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

Assurance visit report: SC040105 1 SC040105

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Information about this children’s home

This home is an edge of care service operated by a local authority. The staff provide an outreach service to children and young people and their families who are in need of support to prevent admission of children into residential care. The home can accommodate children and young people for short-term respite and emergency placements. The aim of these placements is to support children and young people to return to their families or move on to appropriate provisions.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is well qualified and experienced as a registered manager. She has been registered to manage this home since March 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 22 October 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: SC040105 2

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The care of children

Children live in a welcoming and supportive home. Staff speak with affection about the children and treat them respectfully. The staff know the children well. The support given to the children through the highs and lows in their lives enables mutually positive relationships to blossom. Children benefit from the positive and unconditional regard in which they are held by staff, which has resulted in some positive outcomes.

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The care of children

Children have experienced an enjoyable summer holiday, during which they enjoyed activities such as baking, doing art work, listening to music, eating out and day trips away from the home. They have continued to see their family and friends during the coronavirus pandemic through face-to-face and/or video technology. Although staff discourage children from meeting up with unsuitable family and friends, they are sensitive to the loyalties that some children may have, so they persist in discussions with children about the risks involved in unsuitable relationships.

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The care of children

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are listened to and complaints are taken seriously. Meetings and key work sessions provide opportunities for them to have a say and influence their plans. Staff are honest about what they can and cannot do in response to listening to the children. The children’s wishes and feelings have not always been acted on quickly enough. This has led to a missed opportunity to explore and address a child’s reluctance to return to school.

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The care of children

The staff have not consistently promoted a clear structure of formal and informal educational activities in order to engage children successfully, which has made it harder for most children to want to or prepare for their return to school.

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The care of children

Children are supported to live healthy lifestyles. Some children have worked hard to stop smoking and they are feeling the health benefits. Children who have expressed the desire to self-harm have not been referred to health professionals promptly. This does not ensure a timely assessment of their emotional well-being and physical safety. Not all medication is stored consistently.

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The safety of children

Children understand the expectations and boundaries that promote their sense of safety around the home. This enables children to talk to staff about any concerns that they have, and to feel assured that issues, such as allegations, are looked into. Serious incidents have significantly reduced in recent months, which has led to stability in the home. Staff have not used physical intervention. This indicates good use of their positive relationships with children and effective de-escalation skills. Appropriate consequences and reparation have proved successful in helping children to reflect on their risky behaviours, understand the impact of their behaviour and agree on how to make safe choices. Assurance visit report: SC040105 3 Missing children receive an effective multi-agency response. The staff team is working with the new police missing-from-home team. Despite some initial teething problems, children receive a comprehensive response when they are reported

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The safety of children

missing from home. Staff continue to go out looking for children to secure their safe return. The return home interviews provide good detail, which informs the planned work with children to address specific issues and understand potential risks.

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The safety of children

Staff understand the children’s risks. They use the written risk assessments to inform how they mitigate against risk, but these are not always updated quickly when new risks arise. Not all impact risk assessments show that children’s presenting risks have been assessed with sufficient rigour. This does not assure the safety of the child being placed and the risks posed by children currently living at the home. The impact risk assessments have not been signed off by the registered manager, which does not confirm their oversight.

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The safety of children

The physical environment is due to be refurbished next year. The rationale for having locks on the doors to communal areas is not made explicit in the homes statement of purpose. This does not provide the staff and stakeholders with a shared understanding of the times when staff may lock the doors or if this is appropriate.

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The safety of children

One of the rooms that sustained fire damage during an incident in July 2020 is currently out of use. The fire alarm system, which was operating effectively at the time, protected everyone in residence from harm. Fire checks continue to take place, but the weekly fire alarm test is late. Not all of the bedroom door alarms are in operation, because they have been removed by children without staff knowledge. This means children may be leaving their rooms undetected during the night.

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Leaders and managers

The children and staff team are currently settled, following a very challenging period of instability in the home. This has been the result of the group dynamic in response to the difficulties encountered by everyone during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Leaders and managers

A monitoring visit took place in June 2020, which followed a number of serious incidents that raised concerns about the children’s safety. The use of the emergency and outreach service attached to this registration has contributed to the recent stability.

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Leaders and managers

Staff feel supported by the manager and their peers as they adapt to the ‘new normal’ that has resulted from the coronavirus pandemic. Staff say that the home is a good place to work. Staff morale is good, and they are motivated to care for the children. Adapted staff training and regular updates in the absence of team meetings have ensured that everyone is kept informed about developments in the home.

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Leaders and managers

The independent visitor has returned to the home in person following a period of virtual visits. Children, professionals and staff are consulted for their views, as Assurance visit report: SC040105 4 appropriate. The visitor is satisfied that children are effectively safeguarded, and that their welfare is promoted.

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Leaders and managers

Good partnerships with professionals support the care of the children. Positive feedback from professionals indicates that they are happy with the care, support and protection that the children receive.

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Leaders and managers

The requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection and monitoring visit have been met.

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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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

In particular:  ensure robust impact risk assessments are implemented and have clear management oversight  ensure that risk assessments are updated promptly when new risks come to light. 02/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 02/10/2020 Assurance visit report: SC040105 5 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

 respond promptly to any self-harm concerns  keep all fire records up to date  replace bedroom door alarms if deemed safe and appropriate to do so. The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(iii)) Specifically, clarify/record in the statement of purpose the rationale for having the locks on doors and identify if/when they are used to manage children’s behaviour. 02/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23(1)) Specifically, ensure the appropriate storage of all medication in the home if they are to be stored in different rooms. 02/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers (Regulation 8(1)((2)(a)(iii)). Specifically, listen to the views of children who consistently refuse to attend school to seek solutions and overcome barriers to them attending school. 02/10/2020 Assurance visit report: SC040105 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kingston upon Hull City Council, The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AA

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Louise Taylor-Deville

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Inspectors

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC040105 7 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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Inspectors

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