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

Inspection report children’s home: SC035499 1 SC035499 Registered provider: East Riding of Yorkshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children or young people who 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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC035499 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young people are making good progress in building self-esteem and feelings of self-worth.  The enthusiastic and committed staff team provides the young people with a consistent and caring environment.  A positive emphasis on physical activity encourages a healthy lifestyle and provides the young people with the opportunity to build social and life skills.  The young people feel safe as a result of the trusting attachments that they form with the staff team.  The skilled and experienced manager effectively supports a well-trained staff team.  Good collaborative working with partner agencies ensures that the young people receive consistent care to meet their needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The bathrooms need refurbishing to bring them up to the same high standard as the rest of the home.  Systems need to be improved to ensure that young people are happy with the outcome of any complaint.  The young people need to be supported to read and comment upon their care plans.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/06/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC035499 3

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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, the 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

Ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2) (c) (i)) In particular, that the bathrooms are renovated. 01/06/2018

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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)) In particular, that young people’s views are obtained regarding the outcome of their complaint. 01/05/2018

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Recommendations

 Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are happy in the home. They enjoy good and caring relationships with the committed staff team. As a result, the young people feel valued, enhancing their self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. A young person said, ‘I grew up here and I’m happy and like myself and that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been here.’ The young people live in a spacious detached house within easy access to a number of local amenities. The recent redecoration of the home included the young people’s choices. It is fresh with comfortable furnishings. However, the bathrooms are not the same high standard as the rest of the home, which could impact on the work that the staff team are doing with some of the young people around personal hygiene issues. Inspection report children’s home: SC035499 4 Good care planning ensures that all aspects of the young people’s needs are met holistically. Consequently, the staff team members understand the steps that they need

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

to take to support the young people in meeting their goals. However, it is not evident whether the young people are contributing towards their plans and have seen them. The young people are encouraged to express their wishes and feelings through a variety of means, including attendance at the monthly young people’s meetings and in their link- worker sessions. This increases the young people’s confidence in sharing their views in a positive manner. As a result, although the young people understand the complaints system, it is very rarely needed. However, it is not clear whether the one complaint that has been made was resolved to the young person’s satisfaction. Parents and carers are impressed at the progress that their children are making as a result of the care that they are receiving. Good contact arrangements ensure that the young people are supported to maintain, and on occasion rebuild, important familial

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

relationships. These allow the young people to maintain community ties, which will support them now and in their adult lives. A parent reported that the staff team members were ‘wonderful’ and that ‘they are always available when I need their help and advice.’ The young people are making good progress in a number of areas of their lives. The introduction of a ‘let’s get healthy’ incentive programme encourages the young people to participate in inclusive activities within the community. This not only enhances their lifestyle choices but provides them with the opportunity to form positive friendships thus enhancing their social and life skills. A young person said, ‘When I look back to what I was like when I first came and who I am now I can hardly recognise myself. I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved.’ Partnership working with specialist health providers, for example the child and adolescent mental health services and sexual health services, is good. This close

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

collaboration allows the young people to receive the support that they need, as well as consistent messages from the staff team. As a result, the young people’s emotional health and well-being improve as they learn how to make sense of past life experiences and plan towards a more positive future. All of the young people are registered with appropriate education providers. The manager’s and staff team’s expectations that young people will attend school encourage the young people to do so. Not all of the young people have fully embraced the importance of learning but those who have now have aspirations to obtain qualifications and go on to further education. This enhances their future life and employment opportunities. A contact worker said, ‘He has been going for education. Previous to that [moving into the home], he had been missing school for a year. It is a massive milestone for him.’ Good partnership working with the local authority’s pathway team prepares the young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

people, who are able, to transition well into adult placements. Wherever possible, the young people are actively involved in choosing their placement, enhancing their opportunities for success. The staff team maintains contact with young people after they have moved on, as good parents would, to further support this transition. A young person said, ‘I took part in choosing my lodgings. I don’t think I would have had the confidence to make that kind of choice if I hadn’t been here.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC035499 5

