Children's home run by Horton Establishments Ltd in Kingston upon Hull, City of

Inspection report children’s home: SC413987 1 SC413987 Registered provider: Horton Establishments Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for eight young people, irrespective of gender, who have emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. There is a main building, which accommodates up to six young people. In the grounds there is a separate building, called The Lodge, which accommodates up to two young people who have needs associated with autistic spectrum disorder. All young people in the home are boys. The provider runs two schools for children who have special educational needs, and all the boys attend either one of these, alongside day pupils.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC413987 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Leadership and management are not strong enough to ensure effective communication and partnership working with schools and social workers.  Young people do not feel safe all of the time and report frequent name calling and falling out.  Management oversight does not ensure that physical intervention is used only as a last resort.  There is insufficient information about young people’s educational progress. This limits the leaders’ and managers’ ability to challenge schools about progress and to ensure that young people are getting the best education.  Family contact arrangements are not robust enough to ensure that all young people have a positive experience of contact.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people feel listened to and have good relationships with the staff and manager.  Staff support young people’s individual needs. Young people make some progress in improving their behaviour and in their education.  There are good opportunities for young people to develop their independence.  Young people do not go missing.  The staff team is stable, there is low staff turnover and staff provide young people with consistent expectations.  Staff complete a range of training to help support young people’s individual needs.  Leaders are keen to make constant improvements to the service.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/04/2016 Full Good 27/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC413987 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate, having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5(d))

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is up-to-date information about young people’s educational progress and that there are clear guidelines for contact arrangements for all young people. 30/06/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12(1) and (2)(a)(iv)) 30/06/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to their potential, and promotes their welfare.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to – understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1) and (2)(f))

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, improve record-keeping systems so that social workers receive timely information about young people’s significant events. 30/06/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20(2)) 30/06/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an incident relating to a child 30/06/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC413987 4 which the registered person considers serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 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)) 30/06/2017

p.3

Recommendations

 All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16). In particular ensure that the telephone numbers of each child’s advocate are individually available to that child.  In accordance with regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met), homes must have proactive relationships with appropriate schools and educational support services (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.7). In particular, it should be clear how individual pupil premium is spent to improve the

p.4

improvement to be good

Partnership working with schools and placing authorities is not effective enough to ensure that every young person receives good all-round support. This shortfall results in their overall experiences and progress not being good.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do not have up-to-date information about young people’s progress at school, so they are not able to support good educational outcomes. It is not clear how pupil premium funding is used for all young people, to help maximise their educational potential. Their attendance at school is very good but, overall, their progress with academic achievements is not good. Leaders of the home and schools are not working closely enough together to give young people good educational experiences and opportunities.

p.4

improvement to be good

Contact arrangements for one young person are not effective. The reasons for cancelling contact and decisions about what takes place during contact are not sufficiently agreed between the home, social worker and parent. This does not help the young person to have positive experiences of family contact, particularly when there are inconsistencies about what is allowed in contact and what is allowed outside of contact. The manager and social worker need to agree with the young person and his family a robust contact Inspection report children’s home: SC413987 5 plan that acknowledges who has parental responsibility.

p.4

improvement to be good

Not all young people have an independent advocate to help to promote their views, wishes and feelings. This can compromise how well they are listened to and potentially impact negatively on their quality of care, particularly when they are unhappy about the home and other young people. In some cases, evidence of the feelings and opinions of young people being acted on is weak. However, young people said that they feel listened to when they speak to the staff and the manager. If they are unhappy, they are confident that the manager will take action to try and put things right. The majority have an independent person or guardian to visit them and know how to contact their social worker. The manager has introduced ‘worry books’ that the young people can write in, and he gives them an individual response when they use these books.

p.5

improvement to be good

Young people have good relationships with staff and benefit from the stability and consistency that the staff provide them with. The staff understand the importance of helping young people to build positive attachments. They try to make it a fun place to live and encourage young people to talk about their feelings. There are key-working sessions between staff and young people. These provide further opportunities for staff to support young people and listen to their views. For example, staff help young people with their sense of identity and self-esteem, which results in their being healthier and reducing the discriminatory remarks that they make. This helps young people to gradually improve their behaviour, although this is not a linear process.

