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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2778841 1 Registered provider: Kingston upon Hull City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a local authority. It provides short breaks for up to six children who may have sensory impairment and learning and/or physical disabilities. This is the first inspection after registration.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home supports 31 children to have short breaks. On the date that the inspector visited, two children were at the home for overnight stays and one child was living at the home on an emergency arrangement.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitable, qualified manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2778841 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who dedicate their time to providing good care and high- quality experiences for children. The relationships observed are trusting and secure. This is important for children as they are reliant on those caring for them to meet all their needs. During the inspection, the inspector observed all three children and spoke with two of them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respect the children they care for and preserve their dignity. Staff were able to talk about how they do this, supporting children’s different needs, including personal care. The manager also makes sure that only the staff who the child knows well and feels comfortable with supports with their personal care. This helps to ensure that children are not unsettled by this element of their care during their stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s complex needs are well understood and supported by staff. Irrespective of their disability or complexity of need, children are helped by the staff to have important experiences outside of the home. This is something that the home does well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children go to school, and there are good working relationships between staff and education professionals. The manager is not afraid to challenge professionals on behalf of children to ensure that they have the help they need. For example, an exclusion for one child meant that they were out of their normal routine. The manager asked for the child’s learning to be facilitated at the home and they challenged professionals until this was resolved. This helped the child to have the learning resources and routine that they needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Learning about different cultures is encouraged. For example, there was a week-long celebration of the ‘Festival of Colors’. Among other things, the staff helped the children to create colourful t-shirts in whichever way they wanted to. Having this celebration on for the week allowed as many children as possible to be involved, widening their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Communication and inclusivity with the children’s families and carers are excellent. This is done in a variety of ways, such as through everyday conversation, offers of outreach support, newsletters and coffee mornings. Staff value families’ opinions, and they are encouraged to express their views about their child’s care. This helps children to have similar care experiences with their family and the staff.

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

The staff know the children and talk with confidence about children’s individual care needs. This includes the individual plans for children’s medication, personal care, dietary needs, gastrostomy tubes and mobility. Staff need this detailed understanding to ensure safe care practice for these children with complex needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778841 3 Due to children’s differing health conditions and disabilities, the children communicate in diverse ways. Staff have a good understanding of the differences in the way that children express their views. This could be something as simple as body language, changes in facial expression or movement of their eyes. Systems are in place, such as ‘now and next’ pictures, so that children can understand routines. Also, staff use social stories to help children understand changes in their circumstances. This allows children to have a voice no matter how they communicate.

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

When there are changes in children’s behaviour, staff are keen to understand why, showing empathy to children’s experiences. For example, one child who has had an extended stay was particularly distressed for two weeks. The manager and staff asked for more support from the child’s learning disability nurse, the mental health team and consultant. Following the advice and guidance from people who knew the child ensured that the child was well supported during a challenging time.

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

Staff follow the children’s behaviour support plans to help them to understand children’s feelings. There has been one incident where a child was physically held by staff. The manager has identified some learning from that situation, taking it forward through a team meeting. However, any follow-up discussion with the child after they had been physically restrained is not recorded. While professionals confirmed that they asked the child if they wanted to make a complaint, this is not in the records. The gap in the paperwork was not identified through the manager’s oversight.

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

There are robust medication processes in place. Staff make sure that they have the right medication when children arrive, checking this again when children leave. The systems and practice lessen the chance of medication errors and ensure that the children have the right medication for their stay. Staff help the children to understand the need to take their medication, although children also have the right to refuse their medication.

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

The home was developed for this group of children. The space works well for them, allowing children with different needs, abilities and disabilities to stay. For example, equipment is available for children with mobility issues so they can have time out of their wheelchairs and enjoy activities in areas of the home, including the home’s sensory rooms.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is dedicated. She knows the children well, and understands their unique needs and how best to support them. She has high aspirations. Her vision for the service is clearly focused on only providing short breaks. This has not been achieved, as one child has had an extended stay due to unforeseen circumstances. The manager has challenged the delays in finding the child a long-term home. The service is not adhering to their registration conditions and this impacts on children and families, as their short breaks have been affected. Feedback from one parent highlighted their frustration with this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778841 4 The manager leads by example and her enthusiasm filters down through the team. The staff are also enthusiastic about the care they give to children. There is a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere, which gives the home a feeling of calm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is keen to learn and improve the service. She welcomes honest feedback. For example, when a parent raised concerns about a child being thirsty when they get to school, the manager talked to staff to gain more information. She also reached out to the school to gain their feedback, asking for more monitoring to understand the issue raised. Swift action improved the child’s experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well staffed, and there is only one vacancy. This provides consistency for the children. The staff have a wealth of knowledge and skills to provide the day-to-day care of the children. They ensure that the children have good experiences. Staff have talked about the excellent support they have, both from each other and the management team. All staff felt able to raise concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good relationships with the team around the children. Feedback has been excellent. Professionals are confident that children are being well cared for, and that the staff have the necessary skills to meet the children’s complex needs. The team will reach out for advice when necessary. This flexible approach to working together helps the children to receive good-quality care that they deserve. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778841 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) 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 manager needs to ensure that follow-up conversations with children after a physical intervention are recorded. 29 November 2024

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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: 2778841 6

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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

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2778841 7 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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