Orchard House Greenway Road

Inspection report for residential family centre: Orchard House Greenway Road 1 Orchard House Greenway Road Orchard House Family Assessment Centre Limited 184 Greenway Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 6LH Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This is a residential family centre for up to 5 families, who are referred for assessment to the centre via the courts or local authority children’s services. Families have their own bedrooms and they share communal areas, such as the kitchen and lounge. The organisation has invested in a separate building with offices and a well- equipped playroom so that families can attend assessment and specialist sessions away from their living environment.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre enables children to live safely with their family while care from their parent(s) or carers is assessed. The centre provides evidence-based assessments, which will enable informed decisions to be made about whether or not it would be in the child’s best interests to remain in the permanent care of their parent(s) or carers. The centre’s multi-disciplinary team liaises and works with local agencies and services to provide support to meet the identified needs of families.

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Information about this residential family centre

There is a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager in post.

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Information about this residential family centre

2 families were living and being assessed at the centre at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the residential family centre contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and parents. Inspection report for residential family centre: Orchard House Greenway Road 2 Date of previous inspection: 16 February 2023

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Orchard House Greenway Road 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Practice in this centre is outstanding and families are supported exceptionally well by highly skilled and attuned staff. Staff take time to build trusting relationships with parents and are on hand to offer support and guidance to parents who may need this. The support offered by staff is valued by parents. Parents are supported as far as possible to maintain their normal routines and are provided with all of the necessary equipment to help them to look after their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Leaders and managers make careful decisions about families moving to the centre. These are based on the principles of keeping children safe and avoiding unnecessary delay for children when plans are being considered for their long-term care. Managers also thoroughly consider the needs of families already living at the centre and the impact families may have upon each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Families are welcomed into the centre and expectations are clearly explained to parents on or shortly after arrival. Families coming to the centre are given opportunities to talk with staff and visit before they arrive. Families are provided with a welcome guide which is informative and clearly written which helps them to understand what to expect during their stay. A separate children’s guide is available which uses child friendly words and pictures. All of the parents spoken to have a clear understanding about CCTV monitoring, the assessment process and length of time they would be staying in the centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Leaders and managers have gone above and beyond to ensure that evidence-based models are thoroughly understood and embedded into staff’s daily practice. The support given to parents to help them learn how to care for their children safely is comprehensive and grounded in research. Parents benefit from an extensively developed and evidence informed intervention offer which includes groups, parenting and attachment sessions, emotional support, therapy and keeping safe work. Leaders and managers maintain a clear distinction between intervention and assessment. This ensures that parents have the fairest possible assessment by equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to safely care for their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

Assessments of parents’ capacity to care for their children are undertaken by extremely skilled and experienced staff. Parents’ views are routinely sought and considered as part of the assessment process and this feedback is used to make changes to improve their experiences. Staff constantly adapt their practice in response to parent’s needs to ensure that families have a fair assessment. Examples such as changes to how weekly feedback is presented and individual communication methods mean parents are better able to express how they are feeling. Targeted actions are identified to ensure that parents know what areas need additional attention. This helps to keep assessments focused and specific to each family. Inspection report for residential family centre: Orchard House Greenway Road 4 Assessment reports are carefully worded and strengths based with parent’s areas for development and capacity for change clearly outlined. Evaluations are clear and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: outstanding

social workers ensure that the impact on the child is at the forefront of all recommendations made about their future care. When talking to parents about the outcome of their assessments, staff focus on the child’s needs but also recognise the needs of the parent. These skilled interventions provide parents with emotional containment and time to reflect with trusted staff.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that there is a robust and timely response to all safeguarding concerns and incidents. Safeguarding procedures are highly effective, and staff are confident to intervene when necessary to ensure that children are kept safe. Staff consistently promote and role model positive behaviour. The vigilant, attachment informed approach taken by staff helps parents to understand their own feelings and behaviours and how these may impact on their child. Staff consistently respond with clear boundaries about what is safe and acceptable and seek to help parents understand the reasons for behaviours.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff ensure that there is a proactive response to risk so that concerns do not increase. For this reason, there are very few safeguarding incidents. Risks are well understood and staff ensure that the right support is provided to parents to help them to understand and reduce risks to keep their children safe. Parents gain valuable insight into safely caring for their children and protecting them from harm. For one parent, an extensive intervention was put in place which gave them the insight to make protective decisions for their child. This family have now successfully returned to the community to live independently together.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Reports and assessments are focussed on the child’s lived experience of harm and risk of potential harm. Evidence based practice and guidance is used to inform staff’s trauma informed responses. Systems used to manage risk are comprehensive with effective management oversight. Planning documents provide clear information about the family’s history that includes both strengths and areas of concern. Leaders and managers have developed a clear, usable system for sharing relevant updates across the staff team. This ensures that important information about progress, assessment and risk is easily accessible.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

