Children's Home run by Hull City Council in Kingston upon Hull

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2599994 1 Registered provider: Hull City Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority run home providing care for one child.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this monitoring visit, the registered manager had changed roles and temporary management arrangements were in place.

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This monitoring visit

Following an assurance inspection on 1 March 2023, a compliance notice was issued under Regulation 12. This was because the provider failed to deliver care within the terms of a court directed deprivation of liberty (DLO) order.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s progress since the assurance inspection was monitored during this visit. The DLO order has been updated by the court and, therefore, the previous compliance notice under Regulation 12 has been met.

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This monitoring visit

However, during this monitoring visit, further breaches were identified. These relate to widespread concerns that actions from staff to keep the child living in the home safely are ineffective.

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This monitoring visit

Despite efforts to remove hazardous items from the premises, the child can access items that are used to harm themselves or others. This has happened on numerous occasions. Appropriate actions are not taken in response, and there are insufficient checks on the contents of the premises.

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This monitoring visit

To promote safety, the child has few furnishings in their room, including window coverings. Attempts to obscure the child’s bedroom window with internal ‘frosting’ material have been removed by the child. This means the chid has no privacy as anyone outside can see into the child’s bedroom. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2599994 2 Staff need to hold the child often to keep them safe. However, some holds being used are not those that staff are instructed to use on the relevant physical intervention training course. Additionally, some external staff involved in these incidents have not completed the training at all. These shortfalls are not picked up due to a lack of management oversight. Staff are frequently not debriefed or supported following a physical intervention.

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This monitoring visit

While supporting the child, staff must follow multiple care plans and guidelines to keep the child safe. However, some staff have not seen all the plans and guidelines, nor are all relevant details included in these documents. This does not promote consistency and not all necessary steps to reduce risks to the child are implemented by all of the staff involved in the child’s care.

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This monitoring visit

The child requires an increased number of staff so they can be cared for. Agency staff work alongside the permanent staff in the home. Full risk information that the agency workers need in order to effectively support the child is not always shared with them. This leaves all involved parties at risk.

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This monitoring visit

The rota of staff working to care for the child is inaccurate. This does not provide reassurances that there is sufficient oversight that staff have the right level of experience and knowledge at any one time to care for the child. There are periods when there is no manager in the home to provide advice and guidance to the staff should they need it. This leads to staff feeling unsupported and any poor practice goes by and is not identified by leaders and managers.

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This monitoring visit

Medication records are not accurate, which leaves the potential for the over or under administration of essential medication for the child.

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This monitoring visit

Serious and widespread concerns were identified throughout this monitoring visit. However, before the end of the inspection, the provider acted immediately to address the main shortfalls. These assurances prevented Ofsted from taking more stringent enforcement action.

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This monitoring visit

However, in response to the findings, a new compliance notice has been raised, again under Regulation 12 of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, and additional requirements have also been raised. These will be monitored in due course by the regulator. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2599994 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/07/2022 Full Inadequate 01/02/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2599994 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

* The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)) 16 April 2023

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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

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(e)) 16 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— 16 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2599994 5 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21 (a)) 16 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c)) 16 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; 16 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2599994 6 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c) (iv))

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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)) 16 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that if a child is restrained, a record is made of the attempts made to ascertain the child’s wishes and feelings, even if they decline to engage. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2599994 7  The registered person should ensure that no more than half the staff on duty at any one time by day or night at the home should be from an external agency. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.17)  The registered person should ensure that children’s care plans are kept up to date and that information aligns with that in other plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 2599994 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

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2599994 9 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or

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Inspector

medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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