'Inadequate' family centre in Wigan has improved

Ofsted judged Foundations Wigan to be “inadequate” after an inspection at the centre in Hindley, which provides residential assessments to assist local authorities and courts in making decisions promoting the welfare of children.

In a report published last month, concerns were raised that children and parents were not protected, their welfare was not promoted or their care and experiences were poor.

Issues included the standard of the accommodation, staff not being trained to meet the needs of a child with health issues and a parent staying at the centre while their child was in hospital with no assessment carried out.

During a return visit, the inspectors found all three of the compliances notices issued were now being met.

The first compliance notice related to suitable admissions to the centre. Ofsted found the provider had reviewed its initial pre-placement plans, now “fully considers” whether the needs of families can be met by the staff and provides any additional training if required.

The second compliance notice covered employees’ knowledge and understanding of their learning needs, which was addressed through team meetings and workshops. Staff worked together to discuss areas of risk in pre-placement planning and improved the quality of the admissions procedure.

The centre was found to be in a “good state of repair” and leaders had improved their monitoring of the quality of maintenance, satisfying the third compliance notice.

Claire Deary, regulatory inspection manager, wrote: “All compliance notices are deemed to have been met following this inspection.

“The requirements that were not subject to compliance and the recommendation made at the previous inspection were not considered during this monitoring visit. These will remain in place until the centre’s next full inspection.”

Mick Ogle, compliance manager for Progressive Care Ltd, said: “We are pleased that Ofsted have now published the report on their follow-up inspection with no further concerns or actions identified.”

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