Children's home run by Hull City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2550526 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. The home provides care for two children on a short-, medium- or long-term basis. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home, and another was preparing for moving on.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2019.

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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 outstanding

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2550526 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2021 Full Outstanding 27/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2550526 3

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outstanding

Care provided to children is highly personalised. Staff are aware of the children’s needs and vulnerabilities and take every opportunity to promote the children’s safety and well-being. Staff show genuine love for the children and understand what the goals are for the children. This means the children feel cared for and valued.

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outstanding

One staff member said, ‘[Name of home] is like a family – a home – that we are all proud to work in… this is how homes should be; parenting, teaching, guiding to allow children to leave with all the skills, knowledge and preparation to have successful lives at home or in foster care.’

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outstanding

Staff have established relationships with health, education and social care professionals. They communicate and collaborate frequently to share plans and identify how to best care for children. This promotes consistent and effective care.

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outstanding

A particular strength of the home is the relationships staff have with families. They establish trust and then use this to help families to promote change. This has resulted in some children returning home when previously this would have been considered an unlikely option. Other children are supported to find permanence through foster care. This gives children an opportunity to live and grow up in a family home.

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outstanding

Children make excellent progress in education. Alternative education provision plugs the gap if school places are not immediately available when children move into the home. This provides a stepping stone for children into full-time provision. This also helps children become more confident learners and supports them to achieve more as a result. Education professionals have highly praised the way the manager has promoted education for the children at this home and feel her practice is worthy of dissemination.

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outstanding

Children’s wishes and feelings are central to their care. Any moves into and out of the home are managed at the child’s pace to minimise the anxiety this could potentially create. This flexible approach promotes the success of such transitions.

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outstanding

Children said that they are happy in the home. Their relationships with staff and the other children are meaningful for them. This helps them to feel a sense of belonging and stability. Children develop close relationships with staff and each other; even after they move on from the home they stay in touch and share their outcomes, good news and celebrations.

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outstanding

Detailed and comprehensive preparation ensures that children are moved on in a planned and considered way. Staff ensure that children’s practical and emotional needs are addressed and that the relevant support is available. Staff work hard to ensure that children learn to manage their emotions and responses and equip them Inspection report for children’s home: 2550526 4 for moves back home or into foster care. This increases the likelihood of successful transitions and permanence.

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outstanding

Managers and staff understand the risks to children. Staff are consistent in their responses to children, in line with their highly individualised plans. This helps to keep the children safe. When children go out on their own, staff check diligently on their whereabouts. Children rarely go missing, but when they do, staff act swiftly to promote children’s safe return.

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outstanding

When children experience harm or victimisation, staff comfort and care for them. They support them to report matters to the police when appropriate. Safety plans are robust and are followed alongside support from other specialist services. This helps to promote children’s safety and support them through difficult circumstances.

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outstanding

Careful matching of children ensures that children are compatible, and there have been no incidents of bullying. If there are minor disagreements between children, these are managed effectively by staff. This helps to maintain a calm and safe place for the children to live.

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outstanding

There are very few occasions when children have needed to be held for their own safety or that of others. However, on the rare occasions it happens, the trained and skilled staff manage children’s behaviours in line with their plans. Good reflection and management oversight help the staff to ensure that they always act in accordance with children’s needs. Time is also spent talking to children to try to understand their behaviour. This helps to reduce the severity and frequency of incidents.

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outstanding

The skilled and competent staff know how to respond in the event of safeguarding concerns. They do not delay in reporting concerns, and this results in swift action from other professionals, including the police and social workers. This ensures that children receive a timely and swift response to any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a clear and ambitious vision for the home. This is fully understood and shared by the staff team. Staff work consistently and support each other. They hold the manager in high regard and are proud of the progress children make. The flexible working that has developed between this home and the sister home means that children benefit from a wide variety of staff experience and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has continued to develop the service by expanding and adapting the outreach work that is done with families. She has worked collaboratively with other managers to ensure that there is consistency when the support transfers from one service to another. Inspection report for children’s home: 2550526 5 The manager understands the needs of the children and ensures that children receive a smooth transition into and out of the home. She is tenacious in establishing plans and obtaining help for children. She participates fully in direct working with the children, so she has insight into their day-to-day routines and behaviours. This means she knows the children well and has the knowledge to advocate for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s leadership and service have been nominated for an award linked to transforming children’s lives. This is recognition of how the service is held in high regard by other professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager facilitates effective information-sharing between her staff. This is reinforced during team meetings, group clinical supervision and individual supervision sessions. This helps to promote consistency for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is passionate about her job and strives to ensure that the children achieve their potential. Her management style motivates the staff team, which she refers to as her [Name of home] family. Despite the obvious strength and skill of the staff team, she still maintains robust monitoring and develops staff further through training. This results in children receiving the highest quality of care and achieving the overall objective of moving on to live in a family. Inspection report for children’s home: 2550526 6

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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 for children’s home: 2550526 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2550526 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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