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

Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 1 SC035543 Registered provider: East Riding of Yorkshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates this home. The home provides care and accommodation for up to six children. The aim of the home is to prepare children for independence. Where appropriate, staff support children to return home or to foster care.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in March 2007. He is currently on long-term absence.

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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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 22 October 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/10/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/01/2019 Full Inadequate 07/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 3

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improvement to be good

Ineffective matching of children moving into the home by management means that the overall experiences of children differ. Because of the strained relationships between the children, not all of them feel comfortable and safe in the home. On some occasions this is so apparent that children will not enter the same room as their peers. A plan is in place to keep the children separate, but this is not always achievable. Insufficient consultation between the manager and social worker prevented conflict between children being predicted and risk assessed.

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improvement to be good

There have been a number of incidents involving the police within the home which has exposed children to frightening and alarming experiences. Children also go missing from the home frequently and engage in activities that could cause them harm. Staff work with other professionals to reduce the frequency of these missing- from-home events and the risks associated with this type of behaviour. This is not always effective, but sometimes staff working with the police does manage to disrupt connections with people in the community who may cause children harm.

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improvement to be good

Children receive personalised care and support. Staff promote children’s particular interests and hobbies. Children are supported to see their pets, visit wildlife parks and go horse riding. They are also encouraged to experiment with new hairstyles or fashion and take pride in their appearance. This helps children develop their sense of identity and individuality and increases their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children have strong relationships with the staff and are comfortable seeking advice, guidance and affection from them. This provides stability and someone to turn to at times of crisis or when they are sad or worried. The manager and staff have positive relationships with other professionals, who make comments about how effectively staff keep them updated about children’s experiences and progress.

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improvement to be good

Some children make progress in respect of their emotional well-being. Although there are still occasions when they become angry or distressed, children who struggle to control or understand their feelings get better at doing so. However, not all children have access to specialist support through child and adolescent mental health services, although staff do receive support from their in-house clinicians. Staff are vigilant in reporting any concerns about children who attempt to harm themselves, and take effective action to support these children to reduce these risks.

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improvement to be good

Children are well supported and helped by staff to move on from the home. The staff work closely with the specialist team to identify a suitable home which is right for the child, and the transition is done at the child’s pace. Before a child moves out to live independently, staff help them to learn practical skills including shopping and cooking, and also help them to prepare for the emotional impact of living alone. Support continues even after the child has moved into independent living. This Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 4 increases the chance of them being happy and feeling settled in their new accommodation.

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improvement to be good

Risks to the children, such as substance misuse, criminality, sexual behaviour and exploitation, are well understood by staff. Some children have new and emerging risks as they get older and become more independent, and staff work closely with others to reduce those risks. This helps to support children to become increasingly safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff share information and escalate concerns to other professionals and safeguarding specialists as soon as they arise. However, the response from other professionals is not always as quick, and neither managers nor the wider staff team challenge this. This means opportunities to intervene are missed and there is a lack of clarity about the outcome of multi-agency plans.

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improvement to be good

Children have poor relationships and have assaulted each other. When behavioural incidents happen, managers do not consistently review these with either the children or staff. This reduces the opportunity to learn from serious incidents about how to potentially support children more effectively in the future.

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improvement to be good

Following incidents or significant events, plans to manage risk are not always updated by staff and managers. This shortfall in keeping accurate records means that plans do not properly reflect what staff need to know or do to keep the children safe. The staff undertake one-to-one sessions with the children on identified topics to help ensure that children understand risks and begin to learn how to reduce them. However, these sessions do not always take place quickly following incidents and sometimes do not take place at all. This does not help children to learn and understand what they need to do to keep themselves safer.

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improvement to be good

Children go missing from the home often and when they do staff follow individualised plans and search for the children. This contributes to a quick and safe return. However, when children go missing in the neighbouring towns and cities, staff do not have professional relationships with specialists in that wider area. This means that staff do not understand the risks that the children are exposed to in those areas. When children return from being missing, they often refuse to engage in a return home interview with someone who is independent of the home. Managers and staff do not always challenge this and advocate for children. This is a missed opportunity to learn more about the reasons why the child went missing from the home, and hence reduce the likelihood of repetition.

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improvement to be good

The home is situated in a seaside town and there have been a number of drownings and accidents off nearby beaches. The staff have started to complete water safety awareness with the children which helps to mitigate this risk and consulted with the local coastguard. While the provider has updated the locality risk assessment Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 5 following the last full inspection, there is additional information that can be added to improve this further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been an absence of robust management over recent months due to a combination of risk from COVID-19 risks and illness leading to managers basing themselves off site. Although the provider did appoint an area manager to provide additional oversight and support, there have been times when some staff have felt unsupported prior to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Several records, for example risk assessments, are not up to date. Health and safety checks, fire servicing and electrical testing are overdue and some parts of the home and garden look tired and need some improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The recording of medication is not always accurate. Additionally, staff have been involved in administering medication before they have completed the relevant training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A number of records and plans have not been reviewed by managers, which does not provide reassurance that a strategic view is being taken of the quality of care. The audit tools used by managers are similarly incomplete. Managers do not share information and updates about the children consistently with staff. This results in children being cared for by staff who are not aware of the most recent relevant information. Therefore, staff are not able to provide the most appropriate care. This lack of comprehensive information-sharing by managers contributes to an inconsistent understanding about some of the measures to be taken to safeguard the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received supervision in line with the home’s policy. Some staff have received less than half the number of sessions they should. This does not give staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice in a formal way, nor allow managers to gauge staff’s understanding and competence in meeting the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The current mix of children is problematic. Although there are strategies in place to manage this, there have continued to be times of tension and assaults between children. When considering which children should move in, concerns raised by other professionals were not given sufficient weight and not all relevant others were consulted. This does not promote the well-being of all the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The lack of leadership was raised by the staff team collectively and in response an interim manager started at the home two weeks ago. The senior care workers have also been committed to delivering high-quality care and have mentored the wider care team. Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 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, 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to:  seeking input from all relevant others when assessing the impact of admissions to the home  tracking actions arising from meetings and challenging others when these are not completed  establishing a professional relationship with the specialists in missing incidents in neighbouring areas  ensuring return-home interviews are offered and are taking place after every missing event. 31 August 2021

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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

that staff— 31 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 7 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

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

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to:  keeping risk assessments up to date  taking steps to ensure children do not verbally or physically assault each other  tracking link-work sessions to ensure they are delivered in a timely manner  ensuring health and safety tests and services are completed, and maintenance issues are addressed swiftly.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to:  disseminating information to staff and ensuring their understanding  undertaking monitoring exercises and audits reliably 31 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 8  using systems to ensure actions are completed both inside and (as appropriate) outside the team.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c)) 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to frequency of sessions and quality of written records. 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to conducting a debrief with staff and a life space interview with the child. 31 August 2021

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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, Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 9 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: SC035543 10

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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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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035543 11 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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