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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 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

This home is operated by a local authority. The home and manager were both registered with Ofsted in January 2022. The manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

This home accommodates one child only. It is part of a three-part wider service, which includes an outreach service for children and families in their own homes. This also includes another separately registered, larger home where multiple children have respite away from their families.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The last full inspection took place on 4 and 5 July 2022. Following the full inspection, a monitoring visit took place on 8 November 2022 after Ofsted received an increase in concerning safeguarding notifications from the provider. At the monitoring visit, serious concerns were identified, and compliance notices were issued under Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 2 regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met) and regulation 12 (the protection of children standard). At a subsequent monitoring visit in December 2022, these compliance notices were found to be met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are good relationships between children and staff at the home. Children usually stay for a short period. Staff adapt well to each new child. They support children to understand their care plans and manage any expectations children may have. It can be difficult for children when they know it is time to move on. Skilled staff are mindful of this and tailor the care they provide to ensure each child feels supported and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The wishes and feelings of children are captured regularly in various ways. Children’s meetings are held monthly, and one-to-one discussions are held regularly. The staff also gather children’s views through a smart phone app that the children have on their phones. Children are encouraged to give their views, which are then shared with the wider professional group. This makes children feel heard and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make significant efforts to ensure children maintain relationships with people that are important to them. This has included one child’s family visiting the home so they could share an important occasion together. Staff have also taken children and their families on day trips and have visited the home of a family member to assist them with their health needs. This shows the children that they are cared for by staff and forges positive relationships between staff, children and their wider families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moving in and out of this home can be difficult for children due to the temporary nature of the service provided. The children know they will not be living in the home for a long period, and this can impact on how they invest in their relationships with staff. The staff work hard to ensure that children receive the same standard of care regardless of how long the child stays. Staff understand the importance of positive relationships. They work hard to create them so that children feel safe with adults around them whom they can trust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children sometimes come to live in the home who have not been in education for some time. Staff challenge this when needed to ensure an appropriate form of education is provided to the child. Staff understand the importance of learning, and the registered manager is tenacious in their pursuit of ensuring children learn when living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When moving into the home, children are provided with a guide, which gives them helpful information. However, the guides are not always provided in a format that the child can understand. This prevents some children from understanding what their rights are and what the quality of care is that they will experience when living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 5

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

The staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs and possible risks to their safety. Staff work well with the wider professional network to ensure any identified risks are reduced or removed.

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

Sometimes children go missing from this home. Sometimes this happens regularly. However, when children are missing, the staff are proactive in looking for them. They follow the correct procedures and liaise with relevant professionals. Staff have built strong links with the local police, who understand how vulnerable the children are and respond accordingly when they are reported missing.

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

Physical interventions are used as a last resort to keep everyone safe. When this has happened, staff are sensitive and address incidents with children appropriately afterwards. Any use of physical intervention is clearly recorded. A reflective discussion takes place with staff, so any learning from the incident can be implemented straightaway.

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

The registered manager and staff have appropriately responded when there have been concerns that a child could be exploited or criminalised. They have been part of a multi-agency forum to discuss any concerns, make plans to address them and then take an active role in ensuring that safety plans are adhered to. The staff have also made referrals to other appropriate agencies when it is recognised that specialist support is required.

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

Children have detailed individual risk assessments that are updated when an incident happens or any new risks are identified. However, the risk assessment for one child had not been updated following an incident and did not correspond with another document. This meant that staff were not following the correct process, which could have placed the child and staff at risk of harm.

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

Children know how to make a complaint and can raise issues directly with staff. However, children have not been provided with the opportunity to access an independent advocate should they wish to speak with one. This would enable children’s views, wishes and feelings to be heard and acted on by somebody outside of the professional network they already have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager are highly thought of and respected by the staff and the wider professional group. Both managers communicate well and lead by example. They have a shared vision for the service and have high aspirations for the children and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works well with professionals in the wider network and will request multi-agency meetings should they feel this is required. The registered manager is proactive in challenging other professionals in order to advocate for the Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 6 child if they feel that decisions are being made that are not in the child’s best interest or do not align with the child’s wishes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good oversight of the training needs of the staff. Additional training is put in place quickly should the need arise, for example if a child with specific medical needs is coming to live in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The practice of the registered manager and staff is enhanced by regular input from a psychologist who works alongside the staff. The psychologist facilitates weekly reflective discussions and runs workshops so that the staff can learn and develop their understanding of children. The registered manager and psychologist plan bespoke learning opportunities for staff based on the needs of children, which increases the care children experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and reviewing systems in place in the home, which allow the registered manager to have oversight of the records in the home, are not as effective as they could be. A number of documents have missing, inaccurate or out- of-date information and internal audits of files are not completed with regularity. This should be rectified to ensure no significant errors are made as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose sets out that staff should have supervision on a monthly basis, but this is not happening consistently. There have been several months when all staff members, including the registered manager, have not received supervision. This means staff are not consistently provided a forum to discuss and reflect on their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 7

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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, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered persons must comply within the given timescales.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that documents are updated and then sent to the regulator within the required timescale where appropriate. 7 October 2023

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 7 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 8 manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, risk assessments should be kept up to date. Any additional safety measures being used should be reviewed regularly to ensure they are still relevant and appropriate, and children’s records should be updated accordingly.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff receive supervision every month in line with organisational policy and as outlined in the statement of purpose. 7 October 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a child is offered support from an independent advocate and that this is revisited with the child regularly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is available in a format that is accessible for the child. Should the child need additional support to understand the children’s guide, this should be offered to them and regularly revisited. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21) Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 9

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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: 2664883 10

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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: 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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Inspector

Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2664883 11 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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