Children's Home run by Hull City Council in Kingston upon Hull

Inspection report children’s home: 2517046 1 Registered provider: Hull City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and runs this home. It provides care on a medium- or long- term basis for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2019 and is currently undertaking his level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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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.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 19 November 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2517046 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/07/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 2517046 3

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outstanding

The care provided to children is highly individualised. This includes recruiting staff who are skilled in responding to the particular needs of the children. This results in a nurturing environment which helps children to form trusted and secure relationships. Children who have experienced many other homes, including a secure children’s home, are able to settle here because the staff provide stability and unconditional care. This promotes the children’s sense of belonging and security.

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outstanding

Children make significant progress which, over time, improves their life chances. Children are making sustained progress through their engagement with education and college. Improved relationships with their families have helped to better their emotional and psychological well-being. One child has developed good routines around toileting and bedtime, and can play more independently without an over- reliance on staff.

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outstanding

The home fosters strong relationships with a small team of professionals, and also works with carers and parents to promote consistent and effective care. The children’s views and wishes are central to their experience of living at the home. An example of the responsive nature of the team is evident in the home’s decor, which has been influenced by the children. Activities are discussed and planned with the children and are based on their preferences.

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outstanding

The home looks like a family home, as there is an abundance of toys, books and games. The Euro football tournament was taking place at the time of the inspection and the home was decorated to celebrate this. Children were involved in putting up flags and posters, and a prize after the final game was a planned caravanning holiday. Many experiences for the children are new and life changing.

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outstanding

Children say that they feel safe and happy in the home and speak highly about the staff and the care they provide. At the point at which children move on from the home, preparations are done at the child’s pace and in line with their wishes. There is no compromise when identifying an alternative home, which is reflective of staff’s investment in, and genuine care for, the children.

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outstanding

The staff team is consistently held in high regard by parents and professionals who make universally positive comments about the way staff go ‘over and above’ to support the children. One parent said of their child, ‘I don’t know where [child’s name] would be without them, in prison or dead. It was staff that put him back on the right path.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2517046 4

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

Children are helped and protected as a result of staff working with others to reduce identified risks. Staff follow plans and use strategies to promote children’s safety. Information noted to be missing about a new risk for one child has since been recorded during the course of the inspection, as staff had already changed their support for the child to reduce this risk.

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

Children do not regularly go missing from the home. Despite this, detailed plans are in place should this happen. Staff are familiar with the policy to safeguard children and know how to escalate concerns both in the home to leaders and managers, and outside the home to children’s social care professionals.

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

Children benefit from clear and consistent boundaries. This promotes feelings of well-being and security for them. Staff are able to manage behaviour effectively without the need to physically intervene.

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

Staff work closely with psychologists to understand children’s behaviour. This results in them knowing how to respond when children are in crisis. Over time, this way of working helps children to feel comfortable talking about their feelings, and they find new positive ways to express anger or anxiety.

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

A partial malfunction in the fire safety system was identified nine months before the inspection date, but due to an oversight remained unrectified. There has been no direct impact on the children. However, fire safety is an important part of the home’s functioning and, as such, a requirement will be made to ensure that this is addressed as a matter of urgency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have high expectations for the children and recognise the need for bespoke care for children who have experienced trauma and neglect. Leaders and managers follow and contribute to plans for the children’s journey through care, and will challenge and escalate should they identify shortcomings or inadequacies in the practice of others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff supervisions and appraisals are regularly undertaken and considered helpful by staff. There has been a disruption in training due to the pandemic, but this has been somewhat mitigated by additional clinical supervision, and remote learning. Despite this, there are some gaps in safeguarding training. This is being addressed as a priority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers embrace the opportunity to improve the home and take swift and effective action when any weakness is identified. They ensure that staff understand the ethos of the home and deliver care in line with the statement of purpose. Inspection report children’s home: 2517046 5 The manager has introduced elements of practice which are worthy of dissemination. This includes discussion and documentation around case supervision, which is particularly effective in the way it reflects, reviews and tracks progress and actions. This prevents drift and promotes consistent working towards positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager models tolerance and unconditional positive regard for the children, and is aspirational for them. This has resulted in one child securing a place at military college. The manager enjoys an excellent relationship with education, social care and psychology colleagues and models effective practice in all aspects of his work for his staff team. His management style and high levels of enthusiasm and motivation directly impact on the well-being of the children and the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has failed to notify the regulator of an incident which is of a serious nature. However, this is an isolated oversight and his understanding of the threshold for notification is appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Transitions into and out of the home are well managed. However, the children’s welcome guide to the home could be improved to be more accessible for younger children. The manager is involving the child currently living in the home in designing a more age-appropriate version.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The review and analysis of referrals by the manager prior to admission could be more comprehensively recorded. They should show that the home is able to meet the needs of the child in line with the statement of purpose. This should also take into account the skill base of staff and the locality risk assessment. A recommendation will be made in this regard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders’ and managers’ commitment to, and enthusiasm for, the children, staff and the quality of care is profound and is a credit to them. This is rewarded by the positive comments of the children. One child said that, ‘I felt safe, had the best staff… I’ve been in and out of care… this placement was the one to help and not be against. [Name of home] helped me a long way.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2517046 6

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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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)) 9 July 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: 2517046 7

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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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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2517046 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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