight and improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not keep Ofsted informed of all relevant matters at the centre. For example, several serious safeguarding incidents have not been notified to Ofsted as required. This is a breach in regulation and limits the regulator’s ability to review and respond to concerns. Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper 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 ensure that the residential family centre is conducted so as to—

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Requirement Due date

promote and make proper provision for the health (including physical, mental and emotional health) and welfare of residents.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children and their families are kept safe at the centre and that staff report concerns, such as missing persons, to the relevant agencies. 20 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

all parts of the residential family centre to which residents have access are so far as reasonably practicable free from hazards to their safety;

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any activities in which residents participate are so far as reasonably practicable free from avoidable risks; and unnecessary risks to the health or safety of residents are identified and so far as possible eliminated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall make arrangements, by training persons working at the residential family centre or by other measures, to prevent residents being harmed or suffering abuse or being placed at risk of harm or abuse.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are able to recognise and respond to risk. The actions from fire risk assessments undertaken by competent professionals should be completed within the recommended timescales. 20 May 2026 Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 6 Heavy furniture should be affixed to walls, families should not be provided with feeding equipment that is against current medical guidance and boilers should be appropriately secured.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider and the registered manager shall, having regard to the size of the residential family centre, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs of the residents, carry on or manage the centre (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, registered person must have clear and robust oversight of the centre which enables them to identify and respond to shortfalls in the service. 20 May 2026

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

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a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working for the residential family centre. (Regulation 15 (a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there are sufficient, consistent staff that understand the purpose of the centre and their role. 20 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that all persons employed by him—

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Requirement Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are sufficiently trained to understand the purpose of the centre, the model of assessment, how they contribute to assessment through their work and how to provide the best possible support to families. The registered manager must receive regular supervision. 20 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that— 20 May 2026 Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 7 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

all parts of the residential family centre are kept clean and reasonably decorated;

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Requirement Due date

adequate private and communal accommodation is provided for families. (Regulation 21 (2)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that communal areas are clean and uncluttered.

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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

the facilities and services to be provided during the course of the placement;

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Requirement Due date

the objectives and intended outcome of the placement;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In preparing or reviewing the placement plan the registered person shall, so far as practicable—

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Requirement Due date

seek and take account of the views of the members of the family. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(c) (3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that plans and risk assessments contain sufficient detail regarding the family for staff to understand their needs and risks and clear effective strategies for staff to follow. Risk assessments must be completed and updated promptly. 20 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

All assessment or monitoring of parents’ capacity to respond to the children’s needs and to safe-guard their welfare must be carried out in accordance with appropriate and generally recognised methods for such assessment and, in particular, having due regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of 20 May 2026 Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 8 State relating to the assessment of children in need and their parents under section 7(1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970.

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Requirement Due date

The methods of assessment or monitoring must be capable of evaluating the parents’ capacity to change.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that conclusions or recommendations are made as a result of the assessment or monitoring and that—

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Requirement Due date

such conclusions or recommendations are objective and based on verifiable evidence. (Regulation 13A (2) (3) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that assessments are analytical, evidence based and effectively safeguard children. Staff must understand their contribution to the assessment process to enable this.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6) and any requirements for electronic monitoring imposed by a court under any enactment, the registered person must ensure that electronic or mechanical monitoring devices for the surveillance of residents are not used in a residential family centre, except for the purpose of—

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Requirement Due date

safeguarding their welfare, or that of other residents accommodated in the centre; or

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Requirement Due date

assessment or monitoring carried out under regulation 13A.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any use of such devices is subject to the following conditions:

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Requirement Due date

the residents are informed in advance of the intention to use the device; and

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Requirement Due date

its use is no more intrusive than necessary.

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Requirement Due date

Where the use of such devices is used for the purpose at paragraph (1)(b), the registered person must also ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

the resident being assessed or monitored consents to the use of the device in question; and

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Requirement Due date

its use is provided for in the placement plan. 20 May 2026 Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 9 The registered person must ensure that staff at the residential family centre are appropriately trained and understand the requirements imposed by this regulation before they use any such devices.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 21A (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b) (4))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is provision within the monitoring system to enable staff to protect the privacy and dignity of families, particularly those who are couples. The placement plan should contain sufficient detail so that staff understand their monitoring responsibilities and families are clear about what they are consenting to.

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Requirement Due date

A person shall not carry on a residential family centre unless he is fit to do so.

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Requirement Due date

A person is not fit to carry on a residential family centre unless the person—

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Requirement Due date

the organisation has given notice to the [Chief Inspector] of the name, address and position in the organisation of an individual (in these Regulations referred to as “the responsible individual”) who is a director, manager, secretary or other officer of the organisation and is responsible for supervising the management of the residential family centre;

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the responsible individual and registered manager must inform the regulator promptly when they take up and intend to leave their roles. 20 May 2026

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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.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they notify the regulator promptly when residents in the centre abscond or any serious incidents necessitating the police attending the centre occur. 20 May 2026 Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 1 Where the registered provider is an individual but is not in day-to-day charge of the residential family centre, he shall visit the residential family centre in accordance with this regulation.

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Requirement Due date

The person carrying out the visit shall—

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Requirement Due date

interview, with their consent and in private, such of the residents and persons working at the residential family centre as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

inspect the premises of the residential family centre and records of any complaints; and

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Requirement Due date

prepare a written report on the conduct of the residential family centre. (Regulation 25 (1) (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the report identifies shortfalls within the centre and make recommendations to address them. 20 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall establish and maintain a system for—

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Requirement Due date

reviewing at appropriate intervals; and improving,

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided at the residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

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 [Chief 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. (Regulation 23 (1)(a)(b) (1A) (2))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the review is undertaken by someone with sufficient knowledge of the centre so as to identify the strengths and shortfalls, and that recommendations are made to drive meaningful improvement. 20 May 2026 Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper House 1 The registered person shall maintain in respect of each family accommodated in the residential family centre a record which—

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Requirement Due date

includes the information, documents and other records specified in Schedule 3 relating to the members of the family.

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the placing authority placement plan, an up-to-date court order and a letter of expectations evidenced on each family’s files. When these are not provided by the placing authority, the provider must escalate their requests effectively to obtain these documents. 20 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall supply a copy of the resident’s guide to:

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Requirement Due date

each parent accommodated in the residential family centre; and

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Requirement Due date

each person in respect of whom accommodation in the centre is being considered.

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Requirement Due date

keep under review and where appropriate revise the statement of purpose and resident’s guide; and notify the [Chief Inspector] within 28 days of any such revision.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 4 (3A)(a)(b)(c) (4)(a)(b)) 20 May 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: Selina Cooper House 1

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Inspectors

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Nicola Shaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Selina Cooper 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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