Time To Listen

Inspection report for adoption support agency: Time To Listen 1 Time To Listen Registered provider: Time To Listen C.I.C.

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Marvell House Children’s Centre, Cranbourne Street, Hull HU3 1PP

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this adoption support agency

Time to Listen is a therapeutic service for adoptive parents and their children. It offers a range of therapy services, counselling and life-story work for adopted children, young people, adults and their adoptive families.

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Information about this adoption support agency

The adoption support agency is led and managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager who registered with Ofsted in November 2023. At the time of the inspection, the agency’s team had 12 associate therapists. In addition to this, the agency has a leadership, clinical and operational team which includes the Chief Executive Officer, Clinical Director, deputy Clinical Director, service co-ordinator, finance and administrative officer.

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Information about this adoption support agency

In the last 12 months, the agency provided 47 adoption support packages to children, young people and their families. Time to Listen also offers other therapeutic work that is not adoption support. This inspection considered the regulated services that the agency provides.

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good

How well children, young people and adults are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The adoption support agency provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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 adoption support agency: Time To Listen 2

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Summary of findings

Children and their families speak very positively about the agency and the positive effects that it has on their lives. Equally, external professionals hold the agency in high regard due to the service it provides and the positive difference it makes to adopted children’s and their family’s lives.

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Summary of findings

The agency is staffed by a stable and highly skilled team of associate therapists. In addition, the agency has a team of core staff, which is comprised of an administrative and finance officer, a service coordinator and the leadership and management team. The agency also provides placements for student counsellors and trainee psychotherapists, who can offer support to children and their families within agreed supervision and safeguarding parameters. Morale is high across the team and confidence in leaders and managers is high.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have worked tirelessly since the last inspection to develop and improve the services provided. Leaders and managers are committed to ensuring that the agency provides much-needed support to adopted children and their families, in the context of a changing and challenging landscape.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have not ensured that safer recruitment processes are followed for all staff. While this has had no known impact on a child, this shortfall does not prevent unsuitable adults from working with children. Leaders and managers were quick to identify ways to remedy this shortfall during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

The quality of adoption support services provided by this agency is very strong. The team of suitably qualified, highly skilled and child-focused therapists helps children and their families to build solid and trusted relationships, and this helps children to make progress. Children and families speak very positively about this agency and the difference it makes to their lives. Feedback from adopters includes:

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

 ‘The support provided by the agency has helped us as a family to be more resilient, and has helped me and my son stay together.’  ‘They are amazing, what they have done for us as a family, supported us all and got us to where we are now.’  ‘Without [the agency] we would not be together as a family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

The agency works collaboratively with children and parents about the support they receive. Parents and children are included in initial planning sessions prior to any Inspection report for adoption support agency: Time To Listen 3 therapeutic interventions taking place. It is here that children and parents are encouraged to set goals so they can define how they want the therapy to help them. These goals are then reviewed and progress is measured at regular intervals. This approach helps children and families to understand and celebrate the developments they have made. One child was spoken with during the inspection and described the clear progress they have made since receiving therapeutic support. The child rated the agency as a ‘5 star’ service and also an ‘8 or 9 out of 10’ because the agency is ‘the best place to go if you want to express yourself’.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

Furthermore, this co-production of therapeutic plans and goal setting provides a system through which the impact of therapy can be clearly measured. This ensures that any support provided by the agency is purposeful and ethical.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

The agency has a systemic approach to working with children and families and understands what children need to succeed. As a result, therapists work alongside education and social care professionals to ensure that children get the best support they can. This approach has helped children to make progress with their learning and peer relationships. One adoptive parent said, ‘The support has helped [name of child] make so much progress and it is lovely [name of child] has friends which they care about.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

Children and families have access to a safe and welcoming environment. Staff have the resources that they need to do their work effectively. High-quality therapeutic resources are very good and available for staff to use.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

There have been no complaints made since the last inspection. Adults and a child spoken with during the inspection understand how they can raise a concern or make a complaint and expressed confidence in having their views listened to and respected. In addition, the agency has well-established systems for making sure that children and families can share their views about the services that they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: good

Leaders and managers have good oversight of feedback from children and their families. They use this feedback to make improvements to the service, such as buying new resources for the therapy rooms and providing a greater choice of therapy rooms.

