Foundations Sheffield

Inspection report for residential family centre: Foundations Sheffield 1 Foundations Sheffield Progressive Care Limited Victoria Gardens, 117 Manchester Road, Sheffield S10 5DN Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This is a privately run residential family centre. The primary purpose of the centre is to support local authorities in completing fair and evidence-based assessments of parenting capacity and skills.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre is registered to accommodate up to 20 families over 2 properties. At the time of the inspection, there were 6 families staying at the centre. Each family has their own self-contained apartment and shares the communal rooms.

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Information about this residential family centre

There has been no registered manager since 28 November 2025. The service manager is currently overseeing the centre and intends to register with Ofsted to become the registered manager.

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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 previous inspection: 11 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Foundations Sheffield 2

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Summary of findings

The social work team and the care staff work together to offer a seamless assessment, support and care service for families. This is enabled by the cohesive leadership team. Reciprocal information-sharing ensures that families receive good- quality care and support that enables them to make positive progress with their assessment. Social workers and care staff have positive relationships with families, which help to facilitate honest and transparent conversations.

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Summary of findings

Staff respond swiftly and proactively to safeguarding concerns. Leaders ensure that there is an open culture, where concerns are discussed, shared appropriately and any learning implemented. Families feel supported by staff and were mostly positive about their experiences of the centre. Inspection report for residential family centre: Foundations Sheffield 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

When families move in, information about the centre, their assessment and the level of monitoring is shared. This helps families to have a good understanding of what is expected from them during their time at the centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Social workers produce good-quality assessment plans. Plans are clear about who is responsible for various tasks. This enables a collaborative approach to planning and assessment. Social workers are clear about the expectations of the assessment. Parents' progress and any areas of concern are reviewed regularly and shared with families. This allows opportunities for focused work and support so that parents can improve their parenting skills and the care that they provide to their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The initial, midway and final assessment reports are evaluative and demonstrate the work completed with the parents. The assessing social worker's report is sensitively written in a non-judgemental way and clearly sets out the next steps and their final recommendations. The social workers also produce a short report at the end, which is an accessible version of the report. This complements the family focused practice of the assessment. All assessments are completed in a timely way, allowing plans to be developed for the parents' next steps.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

When families have additional needs, either due to English being a second language or learning disabilities, relevant aids are used. This ensures that the assessment is accessible to all and no families are marginalised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Staff proactively support parents so that their children can attend school or nursery. This ensures that children receive an education while parents engage in the parenting assessment, or other relevant activities that support this. Parents also have access to an in-house education team, which offers individualised courses that are adapted to each family's needs and aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families engage in various activities inside and outside of the centre. These include activities in communal areas, such as tummy time and sing-along sessions, or learning activities, such as baking. Some activities engage multiple families, and others are just for single family set-ups.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Written documents relating to children and parents are clear and well written. Documents are regularly shared with parents so that they have a good understanding of what is recorded. Parents also have an opportunity to review and respond to documents if they do not agree. This allows for parents to have their views taken seriously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families said that they have good relationships with the staff. They feel able to share any worries with them. Inspection report for residential family centre: Foundations Sheffield 4

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Before families arrive at the centre, leaders and local authorities share information. This ensures that there is a shared understanding about parents' vulnerabilities and how staff in the centre should respond to keep children and parents safe. There is also consideration of the other families who are already living in the centre. There is clear rationale about why decisions are made to move families in or not.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

The centre is moving towards a more strengths-based recording of vulnerabilities. This is yet to be embedded across the centre. Parents' risk assessments are reviewed and updated routinely. There are key-work sessions completed by support staff with parents. These cover the identified safety concerns posed to the children and the parent. Staff work with the parents to manage the identified risks sensitively. All work completed by staff aligns with the parenting assessment.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff proactively respond to emerging vulnerabilities. Information is appropriately shared with relevant professionals. Swift action is taken to ensure that everyone is kept safe. This information is fed into assessment processes to ensure that there is appropriate consideration of any emerging issues within the assessment.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of what they need to do to support children and families to maintain safety. Generally, staff adhere to this. On the odd occasion when staff practice has fallen short, once management have become aware, appropriate action has taken place. This includes additional learning so that mistakes are not repeated.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Similarly to the last monitoring visit, reviews of monitoring levels take place regularly and across the service. There is clear rationale for increases or reductions in the level of monitoring required. When a serious safeguarding concern arises, monitoring is adjusting accordingly to ensure everyone's safety.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

There have been some parents who have moved in who are also children themselves. Over the inspection period, the provider has taken on board changes to the inspection framework and wider social care policy. Additional thought has gone into the care and support provided to young parents and how their care needs may be different to older parents. When considering referrals, there is clear challenge to local authorities about why they are considering a residential family centre above other, community-based options.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

There have been several allegations during this period. All allegations have been appropriately investigated. Other, relevant parties have been informed when necessary. After investigations into staff practice take place, learning opportunities are taken. Inspection report for residential family centre: Foundations Sheffield 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a qualified and highly experienced manager in post. She has applied to re- register with Ofsted and is awaiting her interview. She has previously managed this centre and other centres from the same provider. The manager has a good understanding of the families who are in the centre and the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The social work service is more embedded into the centre. There are designated assessing social workers that focus only on this centre. This supports relationships and continuity between assessing social workers and families. There is a reciprocal and consultative exchange of information, which informs assessments and the quality of care being provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, reflective supervision. This considers staff development and training and has clear actions and goals that are reviewed at the next supervision. Newer staff receive appropriate probation reviews. These also consider goals and set clear development targets for staff. Staff are encouraged to comment on records and share their views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are effective. Staff said that there is an open culture. Leaders are accountable. They take action when there are issues and learn from them. The regulation 25 report is not analytical, which could further strengthen management review of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager shares information appropriately with all other agencies, including the regulator, statutory social workers and the local authority designated officer. This allows everyone to have oversight of the service provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The number of staff who are qualified has increased and newly recruited staff have relevant qualifications. This means that staff skills, experience and qualifications have increased over the inspection period. Staff are completing their formal qualification, the organisation's mandatory training and additional, relevant training when these learning needs are identified by leaders. Inspection report for residential family centre: Foundations Sheffield 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that reports completed under regulation 25 support the manager's development plans for the centre and encourage analysis and improvement of current practice across the centre. (Residential family centres: NMS 19.5)

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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: Foundations Sheffield 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Progressive Care Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 51 Attercliffe Common, Sheffield S9 2AE

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Residential family centre details

Email address: info@progressivecare.co.uk

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Inspectors

Joanna Scott, Social Care Inspector (lead) Cath Sikakana, Social Care Inspector Gina Lightfoot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Foundations Sheffield 8 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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