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff encourage young people to help around the home and develop their independence. Young people work through an assessment book that improves their life skills and helps them to develop the knowledge and understanding of living independently. Progress made by young people allows them greater freedom and responsibility. This means that they can go out on their own, arrange their own leisure activities and make their own way to school.

p.5

improvement to be good

Young people do not feel safe all of the time. Three young people referred to frequent name calling and falling out with each other. There have been times when young people have physically hurt each other. They said that they are content with the way that staff respond to this. Staff talk to young people about when and where they do not feel safe and help them to find ways to avoid falling out. However, care practice and monitoring arrangements do not show that this has a positive impact and that young people feel safer as a result.

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff are able to de-escalate situations when young people are aggressive. There is a relatively low frequency in their use of physical intervention to manage challenging behaviour. The manager and deputy manager monitor these incidents. However, this does not ensure that physical intervention is used only as a last resort. Similarly, these systems do not fully address comments made by young people about staff that are Inspection report children’s home: SC413987 6 potentially complaints.

p.5

improvement to be good

Young people do not go missing from the home. If they do leave, there are enough staff on duty to follow them and persuade them to return. Staff know the procedures to follow in the event of a young person being missing and they understand the need for different responses depending on the risks of harm. The manager attends meetings with the police and managers of other homes. This is to share information about local risks in the community and patterns of missing from home behaviour, to help keep young people safe.

p.6

improvement to be good

Staff receive training about a range of safeguarding topics, including child sexual exploitation and extremism. They are confident that they would recognise the signs that a young person was at risk and know what action to take to keep them safe. Staff are aware of young people’s individual vulnerabilities and provide individual support. For example, staff talk to young people about the dangers of obesity and smoking, which has a positive effect.

p.6

improvement to be good

The manager works in conjunction with other agencies to address risks. For example, he raises concerns about young people’s home life with placing authorities and seeks appropriate advice from the local authority safeguarding team in relation to allegations made about staff. This helps to keep young people safe.

p.6

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

The quality of communication with other professionals and partnership working requires improvement. Management systems have failed to ensure that the relevant social worker received two recent copies of body charts of a young person’s injuries. This compromises the ability of the placing authority to oversee the placement and fulfil its responsibilities to safeguard young people. There was a delay in notifying another social worker of a significant incident that resulted in the police taking a young person into custody. As a result, the young person had no contact from his social worker until the following day, although she could have visited him sooner had she been informed of the incident.

p.6

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

The local authority has raised concerns with the registered provider, including that relating to the timely sharing of information. The registered provider and manager are responding to these concerns and are taking steps to improve practice. Existing gaps in communication do not ensure that there is good all-round support for young people. Furthermore, the current management systems are not robust enough to ensure that important information is always shared appropriately.

p.6

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

There was a serious incident earlier in the month, involving three young people who were at risk of harm and out of the control of staff, which required police intervention. The manager did not notify Ofsted of this, preventing appropriate oversight and monitoring of young people’s welfare.

p.6

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

The manager has not complied with the required action from the last inspection. The Inspection report children’s home: SC413987 7 manager’s six-monthly review of the service still does not take account of the views of parents, carers and placing authorities. This limits the potential for obtaining significant feedback about the quality of care from other people. These people are an important part of the lives of young people, and their opinions, either positive or negative, should inform the review process.

p.6

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

The registered manager has been in post since March 2015. He is an experienced manager and has the recommended qualifications. He is supported by a knowledgeable deputy who has previously managed a home. The young people like the manager and have a good relationship with him.

p.7

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

The staff team is stable, and there is low turnover. Staff members are motivated to support young people to do well and achieve their potential. The staff undertake a range of training that helps them safeguard the young people and promote their individual needs. The staff receive good support from the manager through supervision, team meetings and day-to-day discussion about work practice.

p.7

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

Despite weaknesses in some areas of practice, leaders are keen to constantly improve the quality of care. They have improved the communication with the two schools that the young people attend and have taken steps to reduce the number of missed health appointments. There are plans for more staff training, to help improve the emotional well-being of young people, and for adopting specific practice that has been effective in school. Leaders have also commissioned a new independent visitor to complete monthly evaluations of how well the staff safeguard young people and promote their needs. There has been one monthly report so far, and it is too early to assess whether this is a positive change. It is recommended that future reports include detail about changes in practice in response to the local authority’s concerns and shortfalls highlighted in this inspection report.

p.7

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 difference 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.

p.7

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: SC413987 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horton Establishments Ltd

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 372 Chanterlands Avenue, Hull HU5 4ED

p.8

Inspector

Simon Morley, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC413987 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9