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

Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC035543 1 SC035543

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East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Monitoring visit 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. The home provides medium- to long- term care for up to six children and/or young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is experienced and has been in post since March 2017.

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This monitoring visit

This children‘s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 8 and 9 January 2019. Six requirements were made in relation to the shortfalls identified.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the provider‘s progress against the six requirements. The inspectors judged that four of the six requirements had been met, and that two requirements needed further action. In addition to this, further shortfalls were identified which have led to additional requirements being issued.

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This monitoring visit

Children and young people now have full access to the services that they need to promote their health and well-being. Consequently, the children and young people are learning to understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Action has been taken by the staff to make sure that all the health assessments for individual children and young people have been completed by specialist health services.

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This monitoring visit

The children and young people are supported to become increasingly safe with the use of link worker sessions. The staff spend time with the children and young people so that they can understand and think about dangers. This has proved to be effective in reducing some of the children‘s and young people‘s risk-taking behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has reviewed all of the children‘s and young people‘s risk assessments. Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC035543 2 The assessments are updated following any significant incidents, and now include strategies for the staff to follow when risks occur.

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This monitoring visit

The staff ensure that dangerous items are removed from the children‘s and young people‘s bedrooms. The staff carry out bedroom searches when concerns come to light about the risks to the children‘s and young people‘s health, well-being and safety. This includes the removal of any ligature risks that were previously identified.

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This monitoring visit

Additional guidance that has been recently introduced supports the staff to physically prevent children and young people from leaving the home if there are any concerns about their immediate safety. Inspectors could not assess the effectiveness of this guidance because there have been no recent incidents where the children and young people needed to be prevented from leaving the home.

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This monitoring visit

The staff have additional guidance on how to support the children and young people who may present as being under the influence of substances or alcohol. Although there was some evidence of some monitoring taking place, this practice has yet to be fully embedded.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager now reviews in a timely way the records relating to sanctions and consequences following the children‘s and young people‘s negative behaviours. The children and young people are encouraged to address their behaviours, leading to revised sanctions if their behaviour improves.

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This monitoring visit

There have been no complaints made during this reviewing period. Therefore, inspectors were unable to explore how the manager would respond in these cases. Similarly, there are no recent records relating to physical interventions, as children‘s and young people‘s behaviours have been managed without the need for physical intervention.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager‘s records of supervisions now identify appropriate actions for the staff to complete. However, it is unclear from the records if these actions are being reviewed in follow-up supervisions. This could leave key actions not met and it is a missed opportunity to improve the quality of care for the children and young people, and to enhance the staff‘s practice.

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This monitoring visit

Only seven out of 12 staff have received updated information relating to whistle- blowing procedures. This hinders some staff‘s ability to follow the home‘s whistle- blowing policy if any safeguarding concerns arise in relation to the staff‘s practice in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has made attempts to address the repairs and redecoration needed to improve the quality and homeliness of the home. Some redecoration work has been completed in the bathroom and a request has been made for a new bedroom window. However, the standard of some of the children‘s and young people‘s bedrooms is poor. One of the bedrooms had no light fitted and had cigarette ends and tobacco on Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC035543 3 the window sill and floor. Another bedroom was very untidy. The lack of care around the children‘s and young people‘s bedrooms does not provide the children and young people with high standards to aspire to, now or in the future.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has been proactive in addressing the previous shortfalls relating to keeping the regulatory body updated on significant incidents. This allows the regulatory body to effectively monitor safeguarding practice.

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This monitoring visit

When the children and young people go missing from home, the staff go out and search for the them. However, records do not show the addresses and locations that staff have visited.

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This monitoring visit

The independent visitor now reports on the significant events that occur in the home, but their reports still lack detail and they do not provide their opinion on, and evaluation of, whether the practice and conduct at the home safeguard children and young people. This does not support the registered manager to identify shortfalls in practice, potentially hindering the management team in making ongoing improvements in the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/01/2019 Full Inadequate 07/08/2017 Full Good 28/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC035543 4

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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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‘s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‘s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when children and young people go missing from home, the children‘s and young people‘s individual plans should be followed. Staff should make attempts to go out and look at addresses and places known to the individual child or young person. The staff should evidence the times and the places that they go looking for the child or young people. 31/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‘s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that all 31/03/2019 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC035543 5 the staff have reviewed the home‘s whistleblowing procedures and ensure that staff understand the process to follow. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

 Ensure that the actions that have been set for staff during their supervision are monitored and evaluated at their next supervision.  Ensure that a management monitoring review report is written which provides an accurate picture of how the home has been operating during the review period. This should include an evaluation of any safeguarding issues.  Ensure that all physical interventions are recorded in the restraint documentation and promptly monitor the interventions to ensure that they are safe and proportionate. The registered manager‘s oversight should be included within required timescales.  Ensure that complaint records include the children‘s and young people‘s views.  Ensure that any repairs are identified and completed without delay. Ensure that the children‘s and young people‘s bedrooms are maintained on a daily basis to an appropriate standard and that they are free from any hazards. 31/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children‘s home at least once each month.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children‘s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person‘s report may recommend actions 31/03/2019 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC035543 6 that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the independent person‘s report provides clear details of any incidents that relate to the safeguarding arrangements for children and young people. The report should provide a clear evaluation of the home‘s safeguarding practice. The independent person must provide their opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded in this home and whether the conduct of the home promotes children‘s well-being.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children‘s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC035543 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: East Riding of Yorkshire Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Room AF97, Goole Council Offices, Church Street, Goole, East Yorkshire DN14 5BG

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Inspectors

Jamie Richardson: social care inspector Janine Shortman-Thomas: social care compliance inspector Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC035543 8 to 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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