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

Inspection report children's home: SC034746 1 SC034746 Registered provider: Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people, of either gender, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 25 January 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Three compliance notices were issued under Section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000 on 7 February 2017. A monitoring visit conducted on 13 March 17 found that the compliance notice under regulation 6 was met and that regulation 12 and 14 were not met. The latter two compliance notices were checked at this inspection and were found to be met. Inspection report children's home: SC034746 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Not all young people have felt safe all of the time in the home. This is due to a young person being the victim of a serious unprovoked assault from a peer.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There is no recorded safety plan that shows what action staff take to keep young people consistently safe and to assess future risk.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Risk management strategies are not implemented with sufficient urgency.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The boundaries imposed by staff towards young people are inconsistent. Some staff lack confidence in challenging young people’s negative behaviours.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The voice of the child is not integrated well into home life.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are not engaging in new activities that can widen their experiences and provide them with fun informal learning opportunities.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The new acting manager does not have a clear oversight of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. This is because the information is not accessible following the unexpected departure of the previous acting manager.

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Key findings from this inspection

 A temporary halt on placements has resulted in a more settled environment for the young people to live in, with fewer serious incidents.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Missing from care incidents have significantly reduced. There are no known current child sexual exploitation concerns.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Some young people share good relationships with the staff, who help them to understand the consequences of their behaviour, and this informs positive, safer choices. Inspection report children's home: SC034746 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 19/09/2016 Full Requires improvement 27/07/2016 Full Inadequate 04/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC034746 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on– an understanding about acceptable behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure–

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Requirement Due date

that staff– communicate to each child expectations about the child's behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child's age and understanding. (Regulation 11(1)(b)) and (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to staff upholding consistent boundaries, taking decisive action in response to negative behaviours and ensuring that records match the actual decisions made with respect to sanctions. 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure–

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Requirement Due date

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1) and (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to implementing all risk management strategies and ensuring that a written safety plan is devised that informs staff about the agreed actions they need to take to safeguard the young people that it relates to. 30/06/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC034746 5 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that–

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential, and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to–

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 1(a)(b) and 2(d)(h)) 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must– notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(b)) 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that– children can access all appropriate areas of the children's home's premises. (Regulation 21(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that young people are supplied with a key to their room. 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if– an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)) 30/06/2017

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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) 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. The registered person must– 30/06/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC034746 6 supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(1) and (4)(a)) The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ascertain and consider the opinions of parents, professionals and staff. 30/06/2017

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Recommendations

 A child’s bedroom should not generally be entered without permission, though it may be necessary to establish routines to allow for rooms to be cleaned regularly. Usually, rooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child's or another person's safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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Recommendations

This is with particular reference to staff carrying out room searches when the risk of smoking in bedrooms is known.

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home's care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

 Children’s homes staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home's plan for their care. Each child’s talents and interests should be understood and nurtured, with children selecting activities based on their personal preferences and abilities, so far as is reasonable. Staff should also support children to try activities that are 'new' for them, where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4) Inspection report children's home: SC034746 7

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improvement to be good

Compliance notices issued at the last inspection have stimulated improvement in the home’s admissions process. The acting manager has made sure that no young people move into the home unless the staff team can meet their individual needs. Specifically, no further placements will be made to the home until the needs of one young person have fully stabilised following a serious incident in the home.

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improvement to be good

The current group of young people are settling relatively well, although their progress does fluctuate. There is a clear recognition that the home is not the right environment for some young people to prosper over the longer term. Consequently, staff are working with other professionals to work towards identifying bespoke placements that can meet the young people’s needs. Other young people who have lived at the home for several years are positively working towards achieving their future plans, and their target to reach employment goals is within sight.

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improvement to be good

Staff have built some positive relationships with the young people, which provide trusted and approachable adults whom young people can rely on. However, the occasions that the young people meet together and fully engage in key-work time are limited, and this restricts how they can convey their wishes and influence how the home operates.

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improvement to be good

The support that young people receive to maintain their health and well-being helps to inform their lifestyle choices. Some young people are partaking in exercise by going to the gym, cycling and getting involved in other sporting interests. This improves their fitness levels and makes them feel good. Young people continue to smoke cigarettes and cannabis, which is having a negative impact on their health. Young people do not readily accept the advice that the staff offer them to access the appropriate services in order to help them to conquer such addictive behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Most young people are engaged in their education and vocational studies. Staff help young people whose disruptive behaviour in school is interfering with their learning. The positive working relationships with like-minded professionals ensure that any barriers to the young person’s education are discussed in meetings to help to counter any learning and attainment difficulties. Young people like playing on the Xbox, watching DVDs and going on day trips during the school holidays. However, they are not engaging in new activities that broaden their experiences and create fun, informal learning opportunities.

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improvement to be good

Staff are good at building a positive rapport with family members to promote constructive contact with young people. This keeps young people in touch with their identity and cultural heritage. Where there are concerns about the welfare of young people during contact, the home is working with social care professionals to secure safer controls over the contact arrangements.

