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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC040105 1 SC040105 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

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. The home provides short breaks and emergency placement care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. Staff from the home also provide support to children and their families in the community, away from the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2018.

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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 good

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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: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC040105 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/04/2022 Full Good 26/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/07/2021 Full Inadequate 22/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC040105 3

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outstanding

Children who stay at the home or who are supported by the home’s staff in the community make significant progress. There are numerous examples of how the staff support children to remain with or be reunified with their families. The exceptional work of the staff is recognised by the families and professionals who work with them. One parent said, ‘It has been like magic and brought me and my child back together. Without the support we have had [from the staff], we wouldn’t be where we are today.’

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outstanding

The registered manager and staff are flexible, creative and child-centred in the way that they work and support children and their families. Children often arrive at the home at short notice and in difficult circumstances. The registered manager and staff listen to children, identifying what is important to them to make them feel safe and help them settle quickly in the home.

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outstanding

The staff work closely with support services. They share strategies and guidance from other professionals, such as psychologists, with the children and families. Support is specific and tailored to each child’s circumstances. By working collaboratively, staff support children and families to communicate effectively and resolve issues. Work is intense to prepare children and families to be reunified. Not all children can return to their families. For one child, the work completed by the registered manager and staff enabled them to move successfully to a new foster home.

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outstanding

The registered manager and staff are fully committed to their vision to support children and their families. This continues after the children have left the home. Staff offer and provide outreach work that helps children and families to manage and maintain their relationships with each other. The staff’s intervention in an emergency has also kept children safe from harm.

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outstanding

The staff value and promote education even though the children only stay at the home for a brief period. Some children arrive at the home who are not attending an educational setting. Staff act promptly and communicate with education professionals to develop a plan that supports children to return to school or college as soon as possible. The staff encourage children through the use of individualised education timetables. This has resulted in children being supported to undertake their exams. Staff supported a child to attend equine therapy as part of an individualised timetable for their enjoyment and to promote the child’s well-being. This prepares children to succeed and be happy in the future.

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outstanding

Children are listened to, and their views are acted on. Staff are creative in the way they gather children’s views. Staff seize opportunities to learn more about the Inspection report for children’s home: SC040105 4 children using questionnaires, games, diaries and discussions. Staff understand that relationships are the gateway to successful communication with children. Children are involved in their own care plans and have influence over them. Staff negotiate with children about how risks can be managed positively. This increases children’s understanding of how to manage risks effectively. Professionals describe the registered manager and staff as being strong advocates for the children. Staff work restoratively with the children and their families. This helps children to express their views and be heard.

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outstanding

Some children have remained at the home for longer than planned. These delays mean that the intervention time frame set out in the home’s statement of purpose has been exceeded. This not only causes delays for children either returning to their families or moving on to new accommodation, but also prevents other children accessing the home for the support that they and their families require.

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

Before children arrive at the home, the registered manager and staff complete assessments, considering how any risks affect each child. These assessments are detailed and consider the associated risks to children with different needs staying in the home together. This ensures that the staff are informed and, if needed, provided with additional training to meet the children’s needs. This reduces the opportunities of children being exposed to risk.

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

The registered manager and staff consider children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities when planning for their future. They thoughtfully consider what is going to help the child as they prepare them to return to their families or move to a new home. The staff prepare children for independence as young adults. The registered manager and staff take positive risks if they benefit the children, such as supporting children with employment.

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

Children rarely go missing. Children said that they feel safe and like living at the home. Children can identify adults that they trust and develop trusting relationships with staff. A child who recently left said, ‘I really like the staff and want to go back to visit the home.’

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

Staff regularly update children’s risk assessments. The views of other professionals supporting the children are included in the records. This gives all staff access to the most current information to support each child. This helps staff to be consistent when caring for children. It also helps children to stay safe.

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

Reflective learning takes place after incidents. The registered manager and staff use restorative approaches with the children. This helps them to sustain good relationships and identify strategies to avoid incidents occurring again.

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

The staff promote communication and understanding of each other. Physical interventions are avoided unless absolutely necessary. This supports children to manage their own emotions and prepares them with skills they can use at home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040105 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is ambitious for children. She wants children to succeed and supports them to stay in their families. The registered manager is enthusiastic about improving the children’s lives and future outcomes. The staff share the same vision, and this creates a cohesive team with a shared goal.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals said that the registered manager challenges them when appropriate but also collaborates well with them. An education professional said that the staff did ‘the leg work’ to ensure a vulnerable child remained in education. Professionals also said that the manager and staff are highly skilled at building positive relationships with families. This joined-up working produces positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel valued by the registered manager, and they said they ‘love’ working at the home. Some staff moved across from other homes to work with the registered manager because of her inspiration, vision, strong values and care for the children and families. The staff receive regular, consistent supervision and are reflective in their practice and their approaches to the way they work with children and families. This promotes a learning culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of her team. She is open to receive feedback and seeks to continually improve her practice and that of the team. The registered manager uses research to help develop staff and the home’s systems. She works closely with therapists to support children and families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are well trained and proactive. A member of staff has set up community coffee mornings. The home’s local council has recognised this work in the community with a community award. The positive relationships that staff build with neighbours help the children to have positive relationships in the community. It also provides the children with a wider network when out and about, as neighbours talk to the children and the staff when they see them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040105 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, The 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iii)) 28 July 2023

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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: SC040105 7

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Louise Taylor-Deville

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Inspectors

Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC040105 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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