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young people, parents and professionals report that the young people are safe and secure. A comprehensive range of risk assessments are effectively applied. This ensures that the young people’s individual vulnerabilities are known and planned for, providing them with appropriate protection. The young people’s attachment to staff and sense of belonging in the home mean that episodes of going missing reduce once they have settled. Good partnership working with specialist police officers and the staff team’s proactive practice allow patterns to be established and risk areas identified. In addition, the manager’s involvement in a local multi-agency group ensures that any risks of child sexual exploitation are identified and addressed. As a result, the young people are safeguarded. A parent reported that, ‘They are doing a great job with her and they keep me informed. She’s been really good at not being missing. She’s doing really well there.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

As a result of the staff team’s emphasis on the promotion of positive behaviours and providing incentives, the young people quickly learn the benefits of behaving appropriately. Sanctions, often of a financial nature but also for the young person to report back to the home every two hours, are implemented. These provide the young people with the opportunity to learn from the consequences of their behaviours. A staff team member said, ‘It’s all about respect, privacy and dignity and if we don’t show the children that, how can they learn how to do it themselves.’ The warm relationships that the young people enjoy with trusted staff team members mean that there is very little need for physical intervention. The last restraint, recorded in August 2017, shows that the comprehensive detail obtained allowed all concerned to learn from the experience. The young people are safeguarded by these measures. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘It’s certainly been the most long-term, consistent

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

place she’s lived and it’s the most she’s responded to the adults and the boundaries. I’ve definitely seen an improvement in her attitude and maturity.’ Comprehensive local authority safeguarding procedures are effectively applied. The staff team members fully understand their responsibilities and act swiftly to protect the young people if there are any concerns. There has been one child protection incident since the last inspection. The manager and staff team took all appropriate steps. As a result, both of the young people were protected. The manager said, ‘We are able to have these difficult conversations with young people. They share things with us that they know might get passed on, so they develop resilience.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A skilled and experienced manager provides consistent leadership to the well-trained and supported staff team. Her commitment to the young people means that she does not give up on them and will use all means at her disposal to empower the young people to safely achieve. This provides the young people with a sense of security and belonging that allows them to engage with care. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘[Name] presents as a competent manager who is not one to be moving young people out. She is Inspection report children’s home: SC035499 6 looking for conflict resolution.’ The loyal and motivated staff team members are enthusiastic about the level of support and training that they receive. This enhances their confidence and abilities, enabling them to meet the needs of the young people. A staff team member reported, ‘There is a strong, positive ethos at the home, which is clearly led by the manager who has a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

positive approach to the work.’ Professionals report positively about the good communication and partnership working that they have with the staff team. This good practice ensures that the young people receive consistent messages about their care and future plans, enhancing their opportunities for success. A social worker reported, ‘Communication with the staff and management is brilliant. It is a good example of joined-up working.’ The manager knows the young people in her care well and has a close working relationship with each of them. They trust her to make appropriate decisions on their behalf and to ensure that their needs are met. The manager’s knowledge of the young people’s needs and effective use of auditing procedures ensures that she is aware of the progress that each young person is making. Excellent external monitoring reports fully comply with regulation and promote young people’s safety and well-being. The manager’s internal Regulation 45 auditing processes

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

are detailed and thorough. They contain the views of all interested parties and reflect the impact that the young people’s views have on their care. The statement of purpose provides a comprehensive picture of the care to be provided. This promotes the appropriate placement of young people in the home, enhancing their opportunities to achieve. The manager works hard to promote equality and diversity within the home for the young people. Concentrated efforts to ensure that the young people understand and celebrate differences empower them to learn and reflect upon some preconceived ideas. For example, one young person wrote an apology note saying, ‘Sorry for last week. I won’t do it again’, after he and a friend behaved inappropriately towards a group of people with disabilities. Inspection report children’s home: SC035499 7

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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: SC035499 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Cross Street, Beverley, North Humberside HU17 9BA

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Inspector

Ann-Marie Born: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035499 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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