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improvement to be good

The lounge, play area, kitchen, dining room and personalised bedrooms are comfortable Inspection report children's home: SC034746 8 spaces for the young people to relax. Any damage caused by the young people or repairs needed are acted on promptly, which prevents an unsightly appearance. Improvements to the bathrooms, hallways and the grounds of the premises continue to be work in progress. The objective is to raise and maintain higher living standards throughout the home.

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improvement to be good

One compliance notice issued following the last inspection required the provider to keep children safe through reviewing risk management strategies following any serious incidents. They were also required to undertake anti-bullying work with young people and the staff team so that young people are made to feel safer through more decisive actions. Although the provider is now compliant with the regulations, the limited details in the risk assessments coupled with the failure to implement the risk management strategies with sufficient urgency does not guarantee the young people’s safety.

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improvement to be good

One particular incident involved a serious assault on a young person by a peer who also lives at the home. The act of violence was unforeseen, unprovoked and made the targeted young person feel unsafe. The assumed safety plan that professionals believe is operating in the home to prevent a further incident is not recorded in the required format. It is therefore not clear what safeguarding strategies are being used by staff to keep young people safe and to assess future risk. Professionals express reservations about some of the young people’s long-term security in the home.

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improvement to be good

Overall, fewer disruptive incidents are leading to a relatively calmer atmosphere in the home. Young people who show inappropriate behaviours are encouraged by staff to understand the consequences of their actions and to take responsibility for the choices that they make. The outcomes of these interventions are yet to be determined. Staff have become increasingly watchful of the young people around the home. They also spend time talking to young people about keeping safe and not smoking substances in their rooms. However, room searches are not taking place when the risks of such behaviour knowingly persist.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s behaviours are managed through the minimal use of physical intervention and the imposition of sanctions to help to modify behaviours. However, staff do not follow through the agreed sanctions in a consistent manner. Furthermore, not all staff have shown the confidence to always challenge the adverse behaviours of the young people. This impedes the young people’s clarity about the boundaries. It also has the potential to undermine the parental authority that staff role model.

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improvement to be good

Young people are not going missing at the previous high frequency, and there are no current child sexual exploitation concerns.

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improvement to be good

Relevant staff training and the subsequent learning informs practices around dealing with bullying behaviour, safeguarding and whistle blowing. Young people have made no Inspection report children's home: SC034746 9 allegations or complaints since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been no registered manager in post since January 2017. A qualified and experienced manager was in post at the time of the last inspection, but he is currently absent from the home. An existing senior staff member took up the acting manager’s position on 6 April 2017. This is his first managerial post. He has a social work qualification and several years of residential childcare experience. He is in the process of submitting an application to register with Ofsted to be the manager of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Temporary support from a senior member of staff from another local authority children’s home is helping the acting manager to develop the service. Although the circumstances of the management changes were unforeseen, these adjustments hinder the speed in which the service is able to move upwardly to becoming a ‘good’ home. This is because the progress made by the previous manager has not had sufficient time to embed, therefore its sustainability is questionable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Consequently, the timing of the acting manager’s recent appointment has not placed him in a fair position to account for the current deficiencies under the previous management. He is trying to make sense of the shortcomings of the service so that he can take the required action to improve the young people’s life chances.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

It is not clear how the previous manager recognised the strengths and tackled weakness because there are no visible monitoring systems that the acting manager can find. Furthermore, the previous manager has failed to send the six-monthly monitoring report to Ofsted within the required timescale. The monthly independent visitor reports do not make explicitly clear whether the home has met the previous recommendations. These reports still do not provide a consistent opinion as to whether young people are safeguarded and their welfare is promoted. This is a continuing issue that lacks scrutiny with respect to ensuring that young people are consistently safe. The unsatisfactory level of management oversight and monitoring has led to missed opportunities to improve the quality of the young people’s records and to ensure that staff follow through delegated tasks in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although staff are motivated and strive for the best outcomes for the young people, their roles and responsibilities under the current grading system have led to some resistance in them carrying out additional roles. Staff sickness and absence levels are stretching the staff team’s resilience to meet the needs of the service. This has led to some staff working excessive hours, the use of casual staff, and having fewer staff on shift, which does not allow for much capacity in times of crisis. Despite this concern, staff remain buoyant. They feel well supported and supervised by the acting manager and other senior colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The acting manager is forward planning to ensure that the specific training enhances the staff team’s knowledge and confidence in caring for young people with wide-ranging Inspection report children's home: SC034746 10 needs. Team meetings take place regularly, with the interventions of clinical professionals who provide advice and support to help the staff team manage individual young people’s complex behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The provider has not consistently provided the regulator with notifications of serious incidents. This hinders Ofsted from carrying out its regulatory duties. Similarly, Ofsted has not received an update about the outcome of a complaint made by a young person during the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A reviewed statement of purpose has not been sent to Ofsted within the required timescales to show the changes to the management and staffing in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The eight requirements made at the last inspection that included compliance notices and one recommendation are satisfactorily met and aspects are being progressed. However, not all young people have a key to their room. Consultations with parents, professionals and staff during the internal monitoring process cannot be verified because the review report has not been sent to Ofsted. These requirements are therefore repeated.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the 'Social care common inspection framework', this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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'. Inspection report children's home: SC034746 11

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AA

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Inspector(s)

Jacqueline Malcolm, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC034746 12 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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

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