Children's home run by Hull City Council

Inspection report children’s home: 2550526 1 Registered provider: Hull City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and runs this home. The home provides care for two children on a short-, medium- or long-term basis.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2019.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2020

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2550526 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2550526 3

p.2

outstanding

The care provided is highly individualised and responds to the changing needs of the children. Children’s views and wishes are central to decision-making. Their views are taken into account in all aspects of their care, from how to spend their leisure time, to who they want to care for them.

p.3

outstanding

Children make exceptional progress in all areas of their lives. Children experience a period of stability living at this home, in particular children who have experienced a number of moves. This allows children to form meaningful relationships with trusted adults.

p.3

outstanding

Comments from professionals give due credit to this progress, which they believe would not be matched elsewhere. One professional said, ‘Had [Name of child] not been in this home, I don’t think he’d have got from where he was to where he is now.’

p.3

outstanding

Children make progress while living at this home. They manage their emotions better; their sleep patterns improve; their school attendance increases; and their confidence and self-esteem grow. One child engaged in only five hours of home education a week before living in the home. He now attends full time in a classroom setting, and is achieving targets.

p.3

outstanding

Staff support children’s education by sourcing high-quality teaching materials that are tailored to children’s learning styles. This optimises the children’s engagement in learning outside of school. Staff also promote and facilitate hobbies and activities for the children, which helps them to develop their personality and sense of identity.

p.3

outstanding

Staff advocate for the children and use creative and innovative ways to promote stability and continuity of care. This includes inviting foster carers to work in the home, to share with them the most effective ways of caring for the children. Support for the children’s new foster families is not time limited, and staff will advise them on caring for the children as long as is needed after the children move out of the home.

p.3

outstanding

When children move into or out of the home, this is well managed and takes place at the child’s pace. Careful and thorough matching, the expertise of the staff and attention to detail increase the chance that children living at this home will be successful and sustainable.

p.3

outstanding

Managers and staff recognise the importance of developing and maintaining positive relationships with the children’s family and friends. Staff provide supervision and support to facilitate family time. This further promotes a sense of stability and belonging for them, and makes them feel emotionally safer. Inspection report children’s home: 2550526 4 Children talk about the staff at this home being their ‘family’, and professionals liken the staff’s conduct to that of good parents rather than paid employees. This shows the extent to which a nurturing environment has been created.

p.3

outstanding

Risks to the children are well understood and recorded. Staff understand the value of positive risk-taking and use it as part of helping children to become more independent and able to move safely into adolescence.

p.4

outstanding

When children go missing, which is rare, staff follow plans to return them safely, and work with children to minimise the chance of it happening again. Following any behavioural incidents with the children, specific risk assessments are completed which give clear direction on how to reduce the risk of repetition.

p.4

outstanding

Staff are trained to recognise and understand risk, manage behaviours and promote children’s safety. They work collaboratively with specialists to ensure that the care they deliver is specific and effective for each child. Staff establish consistent boundaries, and take a restorative approach when children test those boundaries.

p.4

outstanding

Relationships are a key strength of the home and children have forged strong attachments with the manager and the staff team. As a result, children are settled and there have been very few safeguarding concerns. The focus on staff understanding children’s emotional needs has helped them to work through early childhood trauma with the children.

p.4

outstanding

If a safeguarding risk is identified, staff follow procedures effectively to ensure that appropriate action is taken. In the event of a disclosure, staff understand the benefit of listening to the child and acknowledging what they are saying. This allows opportunities for further disclosure. As a result, children say they feel safe in the home. This is evidenced through their settled sleep routines, their relaxed relationships with staff and their postive behaviour.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have high expectations of what the children are entitled to and what they are capable of. They drive a culture which is aspirational for the children, not just in terms of preparing them to transition to the next stage of their lives, but also in wanting their destination to be one which provides the very best care for them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers know where progress is being made and celebrate it. They are proud of the children’s achievements and give them the credit for this. This sense of pride is fostered throughout the staff team. One professional said, ‘Staff are thinking about [Name of child] all the time, and act as if they were his parents not staff at a children’s home.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2550526 5 Managers provide leadership which supports and develops the wider staff team. They provide nurture for staff, as well as for children. This has led to a staff team who are committed and loyal, and go above and beyond in meeting the needs of the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers provide staff with professional guidance, supervision and learning opportunities to ensure that their skills grow and develop. This enhances the way they work with the children. The ethos of the home is clearly understood by staff, and the values of the home are shared values.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Reflective practice is a key strength of the home. The registered manager encourages staff to openly consider areas of their practice that require change or improvement. This is done through practice-led supervision, team meetings and training. As a result, the staff are motivated, well informed and skilled in their roles.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses effective tools to monitor the quality of care provided, and challenges where she sees shortfalls. This leads to high-quality care being consistently delivered, and staff who are clear about the manager’s expectations of them.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is ambitious for the children, both when they are in the home and when they have left the home. Leaders and managers work with others to ensure that the care provided is bespoke and provides opportunities for children to achieve their full potential in all areas.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has introduced champions roles to develop specialisms and expertise in areas like health, education, equality and diversity, and moving on. Staff then share their new knowledge and best practice with the team. These roles provide a single point of contact for external professionals and promote effective liaison. This and other areas of practice are worthy of wider dissemination because of the positive difference they make to children’s experiences. Inspection report children’s home: 2550526 6

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2550526 7

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspectors

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Ceri Evans, Regional Inspection Manager Inspection report children’s home: 2550526 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8