Children's Home run by St Hill Establishments Ltd in Kingston upon Hull

Inspection report children’s home: SC385633 1 SC385633 Registered provider: St Hill Establishments Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates and runs this home. It is registered to provide care for up to five children and young people. The appropriately qualified registered manager has worked in the home since it was registered and has been managing this home since June 2014.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 2018

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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

Date of last inspection: 23 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC385633 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2018 Full Good 09/11/2016 Full Good 17/05/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/02/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC385633 3

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This regulation applies to a child who is looked after by a local authority. The registered person must co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17 (1)(2)) 15/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d)) 15/01/2019

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is held in high regard by professionals, staff members and the children. The children are making progress and they are provided with the opportunities to have new experiences and participate in a range of activities. For example, all the children went on a caravan holiday over the summer holidays. A professional said, ‘This is one of the best homes that I have worked with. They have the best interest of the kid at heart.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are healthy, and the staff ensure that their needs are met. As one child was reluctant to wear his glasses, they supported him to have contact lenses. The child is showing improvements at school as he can now see his work. The other children are also attending and achieving at school. A tutor reported that ‘The staff are brilliant. They are very supportive.’ The children’s ability to achieve and maintain their school placement is testament to the stability that they have at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have a voice and their wishes are heard. As a response to the children’s requests, the manager is converting the garage into a workshop space. The children are excited about the opportunities this provides them. All the children also have an advocate. The advocates identify that the children have a strong bond with the staff. The high staffing levels support this. Inspection report children’s home: SC385633 4 The children and young people experience a positive ending to their long-term placements at the home as the manager implements plans to enable smooth transitions. Over time, the children and young people who have left the home still make contact and receive support and guidance from the staff. One young person said, ‘I wish I was still living there, it was like a family home. The manager gave me the second chance that I needed. She is like a second mum to me.’

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

The children’s risks are reducing. One child is rarely missing from home. Previously, he was frequently missing, and this resulted in his involvement in anti-social behaviour. The staff take immediate action to locate a missing child and their individual detailed plan is integrated within the police database, to enable a swift and effective response. To address the children’s presenting negative behaviours, the staff are consistent with boundaries and use a restorative approach. Children are supported to understand the impact of their behaviour and to identify a resolution to hopefully prevent further incidents.

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

Physical intervention has not been used by the staff, who de-escalate behaviours effectively. This is crucial for one child, as his ‘individual crisis management plan’ identifies that he does not like physical touch, unless initiated by him. The staff are creative with their approaches to managing the children’s behaviours and these approaches result in improved safety for the children. For example, when one child was emotionally in crisis, he would climb things. The staff managed effectively the risk of him climbing the tree and injuring himself by decorating it with lights. Some children also use the home’s ‘teddy corner’, where they can freely go to calm when emotions are heightened. The children feel safe and one child said, ‘I am not worried about anything.’

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

The safeguarding practice is firmly instilled in the staff. They are aware of the current risks that the children face through social media, and the manager disseminates information to her team to continue to develop their knowledge. The team is proactive at ensuring that not only their children, but other children are safe and protected from potential harm. For example, through online gaming the staff raised concerns to a foster carer about the number of virtual friends that a child had on their account.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The diverse and stable staff team supports the manager in delivering individualised care to the children. To ensure that the team understands the needs of the children, pertinent training has been delivered. Examples include foetal alcohol syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) identities and county lines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good partnership working and consultation with professionals and families are examples of the manager’s strengths. This supports effective information sharing and leads to timely progression of children’s plans. The manager captures all consultation in an ‘appreciation file’, and this helps her to identify the progress and developments for the Inspection report children’s home: SC385633 5 home. However, despite this multi-agency working, the children’s files have missing records, and this links to the local authority placement plan paperwork.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has clear oversight of the home and continually reviews staff practices. However, on review of the staff’s recruitment files, it was not evident that gaps in a staff member’s employment history had been explored. The staff benefit from practice-led supervision and find this useful. Staff members find the manager supportive. She understands the needs of the children and helps the team to meet the children’s needs effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has full autonomy over the placement of children at the home. The manager understands the impact of admissions and will not accommodate any child that does not match the current group dynamic. Currently, the home is operating under its registered numbers.

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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: SC385633 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Hill Establishments Ltd

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC385633 7 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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