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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC040105 1 SC040105

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Hull City Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a local authority. It provides an edge of care service for up to six children, whose plan is to live in a short-term residential setting. It also provides emergency, short-break/respite accommodation. All children may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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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This monitoring visit

A full inspection undertaken on 13 July 2021 found significant failings in the admission process and protection of children. Ofsted issued compliance notices under regulation 12, 14 and 23 of ‘The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015’. This visit was to monitor the provider’s compliance with the notices.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of this visit, some progress has been made but there are still some steps within the compliance notices that have not yet been achieved. As a result, the compliance notices in respect of regulation 12 and regulation 14 will be reissued. The compliance notice under regulation 23 is met.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have been instructed by senior leaders to refresh their knowledge of current policies and procedures, in particular the updated admissions policy and impact risk assessment document. However, the leaders and managers only circulated these documents last week and staff have not yet had the opportunity to read them. There has been no opportunity for staff to discuss the documents within the team or in supervision before putting the updated policies into practice. As a result, managers cannot yet assure themselves of staff competence in all areas of compliance. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC040105 2 The staff team has updated children’s individual risk assessments and missing from home protocols to include current risks in the community. In response to recent safeguarding incidents, leaders have increased staffing ratios, and strategies to mitigate risks have been included in the risk assessment document. This is helping

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This monitoring visit

to ensure that children have their safeguarding needs identified and addressed.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has introduced a new system for staff handovers to ensure that all staff are aware of any new or emerging risks to children. This new system has not yet been fully embedded into practice by the staff team. This means that staff coming on duty in the home may not be fully informed about children’s most recent needs or changing circumstances and any strategies needed to help protect them.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of the visit, no bullying risk assessment was in place and the two children in the home were living in separate buildings with no contact with each other. While this reduces the opportunity for any bullying incidents to take place, it means that staff have not yet had the opportunity to incorporate anti-bullying measures into their day-to-day practice. Leaders have instructed staff to read the anti-bullying policy as part of their action plan in response to the compliance notices issued. However, not all staff have completed this and no training is available. This does not ensure that all staff know how to spot signs of bullying or address it should it occur in the home now or in the future.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have updated the location risk assessment to reflect the current situation within the local neighbourhood and relationships have improved most recently. Monthly neighbourhood meetings are held with local partners, neighbours and the home’s managers. This is helping to keep relationships positive and identify any concerns early.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has updated the home’s admissions procedure. Since the last inspection, one child has been admitted to the emergency provision. There has been a delay in completing all the relevant paperwork for this child and staff have not followed the updated admission procedure. As a result, this child’s needs and any present risks are not recorded in plans and there are no arrangements for family time. This means that staff coming on shift or returning to work are not fully briefed about children who have been admitted and may not know what strategies to use to manage any safeguarding matters.

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This monitoring visit

All staff have received, or are registered on, medications training, and the manager has a keen focus on this area of practice. This will help to ensure that children’s health and medication needs are met. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC040105 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 13/07/2021 Full Inadequate 22/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/06/2018 Full Good 19/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC040105 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iv)(vi)(b)(c)) 24 October 2021

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and 24 October 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC040105 5 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; and

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)) 24 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep, and encourage children to keep, appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  The registered provider should ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to

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Recommendations

be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC040105 6 member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kingston upon Hull City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AA

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Inspector

Louise Hollick, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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