Children's Home run by Kingston upon Hull City Council in Kingston upon Hull

SC034495 Unique reference number 9 September 2009 Inspection date Simon Morley Inspector Random Type of Inspection

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 7 Inspection Report: SC034495

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Brief description of the service

The local authority children's services department own and manage the home. It provides respite and longer term care for children and young people with learning disabilities. It is registered to care for and accommodate up to eight children and young people at any one time, of either sex, between the ages of eight and 17.

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Brief description of the service

A separate part of the building is used to provide youth club facilities twice a week for similar children, some of whom also have respite care at the home. In addition, the service provides some outreach work in children’s own homes.

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Brief description of the service

Other parts of the building are used as offices by an occupational therapy team, and as a family resource contact centre.

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Brief description of the service

The home contains a flat to provide ongoing care for a resident with longer term care needs and overall the home provides a service for around 25 families and their children.

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Brief description of the service

The home has an upstairs and downstairs lounge. All bedrooms are upstairs as well as the bathroom and shower rooms. Downstairs there is a computer room, art and craft room, new sensory room, small lounge, quiet room, dining room and kitchen. There is an enclosed garden with play equipment and an adjacent car park. Local amenities are close by and the home is accessible by public transport.

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Summary

This was an unannounced inspection of the arrangements to protect children from harm and neglect and keep them safe. Statutory actions and good practice recommendations made at the last inspection were checked for compliance.

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Summary

Some progress has been made to comply with the statutory actions and previous good practice recommendation. There is some good practice with regards to keeping children safe but risk management has some weaknesses and means that potentially young people's safety may be at risk. As a result the arrangements to keep young people safe can at best be judged satisfactory. This means the overall quality rating is now reduced to satisfactory. The overall quality rating is satisfactory. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There have been improvements to the equipment and adaptations in the home so that young people with physical disabilities can be cared for better. The overall design and layout still means there are unnecessary restrictions on young people's movement around the home and access to the garden.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The management team verbally confirmed that electrical and gas installations had been safety checked within the recommended timescales but had no records to further substantiate this.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is not judged. 4 of 7 Inspection Report: SC034495

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is satisfactory. Practice to protect young people from harm and help them stay safe is variable. Good practice is reflected in good and effective staff support to meet young people's complex needs, strong practice regards behaviour management and keeping young people free from bullying. However, the home's risk management approach is not robust enough to help eliminate potential risks to young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have had child protection training and demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding procedures, to promote and protect the young people's safety. This is also reflected in care plans and care records demonstrating an effective approach to safeguarding young people's welfare.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The behaviour management policy and practice is based on the use of praise, encouragement and de-escalation techniques to improve young people's behaviour. Staff have developed strong relationships with young people who are generally well behaved. Where necessary young people have an individual behaviour management plan that staff follow to help support individual needs. Physical intervention is not used or needed as an option to keep young people safe though staff are trained if this ever were to be necessary. Staff keep good records about any incidents and sanctions but these are rarely used to try and modify behaviour. Practice and records are monitored regularly by the manager and monthly independent visitors to help ensure young people are properly safeguarded

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people and their families are supported to make complaints and provided with advocacy to help them. Complaints are managed effectively and records are well kept.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people's privacy is respected. They are well supported with their personal care and records about them are stored safely to maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There are some written risk assessments to enable staff to know what action to take, to minimise the risk to young people for example when going out or participating in activities. Work has also been carried out to improve the quality of these but there is not a consistent approach to dealing with all risks. Not all young people have risk assessments regarding their known and likely behaviours, for example the potential to be bullied or bully. Risk assessments regarding the use of evacuation chairs in case of emergency evacuations have also not been completed. Evacuation procedures do not include an available map of the home showing which children have been left inside. Both the risk assessments and map have been required to be in place by the Fire Authority. These shortfalls potentially have an impact on how well young people's safety is promoted and protected. There is a temporary manager in place who plans to ensure

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

risk management is improved, whilst a new manager is recruited. Staff working at the home have received fire safety training, to help minimise the risks to young people in the event of a fire at the home. Records of fire safety checks are up to date but records of checks of the gas and electrical installations are still not available at the home.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

There have been no new staff employed since the last inspection and there are good procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with young people. 5 of 7 Inspection Report: SC034495

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is satisfactory. Some main needs of children staying at the home result from their learning disabilities though some of the children also have severe physical disabilities too. The home is not registered to specifically accommodate children with physical disabilities and has not been built or designed with these needs in mind.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Current aids and adaptations do not meet all the needs of children living in the home resulting on occasion in children having to be bed bathed to meet their personal care needs. However there have been some improvements in aids and adaptations since the last inspection for example better beds and a larger sensory room with overhead tracking. This new equipment helps children be better cared for when they stay at the home.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Children do not have access to all parts of the home and garden. There are physical restrictions within the home regarding access to the passenger lift, garden, kitchen and dining room. These restrictions are not agreed in children's placement plans and unnecessarily restrict all children using the home. This has not improved since the last inspection. The location of the passenger lift and entrance to the home compromises children's freedom, privacy and dignity.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

All children have their own rooms. Bedrooms for children living at the home on a long-term basis are homely and personalised reflecting their individuality. The home is well maintained with a good range of facilities including two lounges, a sensory room, art and craft room, computer room and quiet room. There is a large secure garden with children's play equipment in it.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

There is a specially adapted flat designed to meet one child's needs. The communal shower room and bathrooms used by the majority of children have been adapted with special equipment to help meet most of their needs.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Childrens Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Due date Action Standard

6 of 7 Inspection Report: SC034495 31 January 2010 ensure the home is suitable to achieve the aims set out in the statement of purpose. Physical restrictions on movement within the home must only be used in relation to a child where the restriction has been agreed in their placement plan, are necessary to safeguard that child's welfare and do not impose similar restrictions on other children (Regulation 11 (1) & (2), 12 (1) (a) & 31 (1) & (2)) 31 January 2010 ensure all parts of the home are equipped with what is necessary and adapted as necessary in order to meet the needs arising from the disabilities of any children accommodated so as to enable them to live as normal a life as possible, in particular address the issues of physical restrictions in the home (Regulations 11 (1) & (2) & 31 (2)(f)). 31 October 2009 ensure that there are adequate arrangements for evacuation in the event of the fire in particular implement suitable risk

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Due date Action Standard

assessments with regards to use of evacuation chairs and comply with any other requirments of the Fire Authority (Regulations 23 (c) and 32 (1) (c) (iii)).

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure there are written risk assessments for all young people in relation to their known and likely activities, the potential for bullying and abuse within or outside the home (NMS 26.2) • ensure there is evidence that electrical installations are checked at least every three years and that gas installations have been checked annually (NMS 26.4) 7 of 7 Inspection Report: SC034495

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