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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 1 SC035499 East Riding of Yorkshire Council

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Monitoring visit 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 medium- to long-term residential care for up to six children. At the time of this visit, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post is vacant. The deputy manager is undertaking day-to- day interim management of the home but is not registered with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection on 3 May 2022, there were serious and widespread concerns relating to how the home was being operated and an inadequate judgement was given in all areas. A notice restricting accommodation at the home was issued to prevent other children moving into the home. Ofsted also issued five compliance notices under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard), regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard), regulation 14 (the care planning standard), regulation 35 (behaviour management policies and records) and regulation 40 (notification of a serious event).

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the progress made to meet the steps set out in the compliance notices. This visit established that the provider has made sufficient improvements to meet the compliance notices issued under regulations 12, 13 and 14. They have failed to fully address the concerns outlined in the compliance notices under regulations 35 and 40.

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This monitoring visit

Since the inspection in May 2022, one child has moved to a new permanent address. This child had been living at a temporary address as the staff were unable to meet their needs. No children have moved in. Therefore, the provider has adhered to the requirements of the restriction notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 2 Two new care staff have been employed and are undertaking training as part of their induction. The provider has a high reliance on the use of agency staff due to core staff vacancies. The provider strives to use the same agency staff. There is a renewed rigour in collating information about the skills and suitability of agency staff to work with vulnerable children. This means that children are cared for by a consistent team of staff who are familiar to them.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager and senior managers have identified multiple improvements intended to address shortfalls. These include providing bespoke training for core and agency staff, improving communication throughout the team and ensuring that management oversight of staff practice is more effective.

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This monitoring visit

A new system has been introduced to review serious incidents where staff physically intervene with children to keep them safe. This greater level of scrutiny results in staff’s actions being closely evaluated. This system should foster effective ways of supporting children when they are distressed.

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This monitoring visit

Shortfalls remain in managing children’s behaviours. Staff debriefs do not consistently take place or are not always recorded. This limits the opportunity for the manager to explore how incidents could be managed more effectively. It also means that opportunities are missed to give the manager some insight on how to reduce the frequency of incidents where children need to be held.

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This monitoring visit

All staff, including agency staff, are being retrained in physical intervention. However, they are not all undertaking the same training method. This means that not all staff have the same knowledge or approach to managing difficult behaviours displayed by children. This leads to an inconsistent response when children are in crisis and staff need to physically intervene. Plans describing how staff should respond do not include sufficient detail of how and when to respond. This leaves children at risk of receiving inconsistent responses from staff.

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This monitoring visit

There have been several serious incidents since the last inspection. Notification of these incidents to the regulator has improved but not always with sufficient priority. Additionally, information came to light during the visit about further safeguarding issues in the home which the regulator should have been notified of. The failure to abide by this regulation reduces Ofsted’s opportunities to have oversight and check that staff take appropriate action when a serious incident occurs in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the failure to fully address all the shortfalls in respect of regulations 35 and 40, two compliance notices have been reissued. The other requirements and recommendations identified at the full inspection in May 2022 were not considered during this visit. They are set out below and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/05/2022 Full Inadequate 25/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/10/2021 Full Inadequate 19/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 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, 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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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

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(iii)) 17 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must ensure that—

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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)) 17 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 17 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 5 This refers to ensuring that written risk assessments are kept up to date to accurately reflect current risks and include the most recent strategies employed to mitigate these risks.

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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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)(e)) 17 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 17 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. 17 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 6 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any home using CCTV or other monitoring equipment must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. The use of CCTV is regulated by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Conduct (Home Office 2013). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 7  The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and

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Recommendations

acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs (around conducting room searches). The registered person should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 8

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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: East Riding of Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Cross Street, Beverley HU17 9BA

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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035499 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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