A RESIDENTIAL family centre in Harlow has been told to improve by government watchdog, Ofsted.

Ofsted visited the mother and baby assessment centre in Fir Park in late January.

It made the follow observations.

This residential family centre requires improvement to be good because:

There are parts of the environment that are not certified as satisfactorily safe

Following service visits. The health and safety checks failed to identify safety risks.

Risk assessments are not always updated following incidents or categorised using individuals’ histories.

The house and garden require maintenance and fresh decor.

Some staff have not had regular supervision.

The majority of staff members are unqualified and inexperienced.

Storage provision fails to include provision for families who have specific health needs.

Recruitment checks for new staff lack depth and exploration.

The residential family centre’s strengths:

The management team leads and generates a therapeutic approach to parenting capacity and assessment.

The management team is focused on families’ progress and positive outcomes.

The manager is approachable. Difficult messages are conveyed with clarity and
sensitivity.

Assessment time frames are met. Supervision levels are set out and reports make clear recommendations.

There is ambition and enthusiasm to address identified shortfalls and drive improvement.

The full report can be found here

https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50057431

The centre is run by Hoddesdon-based Savannah Lodge Limited.

YH approached them for a comment but they had not replied at the time of publication.