Children's home run by Hull City Council in Kingston upon Hull, City of

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people experience long-term care and short breaks that make an exceptional difference to their lives. Research-informed care practice is highly bespoke enabling young people to thrive.  Young people live in a highly supportive, nurturing and safe environment. They benefit from exceedingly good relationships with the caring, child- focused and skilled staff who show them affection and implement firm boundaries.  Young people’s well-being and negative behaviours significantly improve due to the individual support from staff that helps them to deal with and make sense of their history, identity and emotional responses.  Young people benefit from the excellent partnerships that the team develops with a range of professionals and positive relationships with families.  Young people’s exposure to new experiences and fun times widen due to their engagement in a range of activities, which support their physical and

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

social development and confidence.  Young people make significant and sustained progress in their education. The opportunities for them to develop independence skills help the young people to do more for themselves.  The registered manager’s strong, determined and aspirational approach contributes to her effective management of the home and support to the staff team.  The hard working, caring and committed staff have shown resilience during a busy and challenging period. They have continued to place the young people at the centre of their practice.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)) 28/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take. (Regulation 45 (3))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, make clear the intended actions in the review report. 28/04/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2). In particular, that supervision records show that staff reflect on their practice.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4). In particular, provide written confirmation of consent from the parent regarding the use of monitoring devices and implement a recorded review of the use and effectiveness of the measure. Make explicit the use of the monitoring and surveillance devices in the statement of purpose.  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home's staff; each child's family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care and protection of each child including their social worker, independent reviewing officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23). Specifically, consult with staff to inform the management review of service improvements.

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Information about this children's home

This local authority home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children and young people who have learning disabilities. The majority of the children and young people live at the home on a long-term basis and a number of short-break placements are available to support children, young people and their families.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/07/2015 Full Outstanding 16/02/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 30/09/2014 Full Good

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Outstanding

Young people receive excellent, highly individualised support, help and protection that result in them progressing from strength to strength. They are settled and thrive in the welcoming and relaxed home environment. Skilful matching of the young people helps to create a family atmosphere. The effective care practices are research informed. This enables staff to think about how their work with families and other professionals secures positive outcomes for young people. An education professional said, ‘It’s outstanding. I’m so impressed with [Name of the home].’ The exceptionally good relationships shared between staff and young people help them to trust the caring adults who show them affection. A staff member said, ‘They all have something endearing and professionals want the best for them.’ This helps the young people to feel secure, reduces their anxieties and challenging behaviours. Consequently, young people are addressing specific issues through

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Outstanding

individual and life story work. The registered manager said, ‘He can now express his opinions.’ Contact arrangements reinforce young people’s identity and bonds with their families. Young people are benefiting immensely from the team’s strong partnerships with local schools. This is helping to keep young people engaged with learning, attainment and behavioural expectations. An educational professional said, ‘He’s making outstanding progress.’ This is remarkable, given some young people’s complex needs. Young people’s disabilities do not hinder them from achieving top awards at school, such as ‘outstanding achievement’ and ‘student of the year’, which are celebrated and displayed in the home. The school reports excellent relationships with the staff team and teachers have visited the home for dinner to observe strategies that staff at school can re-enact during mealtimes. This promotes consistent practice.

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Outstanding

Strong partnerships with health professionals help young people to develop physically and emotionally within their capacity. Staff escort and stay with young people in hospital, when needed. This typifies the high quality of care and attention that young people receive. The close communication between the staff and the hospital is helping to identify one young person’s suitability for an operation, which if it proceeds could improve their quality of life. A young person with a sight impairment administers his own medication. They do this confidently under the supervision of staff. This is just one example of the risk-managed ways that young people acquire a range of independence skills. Specialist health professionals provide staff with the practical tools and guidance to help them address young people’s sexual health and well-being. Health promotion, such as healthy eating and regular exercise, has improved young people’s overall fitness.

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Outstanding

An independent advocate involves the young people in sensory activities. This close interaction enables her to capture their wishes and feelings effectively. Similarly, young people’s good engagement with the independent visitor and staff during young people’s meetings provides staff with further means of capturing and acting on the voice of the child. Activities in the home, such as arts and crafts, jigsaws, reading and playing computer games, provide hours of stimulation for young people. They like to go to the cinema, theme parks, summer breaks and attend clubs, such as the cadets. They celebrate birthdays with their families and enjoy seasonal activities in the community. These opportunities enrich young people’s lives and provide them with a strong sense of belonging and fun memories to cherish. The premises offer a safe and comfortable abode. The young people’s rooms are highly individualised and reflect their age and interests. A new summer house

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Outstanding

located in the garden offers a quiet retreat for young people.

