Children's Home run by East Riding of Yorkshire Council in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035543 1 SC035543 Registered provider: East Riding of Yorkshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022 and is suitably qualified.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC035543 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2024 Full Good 06/06/2023 Full Good 25/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/12/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC035543 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One of the children living at the home was spoken to as part of the inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. Moves have been well planned, and when a child moved out sooner than expected, they were still able to have a positive transition into a new placement. Children new to the home benefit from planned introductions. Staff meet with them before their arrival and encourage them to personalise their bedrooms. This helps children feel welcomed and supported.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff always put children’s well-being at the centre of their practice. Staff speak fondly about children and use kind words. Staff support children to enjoy new activities and experiences, which helps them build skills and confidence, and they have formed strong bonds and attachments.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are encouraged to engage in education, but not all of them are enrolled full time. The registered manager has good connections with education providers and specialist workers and challenges the education offer if it is not meeting children’s needs. Staff have been flexible and innovative in an attempt to promote education for the children. Success is always celebrated.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet the children’s day-to-day needs and provide them with good routines and consistent boundaries. If children struggle to settle in the home, staff work alongside them at their pace. This helps children feel safe.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with their families and friends are acknowledged, and children understand the reasons for their placement in the home. However, staff do not consistently work proactively and positively with the children’s families, and some family members have expressed concern about the lack of information and contact from staff in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As children near adulthood, there are no clear plans in place to help them prepare for the future. Independence planning is not clearly monitored and reviewed; progress is therefore difficult to measure.

p.3

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

There is a strong proactive response from staff to help protect children from harm. Staff have developed excellent working relationships with agencies that can work directly with children to help them understand risks and reduce harmful behaviours. Staff work with police and youth offending services to protect the children living in the home from any unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035543 4 Children’s safety is promoted through robust risk assessments, which are regularly updated. Risk assessments note areas of concern for children but do not always indicate how staff will address the risks and help children reduce them.

p.3

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

Children who go missing receive a well-coordinated response from staff, and information is promptly shared with the assigned social worker. Independent return home interviews are offered, and children benefit from an individual session to discuss the event. Link sessions are carried out to enhance children’s knowledge and understanding of risks.

p.4

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

Children are encouraged to share information with staff about how they are feeling, and positive behaviour is consistently promoted in the home. Staff use effective de-escalation techniques, and there have been no physical interventions during the inspection period.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers ensure that safer recruitment practices are in place and followed.

p.4

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

One incident was reviewed where staff failed to follow procedures and respond appropriately to concerns about children’s safety. Child protection concerns were not immediately reported to the local authority, and timescales were not adhered to.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a permanent and qualified registered manager. Staff feel supported by having a consistent and visible registered manager and say this makes them feel safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager can identify the strengths and areas for development in the home, and monitor the quality of care provided and the progress that children make.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

If children experience difficulties in the home or community, the registered manager demonstrates tenacity by ensuring that children’s plans are reviewed promptly and considering the next best steps to take. If the registered manager believes that decisions or plans are not in children’s best interests, he will challenge other professionals and the local authority.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Decisions about potential new children coming to live in the home are based on the needs of the children already living there.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not always receive supervision within agreed timescales, and written records do not always reflect the discussions that take place. Relief staff who work in the home do not receive regular supervision, and there is no clear training plan to support staff’s knowledge and development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035543 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.5

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

p.5

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

p.5

Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(v)(vii)(b)(e))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff are aware of the home’s child protection procedures and that any concerns or allegations are addressed in a timely manner in line with these procedures. 12 June 2025

p.5

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035543 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

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)(b)(iii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must have clear plans to assist children in acquiring the skills necessary to leave the home when they reach adulthood.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any relief members of staff receive appropriate training and supervision. 25 July 2025

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. This includes individuals inside and outside of the home, including family members. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, allowing 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 13.2) Inspection report for children’s home: SC035543 7

p.6

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: SC035543 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered Provider: East Riding of Yorkshire Council

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Cross Street, Beverley HU17 9BA

p.8

Inspector

Lisa Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035543 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9