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

Unique reference number SC034495 Inspection date 05/09/2011 Inspector Simon Morley Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 09/02/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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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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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Brief description of the service

The home is registered to care for and accommodate up to eight children and young people at any one time, of either gender, with learning disabilities. Some children also have physical disabilities and complex health needs. The vast majority of children and young people have short breaks at the home providing their parents or carers with respite care. Occasionally a child or young person is accommodated on a long-term basis. Emergency placements are rare and usually for children known to the service. Overall the home provides a service for around 25 families and their children. In addition, the service provides some outreach work in children’s own homes.

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

All aspects of care planning and practice are highly personalised to meet the individual needs of each child and young person. The management, staffing, facilities, aids, adaptations, activities, multi-agency working and high standards of care all contribute to the exceptional outcomes for children and young people using the service.

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Overall effectiveness

The needs and views of children, young people and their parents are highly significant and influential in how the home is managed and practice developed. Children and young people have positive views about their care and this is reinforced by comments from parents and stakeholders who are extremely positive about the service.

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Overall effectiveness

Leaders and in particular the Registered Manager makes very good use of a range of systems to monitor the quality of care. He is committed to continuous improvement and his enthusiasm for excellence and high standards of care is shared by the staff team.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff provide a supportive, nurturing environment in which children and young people feel safe and are able to develop very good relationships with staff.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Children and young people benefit from the excellent way in which they receive individual care when they stay at the home. This starts with the in-house care plans, including risk assessments that are very clear about a person's individual needs and the support they require. Staff are very thoughtful and considerate in following these plans and respecting children and young person's needs. There are numerous examples of where children and young people have very specific needs met, such as personal care, communication, socialisation, and health. Parents commented, 'children like coming to the home, staff do a brilliant job, overall could not be happier'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All children and young people have very good attendance at school. Positive outcomes are promoted through regular meetings and good communication with schools and parents. This helps ensure continuity of care between school, parents and care staff.

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Outcomes for children and young people

There are regular multi-agency meetings that ensure services from dieticians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and community nurses are available to children and young people who need them. Stakeholders commented the service provided by the home is 'integrated well with a range of health care services, there are very good outcomes for children'. Children and young people benefit from the healthy diets and lifestyles promoted by staff. Concerns about children's health promotion in their home life are raised with social workers and extra support is provided to help parents. This helps improve the consistency and outcomes for children who spend most of their time at home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Children and young people regardless of their disability enjoy a wide and stimulating variety of activities. The home has plenty of books, toys and DVDs, a computer room, cinema room, relaxation room and pamper room. The garden has recently been renovated and now has play equipment for children and young people who use wheelchairs. Some of these children have enjoyed their first experiences of being on a swing. Access to the garden is wheelchair friendly and is thoroughly enjoyed by children and young people with physical disabilities. Children and young people enjoy the chance to see their friends and develop social relationships with each other. They also enjoy trips out, social events and using local leisure facilities and youth groups.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The vast majority of children and young people come for short breaks and spend the rest of their time at home with their families. Parents are welcome to visit the home and staff will work alongside parents. This helps parents develop strategies to care for their children which they can use at home. There is very good support for children who live at the home on a long-term basis to have contact with their families. Stakeholders commented that the home 'is like an extended family' with regards to the support that is provided. Parents did comment that there are times they would like more information about their child's stay at the home. The manager was already aware of this and this is an area of practice he is improving.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The arrangements in place to help children and young people develop their knowledge and skills about independent living are also very effective. This is done sensitively in line with a person's assessed needs. For some children and young people this maybe be gradual steps in developing independent personal care skills or improving communication. Other young people are supported to move to more independent living arrangements and progress into college. Parents commented that the service 'builds independence and is a very highly valued experience'.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Children and young people enjoy very good relationships with staff and thrive on the individual, caring, sensitive, support staff give. Parents commented 'staff are very friendly and reassuring'. Regardless of diverse needs and ability to communicate, staff work hard to develop good relationships with all children. Children and young people are supported to make choices and spend time doing the activities they wish to do. There is ample space, staffing and resources to do this.

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Quality of care

The registered provider organises an independent advocate to visit the home and help ascertain children and young people's views about the home and their care. Staff are in frequent contact with parents and regularly undertake home visits. This helps ensure children's, young people's and their parents’ views influence the running of the home.

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Quality of care

Staff knowledge of individual needs, their professional, friendly approach to care and excellent supervision all contribute to helping children behave well. Staff receive regular training about how to promote positive behaviour and manage challenging behaviour. They provide clear boundaries, day to day structure and routine for children and young people to follow. This particularly helps individuals who struggle with change. There is plenty of flexibility to adapt routines for children and young people who prefer their own space. For example children are encouraged to eat socially together in the dining room. However if an individual finds this hard to cope with then meals can be eaten in other parts of the home.

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Quality of care

Staff respond very well to children and young people's different ways of communicating, whether this is verbal, use of signs and symbols or non-verbal body language. Alongside individualised care planning and support this helps children and young people benefit from having their diverse needs met, enjoy their time at the home and look forward to their visits.

