Children's home run by Hull City Council

Inspection report children’s home: 2633602 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

This home is owned and run by a local authority. It provides medium- to long-term care for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or learning difficulties. It was registered in April 2021. The manager was registered at the same time.

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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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2633602 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2633602 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is newly built and is spacious and comfortable. There are children’s board games and books in the living areas and a room for computer gaming as the children really enjoy this activity. Children choose how their bedrooms are decorated and, as such, they reflect their personalities. The care provided to the children is also individualised. All these things help the children to settle in the home and have a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive friendships develop between most of the children, who say they enjoy each other’s company. The children have trusting relationships with the adults around them and say they feel safe in the home. Staff work effectively with other professionals, who speak highly of the way the staff care for the children. There is regular and appropriate information sharing with social workers and schools, which promotes both the well-being and safety of the children. As staff get to know children’s families, the communication between them becomes more regular and candid. This helps to ensure support and guidance for the children are consistent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in all areas relative to their starting point. Health needs, such as check-ups, dental work and vaccinations, are met, which is of significant benefit to some children who previously did not access regular healthcare. All children have education placements and have improved attendance. Staff support the children to overcome any barriers to children’s learning by advocating for them. This may be through smaller classes or by moving schools.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff compensate for the delay in some children accessing specialist support by providing a warm and nurturing environment. This has contributed to children feeling more emotionally stable and having improved self-confidence and self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good experiences through shared activities with peers, and they have been on a group holiday. Children’s views about their care and support are sought, and staff are responsive when children express an interest in a particular activity. They use these interests as incentives to promote positive behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they feel safe within the home, although some conflicting relationships have developed between the children. Staff know how to respond and to make significant efforts to keep the children safe in the home.

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

Risks to the children are generally well understood and managed by the staff. Risk assessments are up to date and are regularly reviewed by the manager to make sure they are accurate and are comprehensive. There is effective working with other Inspection report children’s home: 2633602 4 professionals to promote the safety of the children. Staff escalate concerns quickly when the risk to children increases. This helps to make the children safer.

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

When children are missing from home, staff follow the child’s plans to return them home safely and quickly. Staff search for the children in the community and make efforts to determine who they are with. This helps the staff to better understand the risks to children.

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

Staff gather information and work closely with police and specialist exploitation workers to reduce the risk for vulnerable children. Staff recognise when they may be unable to keep children safe and review if the child would be safer living elsewhere. Staff undertake room searches and check the premises to ensure there is nothing of concern in the home. This helps to keep the children safe.

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

The relationships between the staff and the children have improved significantly. Staff now rarely need assistance from the police to help them manage the children’s behaviour, which avoids criminalising children. Because staff now have good relationships with the children, these allow staff to influence children’s actions and use children’s interests and hobbies to distract children from negative behaviours.

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

Comprehensive matching assessments take place prior to any new children moving into the home. These help to avoid any predictable clashes of personality or increased risk of harm. However, the dynamic of the group has changed, and there is now conflict and risks posed to some children by others. This does not promote the safety of the children, and it is unclear if the current group of children are compatible going forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This newly registered children’s home is still in its infancy in terms of developing its ethos and culture. However, the manager has communicated his vision for the service as one which is nurturing, empowering and aspirational for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a sound understanding of the progress children are making, and they advocate on children’s behalf in key areas of their life, such as education and seeing their family. The manager consults with children about their current and future plans and supports them to achieve their goals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff hold leaders and managers in high regard, and there is a widespread culture of aspiring to high-quality care. Records are generally of a good standard and management oversight is visible on them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not shared information about some incidents that meet the threshold for notification to Ofsted. This limits the regulator’s ability to check the home’s response to such events and, thereby, promote the children’s safety. Inspection report children’s home: 2633602 5 There are some gaps in staff training relating to drug misuse and county lines. These are of relevance to the children who live in the home. These gaps in staff’s knowledge can lead to greater risk for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has fostered strong links with other professionals. These enable him to challenge others when he perceives that their practise falls short. There have been some tracking and auditing issues identified but these were starting to be rectified during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are offered regularly, and staff say they are helpful. The records of these sessions are detailed and show a clear focus on the needs and well- being of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children say they are happy living in the home, and this is reflected in improved outcomes in many areas of their lives. Inspection report children’s home: 2633602 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This refers to ensuring strategies to manage children’s relationships are effective and to undertake a detailed risk assessment as to whether the children can live together without causing each other harm. 17 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This refers to staff being trained in substance misuse and county lines. 30 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 30 September Inspection report children’s home: 2633602 7 a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(e))

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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: 2633602 8

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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: 2633602 9 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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