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

Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 1 SC036157 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 children’s home is owned and run by a local authority. It provides care for up to eight children and/or young people with learning disabilities and/or sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The experienced and qualified manager was registered with Ofsted in 2012.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 3 March 2020. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2020 Full Outstanding 29/08/2018 Full Outstanding 13/03/2018 Full Outstanding 13/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in all areas of their lives. Some of the children’s achievements may appear modest but are actually of significant importance to them. They become increasingly independent in managing their personal care, mealtimes and bedtimes, which improves their confidence and sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive care that is highly individualised, taking into account their different levels of ability. Staff have a thorough understanding of the children’s needs, and they use resources such as communication tools which help children learn and develop. These resources are also used in schools. Therefore, the consistency helps children to build on the progress they are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff worked hard to provide routine and structure for the children. Professionals have described staff going the extra step to provide consistency and stability during this time. This has really helped the children who depend on familiarity and consistency to feel happy and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between professionals, staff, children and families are effective, and there is a coordinated and consistent effort to progress the children’s plans. This applies whether children are to stay in the children’s home or move into a family home. Parents acknowledge the good-quality care that their children receive, and they express appreciation of it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children achieve at school, their attendance is good, and there is effective co- working between staff and teachers to reach solutions when issues arise. The manager and staff escalate their concerns and advocate for children if they identify that children are not getting the help they need from other professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are tenacious in gathering the children’s views through creative ways which align with children’s understanding and communication style. Some children are supported to participate in their care reviews, and the manager considers thoroughly every request and suggestion made by the children before responding. The advocate, who visits the home regularly, works with the staff to interpret children’s wishes when they are unable to verbalise them. This leads to the children being able to influence the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from good experiences and stimulating activities in the home, which helps to build their confidence, their sense of identity, and positive relationships between them all. Staff and managers speak of the children as being ‘our children’, which reflects the emotional bond between staff and children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move on from the home, staff and managers are diligent in identifying the right place for them. There is good preparation for independent living Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 4 by helping children develop practical and emotional skills, and this increases the likelihood of children settling in their new home.

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

Risks to children are recognised and are mitigated for. When children express the need to hurt themselves or others, staff spend additional time with them to promote everyone’s safety. Regular discussions between the manager and staff about children ensures the care offered to children is still meeting their needs. This promotes both the well-being and safety of children.

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

Children are rarely missing, but the staff still make plans to respond should the need arise. This makes the children safer.

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

Action has been taken to reduce the number of incidents arising from a difficult relationship between two children in the home. Staff teach children about the impact of ‘being kind and unkind’, which helps to reduce this risk also.

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

Challenging and complex behaviours are consistently managed by staff, who follow the strategies identified in children’s plans. These plans are regularly reviewed and are clear. There has been a reduction in the need to physically restrain children, and staff are using handholds to guide children more often. This shows significant progress and demonstrates good relationships.

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

Children’s risk assessments, care plans and other documentation within the home support staff to keep children safe. There is an up-to-date location risk assessment, but this does not fully describe all the features of the local area which present a risk or opportunity for the children. This document would benefit from being more comprehensive, and a recommendation will be made in this respect.

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

The systems for monitoring the training do not support the manager to be assured that staff have all completed the required training. Some staff who have been in post for over a year have not yet completed mandatory safeguarding training, and other key training like first aid is also overdue. This results in children being cared for by staff who may not have the relevant skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a clear vision for high-quality care, and they speak affectionately and passionately about the children in the home. They recognise the importance of personal identity and have done some work around establishing children’s heritage and encouraging children to explore religion when this has been their choice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a thorough understanding of each of the children in their care and have systems in place to ensure that staff also have a consistent understanding. Supervision is offered regularly to staff and is well recorded and suitably reflective. Inductions of new staff are also thorough and well documented. Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 5 The manager is motivated to address any shortfalls or to make any changes and is open and transparent in her style of working. When issues arise, the manager sees the benefit in acknowledging them and addressing them as this is in the best interests of the children. This fosters a culture which is always seeking to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not routinely complete impact and matching assessments when new children are moving into the home. Although this has not led to significant issues, completion of such an assessment allows difficulties between children to be predicted and/or explored, and it also highlights staff training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers enjoy good professional relationships and are held in high regard by their colleagues. The strength and longevity of these relationships helps to promote good outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is assertive in challenging others when she believes their practice falls short. She is clear on her own thresholds and boundaries and through sticking to these has established a safe and nurturing environment for the children. There is a thread running through her words which shows how much she values the views of the children and how it is their well-being that is prioritised over everything else. Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 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 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 promotes their welfare.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This refers to the manager having a system for checking when mandatory training is due to be undertaken or refreshed, and ensuring that all staff complete the training to remain up to date. 07 November 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home works closely with the placing authority to understand the child’s relationship history and the impact that the child’s arrival may have on the group living in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.3).  The registered person must ensure that that the home is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulations 12(2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process: Children’s homes regulation

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Recommendations

amendments 2014: Advice for children’s homes providers on new duties under regulations that came into effect in January and April 2014. (‘Guide to the Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 7 children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: SC036157 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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Silvia Madrid-Ortega

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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC036157 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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