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Quality of care

Medication arrangements are very safe and effective so that children and young people take the medication they need at the correct times. Medication needs are reviewed regularly to ensure the right individual benefits. Staff are also trained: in epilepsy; to give individual physiotherapy; provide support with specially adapted beds; and help with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeds for children and young people with complex health needs. Such specific training and highly individualised care plans ensure children and young people benefit from the health care they need. Occasionally the complex health needs of children and young people lead to hospital admission. During these times additional staffing is available to support children and young people while they are in hospital. This is a notable strength of the home. The home is clean, well-maintained and adapted for the needs of children and young

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Quality of care

people with disabilities. There has been extensive refurbishment to provide an excellent range of aids and adaptations. This includes: wheelchair access, a specially adapted bath, an upstairs and downstairs wet room, passenger lift and extensive over head tracking. As a result all children and young people regardless of their needs can make full use of the home's extensive facilities. This is a notable strength of the home.

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Quality of care

There are very good arrangements for children and young people new to the service. This is based on a thorough assessment of their needs and a programme of short visits building up to overnight stays. This helps to ensure children and young people are only admitted to the home if it is felt the staff can meet their needs and there will be no adverse effects. Great care is taken to arrange short stays for children and young people with similar needs, who are friends and benefit from being at the home together.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is outstanding at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Children and young people are safe living at the home. Safety in all aspects of care and daily life are given a high priority. The planning of children and young people's care very effectively identifies risks with clear actions to reduce them. Care practice protects children and young people at the same time as promoting their equality of opportunity and facilitating independence and development. Risk management strategies are regularly monitored and reviewed to keep them up to date with the changing needs of children and young people. Priority is given to the diverse needs and vulnerabilities of children and young people. For example care plans detail that dark places like cinemas, crowds or noisy places should be avoided for some children as they are distressing.

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Safeguarding children and young people

High staffing levels and close supervision of children and young people ensure that there is no bullying and no one goes missing from the home. Challenging behaviour is seen as part of an individual's disability. No sanctions are given as these are not seen as appropriate to manage behaviour. There is a policy of no physical intervention which is followed in practice. This is a notable strength of the home. Close supervision, re-direction and other non-physical interventions are used to de- escalate challenging behaviour and keep all children and young people safe. Staff receive regular training to safely de-escalate any incidents.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in child protection and know how to report any concerns they have about a child or young person's welfare. As a short break service this is an additional means of monitoring the welfare and safety of vulnerable, disabled children and young people who spend most of their time at home. There is very good communication with the placing authority about any concerns. No child protection referrals have been made to the local authority since the last inspection. The home also offers a safe haven to children and young people no longer able to live safely at home. In such cases there is very effective monitoring of any family contact for these children to keep them free from harm.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A thorough recruitment process is in place to ensure only appropriate people are employed to work with vulnerable young people. No new staff have been employed since the last inspection.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home is well maintained and the environment is kept physically safe for children and young people to live in. Necessary adaptations have been made in accordance with children and young people's needs to promote their safety and welfare. Stakeholders commented, 'there are no risks to safety at the home'.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

There is a very clear Statement of Purpose describing what the offers including the aims and objectives of the service. Staff are clear about the function of the home their practice upholds the aims and objectives to provide a safe, homely, stimulating and enjoyable time. Social workers are clear about the focus to promote individual development, social skills, friendships and independence, they make appropriate referrals. Staff make home visits to help explain to parents and children and young people what the service is like. A programme of short visits also helps prepare children and young people and parents what to expect.

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Leadership and management

The manager is clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and is committed to continuous improvement. He is very effective at stimulating the enthusiasm of staff and facilitating a team approach to providing an outstanding service. There is very rigorous monitoring which includes: feedback from children and young people, their parents, social workers, checking the quality of staff practice and record keeping. This information is used to make improvements to the service.

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Leadership and management

The registered provider organises independent monthly inspections of the running of the home as an additional check of the quality of care. These frequently highlight excellent practice with comments such as 'staff to be commended for their positive and caring manner in supporting children and young people with complex needs, very good atmosphere and very good standards of care, staff very happy and well motivated'. Parents are cited as being 'extremely happy' quoting the service as 'amazing, flexible'. Reports of these monthly inspections have improved to include checks of any disciplinary measures as recommended at the last inspection.

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Leadership and management

Staff feel well supported by the management team and by their own colleagues. There is excellent staff morale facilitated by sensitive management and regular opportunities for reflecting on practice. Along with other quality assurance measures this helps focus on what works well and what can be improved.

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Leadership and management

Staffing levels are very effective in contributing to the high standards of care. Children and young people benefit from at least one-to-one staffing, more if necessary. As a result children and young people's time at the home is safe and enjoyable with highly individualised care that meets their needs. The registered manager and staff have a very good understanding of the national minimum standards and regulatory requirements and are proactive in amending and adapting care practices accordingly.

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Leadership and management

Children and young people benefit from staff that are well trained to meet their needs. Almost all staff have achieved the recommended care qualification. Only a small minority are still working towards this. In addition staff complete a wide variety of training in subjects such as health and safety, communicating with children and young people, autism, equality and diversity and child protection. All staff receive regular supervision which helps them fulfil their roles and provide a high quality of service. There are effective arrangements in place to deputise for the Registered Manager when he is not on duty.

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Leadership and management

Care records contain relevant information about children and young people in a clear and comprehensive manner. This helps the staff team to be clear about how children and young people are progressing and what their ongoing needs are. This also reflects the personalised and individualised approach to meeting the needs of children and young people.

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Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is outstanding .

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