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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . Young people continue to receive excellent, individual care from a staff team that is highly committed to their specific needs. Young people continue to make progress from their starting points, and the steps they make, however small, are celebrated. For example, one young person was seeking an appropriate contact from another young person, and received praise for this small step for him. Young people have trusting relationships with the staff team. Young people can communicate their needs to an understanding staff team that knows their routines and preferences very well. Consequently, young people experience minimal frustrations and, importantly, experience fun, stimulation and smiles. The experiences that young people enjoy are clearly evident throughout the home. The

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

staff team charts colourful and visual reminders for young people, with photographs and creative displays. Young people enjoy living or staying in the home and their individual likes and interests are well promoted. Clearly, the manager and the team enjoy caring for the young people and working closely with families and professionals to achieve excellent outcomes. A social worker commented on the progress of one young person, ‘I noticed his speech improved, very clear, he is much happier’ and commented about the home, ‘They will put themselves out, the home has been brilliant.’ Since the last inspection, one young person has started short breaks. The young person has been well prepared and the parent has initially visited the home. The key worker has worked closely with the parent, visited the family home, and facilitated tea visits for the young person to prepare for an overnight stay. Planning to ensure that the young people settle well is carefully considered at each step, for

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

example ensuring that the key worker is working on each planned visit and for the planned short stay. This is so that a consistent and familiar person can provide individual care for the young person and help them make this transition. Two young people have moved on, as a result of good planning with the home, their families and adult services. Planning starts at an early point to ensure that young people’s needs are fully understood and that they can receive the right level of support, without unnecessary delays. Families are fully involved in all decision making about the appropriate services going forward. Young people are prepared and helped with their smooth transition to adult services. The manager has taken action to meet the requirements from the last inspection. A meeting to discuss improving the monitoring report has taken place with the independent visitor. This has resulted in some more detail and analysis in the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

report. However, the report of the independent visitor does not include an explicit opinion on how effectively the home is safeguarding children. The manager is currently reviewing the quality of care report to improve the clarity of actions for the home going forward. This is due in April 2017 and is not yet complete. The home has made progress on the three recommendations. Risk assessments are promptly updated in light of any new information. The manager attends frequent meetings within the service, as part of the overall review of service improvements across the local authority. The manager keeps the staff team informed of current developments through team meetings and seeks to minimise the effects of uncertainty on the staff team. A consultation exercise is underway to seek the views of the staff and families. The manager has consulted with others on how to improve the quality of supervision and introduce methods to enhance reflective practice. The manager is

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

currently adapting the supervision format to promote these improvements. Although progress is underway, this is not yet implemented or having an impact. The previous vacancies in the home are now resolved, with experienced staff members joining the team. The home continues to be busy and any staffing shortages are supported by a bank of regular staff to call on, when needed. The manager responds promptly to recommendations from independent monitoring, and there are no outstanding areas to address from the recent monthly reports. The home continues to be a welcoming environment and the staff team strives to maintain and improve on these high standards in all areas of the home. The areas for the young people who live in the home are personal, homely and clearly reflect their individual personalities. The home continues to work proactively and closely with professionals and families. A health professional speaks highly of the home and the joint working; for

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

example, the home, health and education professionals jointly undertake annual health assessments for those living at the home. This ensures that there is a full and comprehensive assessment for each young person, which is informed by their presenting needs across all aspects of their lives.

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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 difficulties. Some children also have physical disabilities and complex health needs. The vast majority of children and young people have short breaks at the home. Some young people are currently accommodated on a long-term basis.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

17/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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)) 01/05/2017

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Requirement Due date

(3) 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)) Specifically, to make clear the intended actions in the review report. 01/05/2017

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Recommendations

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

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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 home regulations including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2). In particular, all staff must receive supervision that enables them to reflect on their practice.

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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

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 that 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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 0300 123 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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