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

Inspection report children’s home: SC034706 1 SC034706 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. It provides care on a medium- or long- term basis for up to four children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with EBD (social and emotional difficulties). At the time of the inspection, there were four children living in the home. The inspectors spoke with all the children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2019 and is suitably qualified.

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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 outstanding

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC034706 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/06/2021 Full Good 08/08/2019 Full Good 21/11/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC034706 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living at the home are making good progress in all areas of their lives. High attendance and full engagement in education benefit them as they move towards adulthood. Successes are celebrated. The recent introduction of a qualifications award process in the home means that children’s development is formally recognised. Children receive awards as they develop skills that will benefit them in everyday life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As well as developing academically, children are supported to grow socially and emotionally. There is good use of specialist support, such as psychologists and personal advocates. This ensures that the most effective way to support children is identified and implemented.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care is highly personalised and takes into account each child’s needs and vulnerabilities, as well as their skills and abilities. This is clear in the level of detail in the children’s individualised care plans, which are of a high quality. The children’s records provide a good level of understanding and insight for staff. This shared understanding promotes consistency and positive outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children trust the staff to act in their best interests. When staff talk about the children, they express pride and love for them. The relationships between them are a real strength of the home. Children generally have good relationships with one another. When a new child moves into the home, impact and matching assessments are realistic about potential changes to dynamics in the home. Staff put strategies in place to minimise any upset to the status quo in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are central to their care. There is regular formal and informal consultation, and staff are united in their advocacy for the children. Staff are sensitive and show understanding towards the children. Staff seek to empower the children to have a say about their future and engage advocates to provide additional support for the children. This leaves the children feeling valued and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move on from the home, this is well managed. There is collaboration with the wider professional group to ensure that safeguards remain in place around vulnerable children. Staff continue to support children in their new homes until they feel settled. There is an open-door policy for children to stay in touch when they have moved on from the home. Preparation for children moving on is thorough. Staff work with children on building their skills for independence starting at the earliest opportunity. All transitions are managed at the child’s pace.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has a family who live a long distance away from the home. There is consistent support to enable the child to see the people who are important to them. This helps children to retain and develop a sense of identity. This support means that children feel included in their wider friends and family network. Inspection report children’s home: SC034706 4

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

Risks to the children are well understood and managed. Leaders and managers drive a multi-agency response to safeguarding children. The management and staff encourage professionals meetings and child protection meetings when there are safeguarding concerns. Staff request specialist support for the children when needed. This promotes targeted and coordinated responses to children’s needs as they emerge and change.

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

Children feel safe in the home. There is a low number of incidents of children going missing from care. This is an indication of children feeling settled and secure. Risks and negative influences from the wider community are well understood by staff. Effective strategies are adopted by staff to monitor and disrupt any unhealthy or risky relationships that may develop in the local community.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff search for them and report incidents to the police effectively. Efforts to locate children continue until they return safely to the home. There are attempts to understand any push-and-pull factors, and staff collaborate with others to try to pre-empt significant incidents.

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

There have been no incidents of children needing to be held for their own safety or that of others. Staff are able to use their strong relationships with the children to help them to understand and regulate their emotions. Staff undertake and implement training in supporting children in a therapeutic way. This promotes an atmosphere of calm and unity within the home.

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

There have been risks associated with children communicating with others outside of the home via their mobile phones. Staff have recently received training to better understand this. Contracts between staff and children set firm boundaries for children about safe mobile phone use. Additional regular conversations help children to learn about safety with electrical devices and social media.

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

The number of safeguarding incidents has reduced, and these are reliably notified to the regulator. However, the outcome of child protection enquiries has not always been submitted in line with regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager promotes a culture of reflective practice and strong advocacy for the children. The manager is tenacious in ensuring that children receive the right support and are afforded the most and best opportunities. This filters down to the staff who follow the manager’s lead and demonstrate that they are hugely invested in the children. The children are nurtured to develop their talents and embrace their individuality, which makes them grow in confidence and lifts their self-esteem.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s progress is driven by the manager, who tracks their progress. She demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the impact the quality of care has on Inspection report children’s home: SC034706 5 children’s experiences. She has fostered excellent links with education providers and health professionals to make sure that all children’s well-being is promoted. She has ensured that consistent approaches are taken in both school and the home. This has resulted in children having a clearer understanding of boundaries and has seen a significant improvement in children’s behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s knowledge of the children is detailed and nuanced. Children say they love the manager and that this is reciprocated. These strong bonds mean that children accept guidance and advice from the manager. The manager has also forged effective relationships with children’s families, which enables children to spend more time with them. Inherent risks are well managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive effective support. Supervision sessions are regular and reflective and allow the manager to check staff’s knowledge and practice. Annual appraisals promote the professional development of staff. This results in a skilled and competent workforce. The strong focus on safe practice is consistent throughout the team, and it is positive to see that all grades of staff are included in safeguarding and behaviour management training, including those who do not directly care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses her expertise and knowledge to advise and support the managers of the provider’s other homes. The manager has been involved in developing and sharing best practice in care planning records, which also promotes consistency across the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is held in high regard by staff, who call her ‘inspirational’. Other professionals describe her as being the best manager they have worked with. The manager is also developing and promoting relationships with local residents. Staff’s innovations around a street vegetable garden embed the children firmly within their immediate community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager can demonstrate effective challenge and escalation when the performance of professionals falls short. This means that children’s plans stay on track. Decisions that affect children reflect their wishes and are not taken out of the children’s hands. This is clearly noted by staff and children, who all describe the manager as ‘fighting to get the best for the children’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager leads staff in celebrating and encouraging the children’s development. As the children develop, this is recognised, and their sense of identity and self- esteem grow. This makes them more resilient as they move towards adulthood. Inspection report children’s home: SC034706 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry). (Regulation 40 (4)(d)(i)(ii)) 30 September

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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: SC034706 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kingston upon Hull City Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Ruth Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034706 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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