Wick Family Centre calls for overhaul of care inspection system
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A call has been made by the directors of the Wick Family Centre for the overhaul of the care inspection system as they claim "the one-size fits all" approach needs changed.
It comes after an unannounced visit was made to the centre in Bank Row by the Care Inspectorate in March and found the care, play and learning, as well as the leadership staff team, to be weak, as reported in this week's Caithness Courier. The setting was described as adequate.
The service – provided by No Limits Caithness – is for school-aged children with additional support needs and operates during the week in the Easter, summer and October school holidays. The facility reopened last summer after two years of closure during the Covid lockdown.
It was pointed out that under the current inspection system, assessments for children's services are based on Early Years Learning – the same criteria used in pre-school nurseries – which the centre management says is not appropriate for facilities such as the family centre.
Director Louise Furniss said: "One size does not fit all. The observations made on the day are not representative of our practice or provision. Opinions and judgments were based on single observations without knowing or understanding the context or the background of the situation, or the children.
"The fate of much-needed and vital services are in the hands of one person whose opinions are subjective, whose judgment may be influenced by a number of factors on the few hours of the one day they attend, using a rather demeaning grading system, that demolishes staff morale.
"If we used the Care Inspectorate's one-word grading for the inspection process, we would say it was 'unsatisfactory'."
It was also stated that the children have "multiple and complex needs"and many of them found the presence of the inspector "unsettling". Most staff had not experienced an inspection before and were "very nervous".
Chairwoman Shelly Munro said recruitment has been a struggle but stressed the centre has "very caring, supportive and dedicated staff members," although it is looking for a children's services manager.
She said: "Some of the improvements we would like to make require a lot of time and money and the board are creating action plans for enabling this." It was pointed out that the centre plans to purchase some outdoor play equipment soon.
Parents have added their support to the Wick Family Centre with more than one describing the service as "a lifeline" while another said "we really value the group, the staff and what they do." One of the other parents said the centre provides "an invaluable service". Another stated: "We would be lost without No Limits. We appreciate the work you do."
The directors have agreed to put their views to the regulators and have suggested a ten-point plan which they feel should be considered.
