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

Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 1 SC036157 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

This is a local authority children’s home which may provide care, accommodation and short breaks for up to eight children with learning disabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people make exceptional progress from their starting points.  The individualised plans and safety protocols help to ensure that children and young people receive the best care in line with their complex needs.  The management team has high expectations of the staff team to ensure that the children and young people enjoy life to the full.  Staff are qualified beyond the minimum standards, and training and development are continuous to enhance the care provided to the children and young people.  The young people receive proactive and planned care which enables them to maximise their life chances.  The stable staff team provides consistency of care to the children and young people and they share the ambitions of the management team for the young people.  The multi-agency practice that takes place around the children and young people significantly enhances their opportunities and enables them to enjoy life

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Key findings from this inspection

to the full.  The staff work with and support children and young people’s involvement with other services.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/12/2016 Full Outstanding 10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/07/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people respond very well to the individualised care and support provided by a staff team that knows them extremely well. Purposeful management of the home, coupled with the staff team’s commitment and excellent skill base, means that emergency admissions can be appropriately accepted. Confident assessment of the presenting needs and the abilities of the staff ensure that best-interest decisions are made in respect of the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people are happy, and staff make the home an upbeat, energised and motivating place to be. Each child and young person is treated with respect and understanding. These children and young people receive exemplary care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

This has been the home of some of the children and young people for many years. Upon admission, the behaviour management plan for one young person identified that it was unsafe for them to leave the home. Substantial progress has been made with this young person, who is now able to enjoy community activities like any other teenager, supported by only one member of staff. This is not a unique outcome. All of the children and young people receive stimulating continuous support and encouragement to be independent and to increase their living skills in line with their abilities. The children and young people who are able to meet some of their own daily and personal care needs are supported to do this. This increases self-esteem, confidence and resilience in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Education for the children and young people is expected and prioritised. When needed, staff provide one-to-one support in the schools to ensure that the children and young people continue to have access to learning. The registered manager facilitates regular meetings with the virtual head. This eliminates professional barriers and ensures that the staff are able to secure timely and appropriate educational opportunities. This positive practice is applied regardless of the young person’s history or the challenges that exist. This means that the children and young people are not excluded from education, nor deprived of opportunities for ongoing learning due to the lack of appropriate provision. The manager knows when the children and young people’s educational needs are not being met and takes steps to remedy this. For example, plans for a change of school are currently under way for one young person so that he can settle into a new school and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

prepare to take his GCSE exams. The children and young people who live here have considerable opportunity for developmental and educational progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people have a range of complex health needs. The well- organised medication processes managed and overseen by trained staff and external monitoring systems ensure that effective and safe practice is sustained. The confident practice of the staff, informed by the comprehensive risk management plans, ensures that emergency situations and ongoing healthcare needs and plans are met effectively. Children have the medical treatment that they need, when they need it. The staff recognise the enormity of the responsibility on them. This does not stop them from Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 4 continuing to give the children and young people normality and providing the greatest opportunities and experiences available to them.

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

The children and young people have increased vulnerability as they are reliant on staff to help them to stay safe. They receive highly effective support on a one-one basis so that their exposure to risk is limited. This does not prevent autonomy, and safe independence is promoted as the children and young people’s comprehensive individual plans identify the risks and the measures to protect against these.

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

Relationships between the children and young people who live together are generally positive. The dedicated staff are aware of the triggers for each child and young person. Proactive and knowledgeable care ensures that staff intervene successfully with distraction techniques when needed. Although the children and young people have their own safe and personalised rooms, the living arrangements in the home also include a number of shared rooms. This means that the children and young people who may need their own space are able to enjoy an alternative down-time option without feeling excluded from the family group. The staff team does not use physical restraints with the young people. The children and young people respond extremely well to the consistent and committed care provided to them, and know that staff will protect them and intervene on their behalf, when necessary.

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

The high level of support that the children and young people need in meeting their intimate and physical care needs is a normal feature of life in this home. Staff are acutely aware of what this means to those children and young people who need this support and they are respectful of this. Their safeguarding responsibilities are understood fully and taken very seriously. Staff know what actions they would take if they had any child protection and/or well-being concerns.

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

While there have been no recent episodes of going missing from home, the staff are aware of the policy, and reflect this in the young person’s individual missing from care action plans. A recent issue of an internet safety breach by one young person has been responded to very successfully. All the children and young people have access to safe internet use, now with enhanced safety protocols.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a qualified social worker with an extensive work history in children’s social care. She has been registered with Ofsted since 2012 and has the necessary qualifications to fulfil her role. She continues with her own professional development, embracing learning opportunities that arise for her to the benefit of the children and young people in her care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The committed management team maintains high expectations of the children and young people, and of the fully qualified staff team. The manager and staff team understand the systemic nature of families and apply this to their practice. Continued Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 5 staff development is the norm. The manager’s use of expert speakers and trainers enhances the staff’s skills in meeting the evolving needs of the children and young people. Regular meetings are held with education, health and internally and opportunities for the children and young people are greatly improved through this multi- agency working. Inclusion and equality are standard for the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management and staff team are currently focused on increasing the short-break provision. It had been necessary to reduce this for a while to support some very vulnerable children and young people. Proactive work by the staff team in meeting the needs of these children and young people has resulted in outstanding developments for those involved. It has also enabled the staff team to resume their service very quickly to other families, children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has an excellent understanding of every child and young person in her care and how their individual plans can be achieved. The manager is able to drive her ambitions for the children and young people and she is successful in securing the services that are needed. The importance of reflective and up-to-date care planning is clear. The staff who know the children and young people best are responsible for this. This means that the plans are qualitative and informed so that children and young people have increased likelihood of experiencing inspiring opportunities and having improved outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team shares the responsibility for the internal monitoring of the care that the young people receive. This shared ownership with the manager in such crucial areas of the children and young people’s care makes for a cohesive staff team. There is no minimising of roles, and staff team members feel valued and supported, which means that they have confidence in their own practice and their ability to meet the children and young people’s care needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children and young people are, undoubtedly, integral to the way the home runs. Opportunities are provided to the children and young people to engage in activities that they enjoy. Teatime was relaxed and enjoyable during the inspection, and the children and young people spoke about eating their preferred meals. The independent advocate is a regular visitor to the home. Her view of the care provided is that it is very good and caring, and the children and young people ‘seem really happy and confident in their surroundings’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children and young people enjoy a sense of family and their care reflects this and the ethos of the home as set out in the statement of purpose. The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home and these are detailed in the six-monthly monitoring report and action plan, and the home’s/team’s development plan. Any matters raised by the independent person are addressed without delay.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 6 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: SC036157 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Silvia Madrid-Ortega

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Inspectors

Angela Norrie, social care inspector Debbie Foster, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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