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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2517046 1 Registered provider: 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

The home is owned and run by a local authority. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in February 2019.

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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 outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 19 September 2023

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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: 2517046 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2023 Full Good 31/01/2023 Full Good 22/06/2021 Full Outstanding 19/11/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2517046 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff have an in depth understanding of the complex needs of the children. Children are helped to develop positive and trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. This enables children to make exceptional progress from their starting points. For one child, this meant being able to move on to a group living setting, where this would not have been possible before.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff listen to children and act on their views and wishes. Children can advocate for themselves in meetings and trust staff to speak on their behalf. Their voice is clearly recorded throughout important documents in the home. This helps children to feel in control of their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Transitions to and from of the home are well planned and managed. Child-focused moves help staff to understand children’s likes and dislikes before they arrive. When children move on from the home, they are supported to develop important independence skills. They develop confidence in their ability to manage their own needs when they leave. For one child, this is exceptional progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support children's health needs in a sympathetic and thoughtful way, which aims to avoid stigmatising them. The sensitive approach of staff avoids children feeling embarrassment or shame. This helps children to feel confident that their health needs will be met and promotes their self-esteem and mental well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are aspirational for the children’s education. They make concerted efforts to explore ways of promoting alternative learning when school attendance isn’t possible, or children experience challenges with education. They regularly communicate with education professionals to advocate on behalf of children. This helped one child make excellent progress in their attendance and engagement.

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

The manager and staff have an excellent understanding of the complex risks and vulnerabilities of the children. Appropriate and proportionate strategies are in place to reduce these risks. As a result, children living at the home have experienced a significant and sustained reduction in high-risk behaviours. One professional said:

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

‘They really strive for the best for children, it may seem small, but how safe [child’s name] feels shows phenomenal progress for a child previously displaying such risks.’

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

Missing incidents rarely occur in the home. However, staff prepare meticulously for potential missing incidents and are tenacious in their response when children go missing. When children return to the home, they are warmly welcomed back by staff who show Inspection report for children’s home: 2517046 4 concern for their welfare. One child has experienced a significant reduction in missing incidents since moving to the home.

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

The manager and staff effectively involve a wide range of professionals in care planning to ensure that their understanding and approach to risk are well informed. Regular risk meetings and reflective discussions help the manager to identify strategies for managing risk, which align with the home's therapeutic approach.

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

Serious incidents are rare in this home. When they occur, children are well supported. Records of these incidents indicate that staff make efforts to understand the triggers to behaviours. The manager’s oversight of incidents is robust and leads a culture of learning in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the strengths of the home. The manager takes steps to make necessary improvements in a sensitive way, considering the well-being of children and staff. Staff feel supported by the manager and hold him in high regard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. They are well attended and focus on the needs and well-being of the children. Records evidence that productive conversations are happening between team members that drive improvements in practice. These meetings help staff to develop a consistent approach to their care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff have access to appropriate training to help them care for children in the right way. Staff say that they feel supported to access training opportunities. The manager’s ethos of accountability helps staff to be responsible for their own work and development. Staff demonstrate a sound knowledge of the needs of the children as well as the key priorities of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Important care planning documents and risk assessments lack evidence of management oversight. This lack of oversight has meant that some outdated and conflicting information contained in these documents has not been identified. This prevents staff from having access to the right information to help them care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions take place regularly, and staff say that they appreciate the support this gives them. However, supervision records do not adequately evidence that staff have the opportunity to reflect on their practice or safeguarding knowledge. This prevents staff from having a record of important conversations to refer to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff routinely lock internal and external doors at night. This prevents children from accessing areas of the home. Furthermore, the manager does not review this practice when risks reduce. This affects the homely environment the manager wants to achieve for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2517046 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires, and leads a culture in relation to the home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their full 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, ensure that the manager has systems in place to review documents and have thorough oversight of the service. Where this is a delegated task, the manager should have oversight of this.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 27 March 2025

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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 kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and 27 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2517046 6 allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (1)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the routine locking of doors in the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that supervision records evidence that staff have received supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: 2517046 7

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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: The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, HULL HU1 2AA

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Inspector

Mark Cryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2517046 8 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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