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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 1 Registered provider: Kingston upon 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 registered in February 2023 and is owned and run by a local authority. It provides care on a medium- or long-term basis for one child who may have learning disabilities and/or experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022 and is suitably qualified. They are dual registered to manage another nearby children’s home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 2

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improvement to be good

Children have good relationships with staff in this home. These relationships have developed over time and are the cornerstone for the significant reduction in the number of incidents one child has had over recent months.

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improvement to be good

Children are consulted by the registered manager and staff when there are decisions to be made in the home, such as how the home is decorated, meal choices and what activities take place. This means their voices are heard and their views are considered. However, this is not consistent with the wider professional group or with family members. This is an area the registered manager acknowledges needs further development.

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improvement to be good

Children have made limited progress in education. The arrangements in place are not meeting the child’s needs and their attendance is sporadic. Furthermore, there are no alternative arrangements to engage the child in educational activities when they refuse to attend education. This means that the child is not meeting their potential or accessing a full curriculum.

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improvement to be good

When children move into this home, they are provided with a children’s guide which details the information they need so that they have clear expectations. However, there is information missing that should be included, such as a description of what advocacy is available to them, and the contact details of the children’s commissioner should they need them.

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improvement to be good

The living room area of the home has been decorated and is a warm and welcoming space. However, there are communal areas of the home that are tired and in need of attention. Some areas are unclean, which does not provide a homely environment for children to live in.

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improvement to be good

There has been a marked decrease in incidents featuring physical aggression by children. This has resulted in there being no use of physical interventions over recent months. However, when holds have been used before this time, staff have not used permissible holds, which has exposed children to risk of being harmed. Leaders and managers addressed this concern during the inspection and a plan has been put in place to ensure that this practice does not continue.

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improvement to be good

Some known risks for children are documented in their risk assessments. However, there is significant information not detailed in the risk assessment, including what the procedure is if the child goes missing. When this was discussed with staff, the responses were inconsistent, and the procedure is unclear. This means that should Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 3 children go missing, the response from staff may not be appropriate. This could place them at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Children are unable to access all areas of the home at all times of the day. The registered manager and staff have taken a blanket approach to locking the downstairs area at night. This practice has not been assessed or reviewed and is therefore a practice that restricts children’s movement around the home.

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improvement to be good

Consequences used with children for negative or unwanted behaviours are not effective. There is no identifiable link to the consequence used and the intended outcome for the child. Consequences are also not consistently recorded, which does not allow for monitoring and review to assess how appropriate and effective they are.

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improvement to be good

Children have their bedrooms searched if staff or the registered manager have any safeguarding concerns. However, when this has happened, it has not been documented appropriately, the child has not been informed and their consent has not been sought to do this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager does not have sufficient oversight and review of the home. The competing demands of the two homes she is registered to manage significantly impact on her ability to oversee this home appropriately. When the registered manager is absent, there is ineffective management scrutiny. This does not ensure that the day-to-day running of the home is effective. This has caused inconsistency and inaccuracy in recording and in staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not had enough oversight of all significant incidents involving the child since the home registered. This has led to inappropriate practices happening and being able to continue, which has placed the child at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is implementing a shared workforce rota system across this home and the other home she manages. It is hoped that this will allow more consistency across the workforce and will help the child to develop more meaningful relationships with staff. However, there are significant gaps in the training records of the staff across both homes. This means that children could be cared for by staff without the appropriate skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not ensured that all significant incidents have been notified to the regulator. There has also been significant delay with two incidents that have been sent due to ineffective management oversight. This means that the regulator has not had additional scrutiny of these incidents in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and staff do not receive supervision in line with the provider’s policy. Annual appraisals for staff and the registered manager have also not taken place when they should have. Therefore, an opportunity for an additional layer of oversight and support for the staff has been missed. This has contributed Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 4 further to the ineffective oversight of the home by the registered manager and senior leaders. Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 5

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 6 exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are opportunities for children to learn informally when they do not attend school.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, help the child to achieve the targets set out in their personal education plan.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 7 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, ensure that: risk assessments contain all known risks for children and give clear guidance to staff; behaviour management measures are included and detail the appropriate measures that can be used by staff specific to each child.

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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 have systems in place to review documents and have thorough widespread oversight of the service.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, there should be appropriate contingency plans in place to ensure that oversight continues should the registered person be away from the home. 31 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is necessary and proportionate; 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 8 is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children should have full access to the home unless there are specific reasons why this would put them at risk of harm.

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, all fire doors should be able to close and should not be impeded by any objects.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, fire drills must be recorded each time they are carried out. 31 October 2023

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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)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff receive supervision and their annual appraisal in line with the provider’s policies.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must have appropriate supervision with a suitable senior manager in line with the policies of the provider. 31 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 9 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all measures of control that can be used in a physical intervention with a child are included in the child’s behaviour management guidance and the home’s behaviour management policy.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the child is informed or asked for permission should their room need to be searched. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide contains all the required information to assist the child when they move into the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a warm, clean and welcoming environment for the child and that these standards are maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should ensure that the records kept following a child going missing are accurate and consistent with the events that take place during the incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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: 2712872 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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Inspector

Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2712872 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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