Children's Home run by East Riding of Yorkshire Council in East Riding of Yorkshire

Unique reference number SC035499 Inspector Jacqueline Malcolm Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person East Riding of Yorkshire Council Registered person address County Hall Cross Street BEVERLEY North Humberside HU17 9BA Responsible individual Pamela Allen Registered manager Suzanna Claire Hills Date of last inspection 06/05/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 25/02/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the homes last inspection.

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This inspection

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

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This inspection

At the last inspection, one good practice recommendation was made. This related to all staff having the required safeguarding and fire safety training. This has been satisfactorily met which provides an assurance that young people are cared for by staff who know how to detect the signs and symptoms of abuse and respond in the event of a fire. Requirements are made as a result of this inspection. This relates to sending notifications to Ofsted in a timely fashion so that the regulatory body can fulfil its safeguarding role. A second requirement is made to ensure that the homes Statement of Purpose is sent to Ofsted. This informs the regulator about the services that young people can expect to receive. A third requirement is made to ensure that only suitable placements are made at the home.

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This inspection

A short period of instability has been experienced by young people who live at this home. This has been due to several older young people’s planned transitions into independence and the admission of new young people to the home in recent months. This has significantly changed the group dynamics in the home. Some young people have settled into the homes routines and boundaries and they are working towards their future plans. Other young people have shown signs of concerning high risk taking and challenging behaviours. This has led to an increase in incidents and in one instance, the discharge of a young person to an alternative provision. The young person was re-admitted to the home within days of them leaving whilst the local authority looked into a secure placement. The placement was terminated within days due to safety and welfare concerns. Although the home environment has re-established its equilibrium and can meet the needs of the young

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This inspection

people placed, concerns are raised about the suitability of the placement and the negative impact it had on the existing group of young people.

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This inspection

Staff are getting to know young people’s personalities, traits and risks and 3 of 6 respectfully treat them as individuals in their own right. Staff have developed some very positive and meaningful relationships with young people and act as positive role models. Young people confirm they like the staff and raise no concerns about their treatment. Young people’s confidence and self-esteem is enhanced by the staff who tell them that they enjoy spending time in their company. Negative behaviours are addressed by staff who implement sanctions, positive incentives and rewards to promote socially acceptable behaviours. However, the increased use of restraint after a period of absence has challenged staff practices in relation to the quality of the records. This has been monitored by the independent visitor whose appraisal enables the staff team to improve the identified shortfalls.

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This inspection

Young people’s positive engagement with staff members enables them to participate in enjoyable and motivational activities that contribute to their good health, well- being and fitness. For example, sporting activities at the local gym, off road biking and ice skating. Other young people attend clubs or enjoy activities in the home playing their musical instruments, listening to music and taking part in other home based activities. Some young people have formed their own friendships groups and choose to spend time with them. This promotes their social skills in the company of others.

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This inspection

Young people’s resilience is protected within a strong safeguarding culture. This is led by staff who are concerned about their welfare. A member of staff said, ‘we will always place their needs first.’ The staff team works effectively with a range of external social care and safeguarding agencies that serve to protect young people who are considered to be at risk of abuse. This includes young people who are at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE). The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is satisfied with the home’s level of communication with them and the agreed interventions regarding significant CSE concerns. This view is shared by the CSE specialist safeguarding professional who has close links with the home. They said, ‘they are helpful to us and we are helpful to them.’ Social workers consider young people to be cared for safely at the home. As a result of multi-disciplinary strategies

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This inspection

that have been used to disrupt unsafe situations towards eliminating CSE, no confirmed CSE issues have been confirmed for several months. A young person’s realisation about their own exploitation and the discussions held with them to dissuade their involvement with an unsafe adult is captured in their comment to staff, ‘I now see where you are coming from.’ However, there are emerging suspicions regarding new young people to the home that staff have not lost sight of and they continue to monitor.

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This inspection

Young people who go missing from home are protected by the protocols that are intended to safeguard them. Good collaborative work practices between the home and other agencies ensure that intelligence is shared in relation to young people’s possible whereabouts, which ensures their quick and safe return. Young people are seen on their return by staff, the police and the rights and participation worker within clear timescales. This ensures a good level of independence that assures other professionals that young people are safe and well and raise any issues with 4 of 6 them. Strategy meetings convened to monitor young people who frequently go missing from home and display risky behaviours act as an additional safeguard. However, the impact of some risk management strategies to minimise missing from care episodes is in its early stages and is yet to have the desired impact.

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This inspection

All of the young people have the potential to achieve good educational outcomes and staff encourage them to aspire. This is the experience of young people who now live away from the home and improve their employment opportunities by gaining qualifications through further education. Young people have and do engage in their educational and work placements that are tailored to meet their learning and developmental needs. However, for some young people, other distractions or exclusions impede their desire to commit to improving their future prospects through education. In spite of these setbacks, staff encourage young people to overcome the obstacles to their success through their relationships with educational providers to make educational resources available to them.

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Young people’s wishes and feelings are acted upon where possible. Their involvement in house meetings, statutory reviews and ad hoc discussions with a range of different adults provide them with opportunities to air their views about home life and their future plans. In addition, young people significantly benefit from the support of a participation and rights worker who is a regular visitor to the home and does advocate on their behalf. These valuable interventions help to effect change and this makes young people feel listened to and respected.

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This inspection

Young people live in a home that offers them stability and continuity of care. This is sensitively delivered by a consistent and caring staff team who take their corporate parenting role seriously. The Registered Manager makes good use of the independent monitoring systems that provide good scrutiny, highlighting the home’s strengths, challenge staff practices and tackle weakness. The home demonstrates capacity to improve as a result of their actions to ensure that young people’s quality of care and outcomes progress. Plans to upgrade aspects of the home, such as the flooring promotes an inviting and homely environment for young people to live.

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This inspection

Professional stakeholders hold the home in high regard and comment positively about the quality of communication and the management of the home. A social worker said, ‘they are organised and have policies and procedures that work.’ 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

The home is provided by a local authority and is registered to care for up to six young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/05/2014 Full good 09/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 10/09/2013 Full good 14/02/2013 Interim satisfactory 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

4 (2001) provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI (Regulation 4(2)) 30/04/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that in relation to a children’s home, any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table (Regulation 30 (1)) 30/04/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) make proper provision for the safeguarding and welfare of children accommodated there. (Regulation 11(1) (a)) Specifically ensure that the home only provides admission to children whose assessed needs they can reasonably meet. 31/03/2015 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Reg. Requirement Due date

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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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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