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good

Safeguarding practice within the is agency is good. The safeguarding and confidentiality policies are easy to understand, and staff receive appropriate safeguarding training. Consequently, staff follow policies designed to safeguard effectively, and understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children, young people and adults safe.

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good

Children and parents are made aware of the limits of confidentiality at the initial planning stage and at the start of each therapeutic session. The importance of Inspection report for adoption support agency: Time To Listen 4 effective safeguarding is explicitly laid out for them. This helps both children and parents to understand when information has to be shared with others. Since the last inspection, the agency has introduced systems to promote better recording, monitoring and oversight of children’s and adults’ vulnerabilities. These systems are now embedded and are utilised well by staff and managers.

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good

The therapeutic support provided has helped parents to understand their children’s behaviours, what their child is communicating and how they can respond effectively to help their child. This in turn has helped children to feel an increased sense of safety and security. One parent spoken with during the inspection described how her parenting has changed as a result of the adoption support she has received, and how this has helped her child feel safer and calmer. Another parent described how the adoption support received has helped the family to understand their child’s behaviours and how this has helped stabilise the family.

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good

The agency’s processes for recruiting new staff do not fully adhere to safer recruitment practices. Not all staff recruitment files evidence that required recruitment checks have been completed by the agency. In addition, on 2 occasions, staff have been recruited without a formal interview taking place. This shortfall does not help to reduce the risk of unsuitable adults working with children. Leaders and managers took steps to address these issues during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The agency is led and managed by a suitably qualified registered manager and responsible individual. Together, leaders and managers provide a clear and ambitious vision for the agency. They are very child focused, and are proactive in making changes to the agency so that children and families receive high-quality adoption support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and responsible individual have good oversight of the agency. They have identified where improvements need to be made and have taken steps to further strengthen the service. Two very experienced non-executive directors have been recruited to increase oversight of the service. A service coordinator has been onboarded to support the growth of the agency and specialist services have been commissioned to help with the running of the business aspect of the agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and responsible individual have an excellent understanding of post-adoption support and the current challenges facing children and families. In response to this, they have identified creative ways to support children and families, considering these challenges. The agency works in partnership with Adoption UK and helps to support a group for teenagers who have been adopted. In addition, the agency continues to develop ways in which trainee counsellors and therapists can help to bridge the gap in funding for adoption support services. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Time To Listen 5 Children and families benefit from receiving support from a well-established and stable staff team. Staff morale is excellent and staff are proud to be part of the agency. Staff value the support they receive from leaders and managers, especially with regard to the complexity of the work they do and the safeguarding dilemmas

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers monitor the quality of the services provided through feedback from children and families and monthly directors’ and Board meetings. However, leaders and managers have not provided a main document that reports on the functioning of the agency, including the financial review. This shortfall prevents a detailed evaluation of the service from taking place on a regular basis. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Time To Listen 6

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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 Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 and the national minimum standards. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

employ a person to work for the purposes of the agency unless that person is fit to work for the purposes of the agency; or allow a person who is employed by a person other than the registered provider to work for the purposes of the agency unless that person is fit to work for the purposes of the agency.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work for the purposes of an agency unless—

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Requirement Due date

he has the qualifications, skills and experience necessary for the work he is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

he is physically and mentally fit for the work he is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to him in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2. (Regulation 19 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all people working for the purposes of the agency are interviewed as part of the selection process.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that the agency has a record of the recruitment and suitability checks which have been carried out for staff and the record must show the date on which each check was completed and should show who carried out the check. 23 July 2026

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Recommendation

Inspection report for adoption support agency: Time To Listen 7  The registered person should ensure that the Adoption Support Agency’s provider/trustees, board members or management committee members receive written reports on the management, outcomes and financial state of the agency every 6 months, monitor the management and outcomes of the services in order to satisfy themselves that the agency is effective and is achieving good outcomes for children and/or service users, and satisfy themselves that the agency is complying with the conditions of registration. (‘Adoption: national minimum standards’, page 73, paragraph 25.6)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, young people and adults, using the social care common inspection framework.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the adoption support agency, how it meets the core functions as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Time To Listen 8

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider: Time To Listen C.I.C.

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider address: Marvell House Children’s Centre, Cranbourne Street, Hull HU3 1PP

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Inspector

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for adoption support agency: Time To Listen 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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