CHARMS – Residential Family Centre Case Management Software
CHARMS – Helping Residential Family Centres Every Day Of The Residents’ Journey
Setting up and running a Residential Family Centre requires strict adherence to the relevant regulations:
- Care Standards Act 2000
- The Care Standards Act 2000 (Registration)(England) Regulations 2010
- The Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002
CHARMS is designed to address all aspects of the management of all information in compliance with those regulations.
Registration And Management Of the Centre
From day 1 it’s important to keep all the “paperwork” in a single, secure repository – that’s CHARMS. This includes the dates of Ofsted registration applications, registration visit, and certificate of registration. The review of the Statement Of Purpose, Workforce Development Plan, Residents' Guide, Quality of Care Document, Risk Register, and other critical paperwork are also held, and the team is reminded when they need updating.
Introduction of Residents and Placement Plan
With CHARMS, you can evidence how families are welcomed to the centre and how they contribute to the Placement Plan. Residents can log in to CHARMS, as all stakeholders can, to “sign off” events, incidents, and progress through the assessment. Placement plans can be personalized, and daily support, weekly reviews, and the final assessment report are all managed in CHARMS. There are no Word documents kept in multiple places, and everyone has instant access to all the information they need, in one single, safe environment.
Medication Administration
Medication administration records need to be clear and up-to-date. CHARMS allows the care and support staff – and the residents – to have a transparent oversight of medication needs and administration.
Parenting Assessments
Parenting assessments are created and managed in CHARMS using the unique “CHARMS Progress” screen, which enables centres to keep day-by-day records of progress for the children and their parents. Families’ views are recorded, residents’ meetings and recordings capture people’s views, wishes, and feelings, and actions taken in response to feedback are also documented in CHARMS.
Complaints, Compliments, and Representations
A dedicated “Significant Events” tool allows staff to record concerns and for management to manage the process using the unique “Linked Progress” utility.
Training of Parents and Staff
Training provided to parents and staff, including safety-related training, is recorded and managed in CHARMS. Staff training records are also visible to the staff themselves.
Risk Management Plans
Risk management plans are created, updated, and readily accessed by all stakeholders in CHARMS.
Incidents and Accidents
CHARMS provides a facility to quickly record, share, and sign off incidents and accidents. The entire chronology of the event is recorded and is visible in one screen for staff and inspectors to see and review. Events can easily be reported and output to Excel to show outcomes.
Maintenance and Repairs Log
CHARMS includes a Maintenance and Repairs Log to track and verify repairs. The CHARMS compliance feature will also remind managers when they need to perform maintenance checks.
The Secure CHARMS Portal
The secure CHARMS Portal enables communication with external partners, sharing progress and files securely to ensure the best outcomes for parents and children.
Safer Recruitment Procedures, Workforce Supervision, and Development
Safer recruitment procedures are recorded in the dedicated staff/volunteer management area in CHARMS. The entire process of recruitment, from job advertisement, through applications, interviews, and checks (including references and police checks), to contract and employment, and all activities thereafter, is managed in CHARMS. All the paperwork is held securely with proper access controls.
The workforce development plan for each staff member is maintained in CHARMS, and reminders are auto-generated to ensure the plans are reviewed. Professional supervisions of social workers and other staff are recorded in CHARMS, and those staff can read the supervision records and digitally verify them.
Management Information and Monitoring Reports
Reports can be generated to satisfy regulatory monitoring. New reports can be requested by customers and are provided free of charge.
The Famous OMG
The almost legendary “Online Mail Grabber” (OMG) allows staff to connect to their email service, select emails received or sent, and save them – including attachments – in a matter of seconds to the case record(s). More than 30,000 emails are saved this way every month, saving approximately 2,000 hours or 286 person-days every month across the CHARMS family of customers.