The response of leaders and managers to concerns or complaints from parents has been exceptional. Leaders and managers have a highly developed and compassionate understanding of the complexities for parents of undergoing a parenting assessment and having their voices heard. Leaders and managers have taken time to understand parent’s views and thoroughly investigated each concern. The outcome of the complaint is clearly communicated to the parent and any learning for the centre is taken forward. One excellent example of organisational learning from a complaint has resulted in a policy review and additional training being put in place for specific staff. Inspection report for residential family centre: Orchard House Greenway Road 5 Monitoring and surveillance systems have been upgraded and are in place throughout the centre. Each family has an agreed plan with consent for the use of CCTV and surveillance. Plans for increases or decreases in surveillance are explicit

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

and parents understand what the expectations are to achieve this. Staff are clear about promoting privacy and dignity to parents while maintaining their safeguarding responsibilities. There is good communication between each of the staff teams to ensure that each member of staff knows the most up-to-date information about the families.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Medication arrangements are safe and a new process has been developed to ensure consistency. Staff’s knowledge about medication is strong and there have been no medication errors reported.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Safer recruitment processes are followed robustly with all relevant checks being completed. Additional steps have been put in place at recruitment stage to ensure that only the most suitable people are employed to work at the centre. New staff are welcomed into the centre by a thorough induction programme which includes mandatory training, opportunities to shadow more experienced staff and a satisfactory probation period.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: outstanding

Following a safeguarding incident staff took immediate and appropriate steps to safeguard. However, more could have been done by leaders and managers to escalate their concerns about the response of the local authority. This has been acted upon by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The centre is managed by an aspirational and highly experienced registered manager who has dedicated their professional career to this specialist area of practice. The centre benefits from the experience of senior leaders and managers who have been with the organisation for over fifteen years. Leaders and managers are confident and ambitious about the continued development of the centre and have an excellent understanding of strengths and areas for improvement. For example, development into more advanced information sharing across the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that the centre has enough staff to meet the needs of the families and that any vacancies are filled without delay. The staff team is strong and stable and are committed to supporting one another. Leaders and managers are visible and approachable and there is a strong focus on staff welfare and team cohesion. Comments made by staff such as, ‘the passion of the team above filters down to us all’, and ‘I find it difficult to put into words how positively I feel about Orchard House and the work that we do. Having worked here for 16 years, I can honestly say that the shared ethos of safeguarding children and supporting families remains as strong as ever.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The quality of monitoring and assessment is exceptional and extensively developed. Inspection report for residential family centre: Orchard House Greenway Road 6 Feedback is gathered from all those working with the family and used as a basis to explore progress being made by parents. Parents are fully involved at every stage of assessment and monitoring, and their views are fully incorporated into regular feedback meetings. Documents used for recording families’ progress or any concerns are clear and purposeful to avoid duplication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training is to a high standard and there are numerous examples of bespoke or individual courses being funded to enhance the professional development and/or needs of the team. Team meetings and development days which take place regularly are focussed on reflection for staff and evidence-based approaches to improve practice. For example, supporting the team to further embed into their practice the attachment model which the organisation has adopted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that the home environment is warm and nurturing and there is careful consideration into colour schemes and furnishings to ensure that it remains a calm and safe space for families. Inspection report for residential family centre: Orchard House Greenway Road 7

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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: Orchard House Greenway Road 8

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Orchard House Family Assessment Centre Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 60 Staplegrove Road, Taunton, Somerset TA1 1DJ

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Residential family centre details

Email address: info@orchardhousefac.co.uk

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Inspector

Stacey Pellow, social care inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Orchard House Greenway Road 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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