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 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates and runs this home. It provides care for young people whose plan is to live in a medium- to long-term residential setting. The manager is suitably qualified and has been in post since July 2017. He became the registered manager in October 2017. He has 13 years’ experience in residential care.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC034746 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 09/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 19/09/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC034746 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, 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 leadership and management standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1), (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regard to training around attachment issues and the risks posed by gang membership and ‘county lines’. 31/08/2018

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulation 44, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report children’s home: SC034746 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people enjoy living in a spacious, detached property. The recent redecoration of the home, with colours, soft furnishings and pictures chosen by the young people, makes the shared spaces more homely. The young people are happy and making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people benefit from the care that they receive from a nurturing and consistent staff team. This provides the young people with the opportunity to engage with individual staff team members whom they feel they have a specific bond with. All of the staff team members are good role models for the young people. A young person said, ‘I never have to be on my own here and they are helping me to find ways of coping. I haven’t been hurting myself since I’ve been living here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people can see the good progress that they make, giving them the confidence to strive for more. Good care planning incorporates all aspects of the young people’s individual and diverse needs. Documentation is available in their native language, for example Arabic, ensuring that of all the young people can actively contribute to their records and their future plans. The young people’s emotional health and well-being improve significantly as they respond to the nurturing and consistent care that they receive. The young people learn to like themselves, which empowers them to engage in more productive social relationships than they had in the past. The young people’s physical health improves as they cease substance misuse and engage in a healthier lifestyle. A healthy diet, including Halal food, is planned and promoted. A pregnant young woman is being well supported to prepare for motherhood. The encouragement from the staff team members for the young people to attend their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

appropriate education provisions supports them to maintain their interest in learning. Some of the young people are involved in taking GCSE examinations and have ambitions to go on to further education. One young person has a part-time job in the field that he hopes to pursue in adulthood. The young people’s future employment and life chances are enhanced as a result of the support that they receive. The good use of link-worker sessions ensure that the young people are able to express their thoughts and feelings with trusted staff team members. The young people feel valued, as their opinions are sought in the appointment of new staff members and in the redecoration of the home. The young people’s self-esteem and confidence grow as they feel heard. Parents report positively on the good communication that the staff team members maintain with them. Consistent contact arrangements, and the proactive interactions

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

between the staff team and family members, enable the young people to maintain important familial relationships. A parent said, ‘She’s been in a lot of different care homes over the past six or seven months, and this one is the best. She’s happy and Inspection report children’s home: SC034746 5 safe, and that’s all I could ask for.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team members work hard at building and maintaining with partner agencies productive relationships that benefit the young people. Close partnership working with all relevant professionals, including those involved in mental health and sexual health services, help to ensure that the young people’s needs are met holistically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people’s hobbies and interests are promoted. They are empowered to participate in inclusive activities, which not only increase their social and life skills but, in some cases, help them to improve their knowledge of English. Clear pathway plans are effectively applied so that the young people can learn necessary independence skills. Young people are prepared for living in semi-independence, returning to family members or, as in a recent situation, joining the army. The staff team members continue to support the young people in their independent settings for as long as they need, as good parents would.

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improvement to be good

The home’s locality assessment has recently been updated. However, it is not sufficiently detailed to ensure that risks within the community can be effectively planned for.

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improvement to be good

Improved risk assessments are linked with daily plans to ensure that the young people are protected from harm. This has included increasing staff numbers to meet the needs of individual young people. One young person can display intimidating behaviour towards staff team members in an effort to impose his will. The consistent use of sanctions and restorative practice contribute towards enabling him, and the other young people, to learn the consequences of their actions.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been one complaint from a young person, about another young person. The manager investigated the concerns raised, but the matter has progressed to a second stage as the outcome that the young person wanted was not achieved. The complaint is being managed sensitively by the manager to ensure that both of the young people are heard and do not feel rejected.

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improvement to be good

The significant reduction in the number of ‘missing’ episodes, none having taken place since the last inspection, demonstrates how the young people have settled into the home. The manager has implemented a system to look for patterns in behaviours and to inform staff to prevent further episodes. The local police officer is welcome in the home, building positive relationships which support the young people.

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improvement to be good

There have been a number of incidents of bullying behaviour from one young person towards the others. At the time of the inspection, one young person stated that they had been reluctant to sleep in the home every night due to the intimidation. The staff team members have implemented detailed preventative plans to address these behaviours and ensure that all of the young people feel safe, which has led to some improvement. Inspection report children’s home: SC034746 6 Much-improved recording procedures detail any episodes of physical intervention. This ensures that all involved have the opportunity to learn from the experience. The young people are empowered to develop safer and more appropriate ways of managing frustration, which prevents any recurrence.

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improvement to be good

The young people’s increased sense of security and well-being enables them to cease previous self-harming behaviours. Nevertheless, staff have now had training on self- harming behaviours and ligatures, which provides further protection. A young person said, ‘Nobody else has been able to change me the way these (sic) have. I don’t do drugs or drink anymore, I don’t hurt myself and I’m not depressed, I’m happy.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The dedicated and skilled manager knows the young people in his care well and provides the staff team members with strong leadership. His consistently high expectations and systemic guidance empower staff team members to meet the young people’s needs. A staff team member said, ‘Things have really improved since (name) has been here. He’s the best manager I’ve had in 22 years. He’s child centred, but he fights for the staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection have been met. This not only demonstrates the home’s capacity to improve but contributes to improved protection and outcomes for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team members have received training in all core subjects, including child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. The ‘good recording guide’ folder recently implemented by the manager ensures that the young people’s records are of a high standard. However, the cancellation of some courses by the local authority means that not all of the staff team members have a robust understanding of attachment issues. In addition, recent issues in the city in which the home is located mean that the staff would benefit from a deeper knowledge of the risks posed by gang membership and ‘county lines’. Notifications following serious incidents are now being made to Ofsted appropriately. This enables the regulator to have an overview of the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s oversight procedures ensure that he has a clear vision of each young person’s progress and what steps are needed to improve matters further for them. He uses the information gathered from staff team members, parents and professionals to further inform care practice and outcomes. This ensures that the young people receive consistent care from all involved with them. A local police officer said, ‘It is run very well compared to other kids’ homes I’ve been in contact with, especially over the last few months.’ The manager’s careful matching processes include challenging the placing authority effectively, if necessary. This prevents inappropriate placements being made, which could have a detrimental impact on the young people currently resident. The staff team members receive regular and effective supervision. The young people contribute to the staff team members’ annual appraisals. The staff team members

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC034746 7 receive the support that they need to tenaciously support the young people, no matter what their behaviours, and to provide genuine care and warmth. The young people’s ‘children’s guides’ are bright and colourful documents. They are individually personalised, including being available in the young people’s own language. They provide a comprehensive picture of the care provided and the home’s expectations Inspection report children’s home: SC034746 8

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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 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.

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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 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Ann-Marie Born, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034746 10 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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