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

Unique reference number SC034313 Inspector Nicola McEvinney Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Kingston Upon Hull City Council Registered person address The Guildhall Alfred Gelder Street HULL HU1 2AA

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Responsible individual Jon Plant Registered manager Linus Penna Date of last inspection 21/07/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 17/02/2015

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Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged adequate at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

This interim inspection assessed the progress made since the last full inspection conducted in July 2014 when the home was judged to be adequate. A number of requirements and recommendations were raised at the last inspection. Some of these have been fully addressed while others remain work in progress. This has led to a sustained effectiveness of the adequate judgement.

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This inspection

Requirements raised at this inspection relate to the sanctions and restraints records, notifiable incidents, record keeping and management of the home. However, this does not impact on the safety or welfare of young people.

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This inspection

A new recording format has been introduced to record measures of discipline and restraint. These are spiral bound books and the pages are not numbered. This does not ensure that these records are tamper proof. Ofsted now receive regulation 33 reports in a timely manner. These are detailed and demonstrate how the home is functioning. Young people and their parent’s views are sought. Parents are complimentary about the service provided and young people consider that they are well looked after with their needs met.

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This inspection

Since the last inspection there has been an incident where police were called to the home. Ofsted was not informed of this. This limits the Regulator from taking safeguarding action if necessary.

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This inspection

The home has benefitted from having the fabric of the building enhanced. For example, the kitchen floor covering has been replaced and there have been some repairs undertaken. This creates a more homely environment for young people.

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This inspection

Shortfalls in the record keeping have again been identified at this inspection. For example, the admissions and discharge book contain incorrect dates and there was 3 of 6 no evidence that the significant event identified above was recorded. This does not ensure that young people can be confident that their records reflect a correct history of their time spent at the home.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager leads a committed and experienced staff team. However, there is a lack of effective communication which impacts on staff morale.

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This inspection

The home has been through an unsettled period with some young people presenting some extremely challenging behaviours including violence to staff. It is to the credit of the staff team that they have not sought to criminalise these young people. Instead they have used a restorative approach to try and address these behaviours. On occasion some young people responded positively resulting in an apology to members of staff. One restraint has been recorded since the last inspection which was proportionate and recorded correctly.

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This inspection

A real strength of the home is the continued support that is offered to young people once they have left the service. Usually to a supported living placement; staff will offer an outreach service in times of need, this may continue for as long as required. For example, staff will assist when placements have broken down, offering ongoing support and help young people to settle into new accommodation.

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This inspection

Young people feel safe and well cared for. They say that there is always someone they can talk to and are confident that if they raise a complaint it would be dealt with properly. Young people are safe. There are no incidents of young people going missing and there is no involvement in child sexual exploitation. All young people are in education or training. 4 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is run by a local authority and registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home also offers an outreach service to young people who have left care and may need additional support.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/07/2014 Full adequate 16/01/2014 Interim good progress 09/07/2013 Full good 12/11/2012 Interim good progress

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure HMCI is notified without delay any notifiable event as required. (Regulation 30 (1) Schedule 5) 31/03/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure measures of disciple or restraint are recorded in a format that can not be tampered with after the event - e.g bound and numbered records (NMS 3 and Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 5. 2.91)  ensure that the Registered Manager exercises effective leadership of the home’s staff and operation. (NMS 14.5) 5 of 6 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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