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Outstanding

The professional practice in the team is research informed. It integrates effective risk management systems that protect young people who have disabilities. This includes the protection of young people with serious health conditions that require high levels of supervision and monitoring. Parents and social workers say that staff help keep young people safe. The registered manager is protective of the young people. She is explicit about the lengths that she will go to protect them. Close working relationships with safeguarding professionals, in particular the police, have led to raised awareness about child sexual exploitation and the impact on children and young people who have disabilities. Trained and skilled staff keep young people safe. Consequently, none of the young people are subject to child sexual exploitation, radicalisation or go missing. Strong partnerships and communication between the staff team and social care

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Outstanding

professionals support families and protect young people. The staff’s contribution to joint visits with social workers has helped families to change and ensures that young people have effective safeguards in place. Staff have an excellent understanding of how young people’s disabilities and experiences affect their behaviour. This helps young people to manage their emotions within their level of understanding. The positive boundary-induced strategies that staff impose have proved effective in addressing young people’s challenging behaviours. An example includes how one young person is making a ‘remarkable’ improvement in how he behaves since moving to another part of the home. In relation to another young person, the registered manager said, ‘He is doing really well, he has built relationships and he classes [Name of the home] as his home.’ Consultation with parents and professionals, including the clinical

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Outstanding

psychologist, supports the behaviour management techniques used with young people. The clinical psychologist said, ‘Staff are a passionate, thoughtful, debating team and are very active in what they do.’ Staff training in physical intervention equips them sufficiently to manage young people’s behaviours in creative ways and without the need for restraint. This supports the ‘no restraint’ policy that operates at the home. The system for the storage and dispensing of medication is robust with no reported errors. This helps to keep dependent young people with complex health needs safe.

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Good

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2012. She has an extensive work history within childcare and relevant management experience and qualifications. She is also a qualified social worker. The registered manager is child- centred. She is a strong manager who is aspirational for young people to progress. A staff member described the registered manager as ‘extremely approachable’ and if there are any issues, ‘she is there’. Staff share the registered manager’s child-focused values and morale is good. Staff are passionate and highly motivated, going beyond their role to prioritise young people’s needs. One member of staff expressed high job satisfaction. She said, ‘It’s not about us. It’s about the children.’ Regular handovers, training and reflective supervision ensure that staff are supported in their care of young people. However, not all supervision records show the inclusion of reflective practice, despite it taking

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Good

place. Staff discuss how they can learn lessons from practice and understand the ‘bigger picture’ during their work with families to improve young people’s outcomes. Partnership working is an area of strength. The manager and staff are committed to supporting systemic practice. It also enables young people to get the support that they are entitled to. Parents and professionals speak highly about the registered manager’s and staff team’s contributions to the young people’s care. One social care professional said about their partnership with the staff team, ‘We work well together. We know where our boundaries are and we meet regularly.’ The registered manager and staff know the young people exceptionally well and can demonstrate the difference that staff interventions have on improving young people’s life chances. Staff feel sufficiently empowered to challenge other professionals who fall short of their responsibilities towards the young people. One

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Good

member of staff said, ‘We are an advocate for these children.’ The registered manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the service as demonstrated in her six-monthly service review. The requirement raised with respect to the independent visitor’s opinion about young people’s safety and welfare, although implied in the informative reports, remains unmet. The manager ensures that recruitment practice is robust. This helps to keep young people safe. The extent of the use of surveillance measures is not explicitly detailed in the statement of purpose. The consent from a parent regarding the use of a monitoring device has not been confirmed in writing and the regular review of the use of the devise has not been done. These shortfalls have no detrimental effect on the young person, but a recommendation is made to improve practice. The short breaks part of the service is starting again following a temporary

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Good

reduction of placements to meet the needs of the long-term service. Although a very busy and challenging time, caused by a number of factors impacting on staff resources, the team has remained resilient. The registered manager said, ‘The staff team are so flexible.’

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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