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 Limited Interim 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 eight children and young people. The home‟s registered manager has the necessary qualifications and experience to fulfil his responsibilities. He has been the registered manager since 2015.

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Judgement at last inspection: good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children and young people are making progress. The staff encourage them to be aspirational and to achieve their dreams. For some young people, this includes enrolment into the military, while others want improved relationships with their families. The staff work with placing authorities and together they devise plans to support outcomes. For one child, this has included the staff facilitating an increased level of family contact.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Admissions and discharges of children and young people are managed effectively. The manager is aware of the strengths relating to the staff team and whether they are able to meet the safeguarding needs of particular children. Specialist behavioural management training provides staff with clarity about how to address challenging young people. This has helped the staff to develop further insight into the needs of the children Inspection report children‟s home: SC413987 2 and young people for whom they provide care and accommodation.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff understand the children‟s and young people‟s presenting risk-taking behaviours. The staff, together with specialist agencies, help the children and young people to address their individual needs. For example, one young person is working with drug support services to address his cannabis use. The staff consistently reinforce boundaries and remove any items that are associated with smoking tobacco or cannabis. Children and young people presenting under the influence of illegal substances are monitored to maintain their safety and well-being. However, the records to evidence the staff‟s care practice lack detail.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff take all risks seriously. They are working closely with the fire service and the forensic child and adolescent mental health service to ensure that the children and young people have the relevant insight into potential dangers. The children‟s and young people‟s care plans are linked to their presenting risks. This means that staff supervision and support remain high while the child or young person is undertaking risk-associated behaviours. For one young person, his plans to progress on to semi-independence have therefore been halted.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children‟s and young people‟s involvement in criminality is reducing. Staff continue to encourage their engagement with youth offending services to keep them safe. The staff are knowledgeable around elements of criminal exploitation but have gaps in their understanding of county lines. The children and young people spend time socialising in the neighbouring local authority. However, the manager has not included the neighbouring authority in the location risk assessment and therefore he is not aware of the potential risk to the children and young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children and young people continue to be missing from home. The staff work alongside the police and the individual child or young person to address the concerns. The staff have significantly improved lines of communication with the children and young people. As a result, when they are missing from home, they will respond to the staff safe and well phone calls. This practice was raised as a strength within one young person‟s children in care review, as he will answer these calls. The review also identified a reduction in the young person‟s incidents of being missing from home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff are improving the relationships between the children and young people living in the home. There are good examples of group debriefs where together the children and young people talk openly about how incidents impact on all of them. Although physical intervention is used, it does not relate to peer-on-peer altercations. Gaps in these records do not provide full details that would help the manager to maintain thorough oversight.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staffing levels enable the children and young people to participate in activities and a staff member identifies that this is an improvement for the home. This means that children are supported to go on individual activities that interest them. One child went to an outdoor swimming pool and he was reported to be so excited. Staff retention has improved and this is having a positive impact on the consistency and stability of the care Inspection report children‟s home: SC413987 3 provided to the children and young people. One staff member said, „We are doing better now than we have ever been.‟ However, the manager does not have autonomy of the home‟s finances. This can impact on the manager‟s spontaneity to meet the needs of the children and to respond to unforeseen challenges or opportunities.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has demonstrated that the requirements and most of the recommendations from the last inspection have been met. The presentation, maintenance and decoration of the home are neglected. This does not show children that they are valued. The manager is working with the independent visitor to strengthen the internal and external monitoring of the home. The external monitoring reports provided by the independent visitor are detailed, but they do not identify if the children and young people are safeguarded and if their well-being is promoted.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2018 Full Good 22/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/04/2016 Full Good

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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 registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children‟s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. In particular, the home‟s location risk assessment should include the potential risks associated with the neighbouring/bordering authority where some children and young people are spending 20/02/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC413987 4 time. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the date, time and location of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether— children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)) 20/02/2019

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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; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 20/02/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4) This is with particular reference to the staff developing the recording of their actions in response to the children‟s and young people‟s presenting needs.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph

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Recommendations

10.11) This is with particular reference to the staff expanding their knowledge of criminal exploitation to include county lines. Inspection report children‟s home: SC413987 5

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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‟.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horton Establishments Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC413987 6 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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