Dumbell House

Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 1 Dumbell House Kaleidoscope Assessment Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is registered to accommodate up to 2 families. The 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 manager registered in July 2024 and is appropriately qualified and experienced.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of the visit, 2 families were living in the centre. The inspectors spoke to all parents during the visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: 13 February 2024

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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: Dumbell House 2

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Summary of findings

Assessments are focused on children's needs and safety and consider parental views throughout. They are balanced and evidence-based, with recommendations that are fair and relevant to families. The staff team is well attuned to families' risks and needs, which means that the support and monitoring that they provide protect children from harm and the risk of harm. The leadership team is knowledgeable and proactive in their role. They operate an effectively run centre that provides a good level of support and assessment to families. Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Parents and children develop trusting and positive relationships with staff. Families feel respected and supported. This motivates them to work well with staff and to improve their skills. Parents reported, 'We are completely different people than when we came. It has changed our lives.' Professionals provided consistently positive feedback about the staff's approach to the assessment process, the nurturing support they provide and how well they know the families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Assessments are carried out by a qualified and competent social worker. The assessment is focused on children's needs and safety and considers parental views throughout. Assessments are balanced and evidence-based, with recommendations that are fair and relevant to families. Assessments are individual and realistic about the support required if children were to safely live with parents. Parents are supported to understand their assessments, progress and what they need to do next.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Planned introductions to the centre for families is well managed and detailed. Parents understand what is expected of them. There are numerous opportunities for families to share their views, wishes and feelings about their experiences in the centre throughout the duration of their assessment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Direct work is guided by the assessing social worker and manager. It is effective and meaningful, enabling parents to reflect on their learning. Parents are provided with a plan that is tailored to their child in relation to each topic discussed. Staff understand child development. They recognise when children are making expected progress and when they are not. Children's milestones are known and tracked.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Weekly appraisals provide parents with an opportunity to discuss their emotional wellbeing, agree action plans and review their parenting capacity and progress to date. They are an effective forum for both parents and staff to providing feedback and ask questions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families have access to a range of social and recreational opportunities. Monthly house trips are planned and facilitated. Parents are encouraged to access local groups and resources, such as all-ability football teams, gyms, baby groups and swimming. This means that children and families are given opportunities to enjoy and develop themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

Families experience well-planned and supported transitions out of the centre. The staff team is proactive in liaising with placing authorities and housing to ensure that plans are timely and suitable. Extensions to placements are only requested when there is clear evidence that this is in the best interests of the family and there is a clear onward plan. On one occasion, an extended transition for a parent and their Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 4 child in line with the mother's needs allowed them to have a successful transition into the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good

The centre has been redecorated and made homely. However, there are some areas that need attention, such as ceiling damage following a leak in a meeting room, a light to be installed outside and other more recent wear and tear that need to be repaired.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Parents say that they feel safe in the centre. The staff team is well attuned to families' risks and needs, which means that the support and monitoring that they provide protect children from harm and the risk of harm. Staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to keep the most vulnerable of children safe.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

When families move into the centre, viability risk assessments are undertaken to consider the family's risks against other families already living in the centre. Individual family risk assessments are adapted to keep them up to date as new information or emerging risks are identified. This makes them relevant and clear for staff to follow in the work they do with families.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

When significant concerns arise in relation to parents' behaviour or capacity to keep their child safe, staff take prompt action to safeguard children and raise their concerns with the relevant professionals without delay. This ensures that swift decisions can be made in relation to the suitability of the assessment continuing and if an alternative emergency placement is required for the child.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the need to carry out checks on children and monitor them for any signs of unexplained injuries. Staff respond appropriately to any accidents or injuries, supporting parents to keep their child safe. This includes guiding parents to seek additional medical guidance when required.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

There have been no complaints made by families. Documentation is displayed in the centre about how to make a complaint. Families spoken to understood how to make a complaint or raise concerns about their experiences while residing in the centre.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: good

There has been a single concern in relation to staff misuse of closed-circuit television. Leaders and managers have taken this seriously. They have notified the relevant professionals, investigated the concerns and shared learning and development with the wider team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is knowledgeable and proactive in her role. Alongside a competent deputy manager, they operate an effectively run centre that provides a good level of support and assessment to families. They are positive role models who promote an Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 5 open and transparent approach when working with families. The manager confidently challenges professionals and advocates on behalf of families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager's monthly monitoring means that she understands the impact that the service has on families and she tracks trends and patterns in families' experiences. However, some placing authority records are missing from families' files, such as care plans, care orders and review meeting minutes. This has not been identified during the manager's audits.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team that provides continuity of support to families. New staff have fitted into the team well. Leaders and managers support the staff team well and ensure that morale is positive. Staff's views are important to the manager. The manager provides staff with opportunities to share their feedback about the operation of the centre and ensures that they are involved in the planning for new families moving into the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some training that is specific to families' needs has not been completed by all staff. This includes training in learning disabilities, domestic abuse, foetal alcohol syndrome and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In addition, the manager and staff team have not undertaken any training associated with the model used for assessment. The manager recognises that this would be of benefit to the team's understanding of the parenting assessment process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses monthly team meetings to share key information and discuss lessons learned from practice exploration and investigations. The manager also uses the sessions to conduct group supervision session, which provides a forum for staff to discuss individual family's progress and areas to be monitored. However, staff are not always provided with individual practice-related supervision sessions. The sessions are very brief and are not used to their full capacity. This is a missed opportunity for staff to have protected one-to-one time to reflect on the work they do with families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Continuing professional development files and sessions have been introduced. This is a positive forum to develop the staff individually using research, revisiting policies and case studies. The deputy manager has also developed the quality of direct work that staff carry out with families. These developments have helped to improve the quality of support for families. Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 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, 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 all persons employed by him—

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Requirement Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. (Regulation 17 (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, staff should be provided with training in learning disabilities, domestic abuse, foetal alcohol syndrome, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and training associated with the model used for assessment. 16 October 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person ensures that the centre provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated. Avoidable hazards are removed as is consistent with a domestic setting. ('Residential family centres: national minimum standards', 11.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person ensures that all staff are properly managed, appraised, supported and supervised. ('Residential family centres: national minimum standards', 17.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person ensures that they work with the responsible authority to share information held in the centre's records about the parent or child and information held in the responsible authorities' records. ('Residential family centres: national minimum standards', 20.6)

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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: Dumbell House 7

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Kaleidoscope Assessment Services Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: 413 High Street, London E15 4QZ

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Residential family centre details

Responsible individual: James Broadfield

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Inspectors

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Dumbell House 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 children who are looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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