Children's home run by Kingston upon Hull City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2589771 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. It provides care on a medium- or long- term basis for up to two children with social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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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: 9 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2589771 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2589771 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build trusting relationships with staff, which help the children to feel that staff are invested in their care. As a result, children do well in education and enjoy attending social activities. This helps children’s development both socially and emotionally and improves outcomes for them in the life choices they make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are recognised as individuals and staff work hard to support the children to tolerate one another and live together in the same home. Detailed planning takes place by the registered manager and the staff prior to a child moving in to the home. Children who move into the home are prepared in advance and welcomed sensitively. This provides a good basis for respectful relationships between staff and children and minimises the potential trauma that a move can create for children. When children move out of the home, staff support the transition and continue to support each child as part of an outreach service, if necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to gain independence skills, such as around personal hygiene. The staff adopt a therapeutic approach, taking into account children’s past experiences. Staff carefully help children to gain new skills that will be valuable as they move through to adulthood and beyond.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining relationships with people who are important to them. Staff are proactive in ensuring that any barriers that may prevent children from spending time with important people are removed. This helps children to maintain and enjoy significant relationships and promotes their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Special occasions and life events are captured in photos and keepsakes for children. These link to the children’s individual life story in a meaningful way. This supports their self-esteem and understanding of important events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to and act on children’s views and opinions. However, children do not know how to make a complaint about the care that they receive and do not have access to the complaints procedure without consulting staff. This limits children’s opportunities to raise any worries or concerns about living at the home.

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

Children describe living at the home as ‘good’ and say that they feel safe. Children’s risks are understood by staff, which ensures that risk assessments are individualised. Risk assessments are thorough and updated regularly. This has enabled staff to respond to risks promptly to reduce further risk of harm.

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

Children are supported to understand their own emotions and feelings. When physical holds are necessary, staff ensure that they are recorded appropriately. Inspection report for children’s home: 2589771 4 Children are given an opportunity to reflect on and make sense of how they are feeling. This helps children to understand that their feelings are important to staff, and this helps children to develop more-positive strategies to manage difficult emotions.

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

Staff have realistic expectations to help children to develop skills and an understanding of safe internet use and social media. Staff understand risks around internet safety and intervene swiftly to protect children from potential harm when concerns are known. Risks are shared with relevant professionals to ensure a collective response.

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

Staff understand the importance of children developing independence skills within the community. Children are trusted to take age-appropriate risks around friendship groups. This helps children to develop and recognise healthy relationships.

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

A therapeutic approach and natural consequences are promoted within the home. On occasions, children have important items removed from them as an outcome following an incident. The absence of a central and unified response to consequences means that the children are at risk of receiving inconsistent responses from the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has high expectations of staff and is motivated to ensure that children receive good-quality care. Experienced and qualified staff meet the needs of the children on a daily basis. The registered manager identifies and addresses poor performance through appropriate procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff work proactively with a network of professionals involved in children’s lives. This ensures a multi-agency response to the children’s needs. Professionals are complimentary of staff at the home due to the good levels of communication and commitment to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff advocate on behalf of children and are persistent in ensuring that children receive services that they are entitled to. This helps children to understand their rights and decisions that effect their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Daily recordings are child focused and reflect their day-to-day experiences. The language used by the staff celebrates successes and sensitively captures concerns or incidents. The non-judgemental language makes it easier for children to understand. For children who may access their records in the future, it will be clear that they were cared for and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s written and electronic case files are regularly updated. Children’s files have a useful tool that is a quick reference guide to important information, such as when last appointments were and when the next ones are due. Monthly audit systems ensure that the information held is accurate. Inspection report for children’s home: 2589771 5 Staff feel supported and receive regular reflective supervision, where areas of personal development are explored. Practice-related supervision takes place on a regular basis. Staff use whole-team discussions to hypothesise and create actions to implement in children’s care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the home’s condition is maintained to a high standard. However, some areas have an institutional feel due to protective screens that do not correlate to children’s risk assessments. Children can independently access games and toys for their entertainment and to learn. Children’s rooms are personalised and children like their rooms. Some items in children’s rooms are damaged and need to be replaced. Inspection report for children’s home: 2589771 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(b)(ii)) 31 May 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and does not appear institutional. In particular, the registered person should consider the necessity of protective screens over televisions, and repairs to items in children’s bedrooms should be rectified promptly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any sanctions imposed by staff are recorded in a way that will ensure that staff provide a consistent response, and ensure that an accurate record of sanctions is maintained so that this can be shared with other professionals, such as future carers or new care staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46 paragraph 9.36) Inspection report for children’s home: 2589771 7

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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: 2589771 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

Cat Clasper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2589771 9 regulates and inspects 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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