Children's home run by Hull City Council in Kingston upon Hull, City of

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034706 1 SC034706 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 run by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with one child.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2019.

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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:

An assurance inspection carried out in October 2024 found serious and widespread concerns. Following a case review, a compliance notice under Regulation 11, the positive relationship standard, was issued. A monitoring visit was carried out in December 2024 and found the steps in the compliance notice were met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034706 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/07/2024 Full Good 04/07/2023 Full Good 26/07/2022 Full Good 02/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC034706 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the manager describe the children’s personalities with warm regard. Staff strive to understand what is important for each child and provide personalised care. This supports children to establish positive relationships with those caring for them. Children say they feel able to speak with certain staff about any worries that they may have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress with their education and behaviour, and they develop their independence skills. For example, some children have increased attendance and engagement with their learning, have reduced their participation in unsafe behaviours, and have developed self-care skills in preparation to move from the home. Feedback from professionals and parents highlight that this is due to the positive relationships staff build with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a focus on promoting educational outcomes for children. Staff utilise children’s interests to promote their access to education, helping children attend education provisions in line with their presenting needs. For those children not in school, staff seek to understand the barriers and strongly advocate on the child’s behalf to ensure that plans are formed to overcome them. One parent was grateful for the help their child has received and said, ‘They are like a different child. [Name of child] is back in school full time.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children new to the home benefit from planned transitions. The manager considers the needs of the child moving in, along with those already living in the home. This helps to inform each child’s needs, and any foreseen impact due to the change and how these needs will be supported by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children leave the home in a planned way. Staff keep in touch with those who have left, providing them with a sense of support beyond the boundaries of the home. Staff strive to support children in line with their long-term plans. One professional highlighted that staff were instrumental in ensuring positive outcomes for a child who moved on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enable children to access a range of activities in line with their interests, such as horse riding. Additionally, they promote children spending time with their loved ones. Staff capture these experiences in memory books and photos displayed around the home, for children to look back on and cherish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the manager strive to establish positive relationships with children’s families and those important to them. This enables children to feel comfortable bringing friends to their home. Family members speak positively about the quality of care being provided to their children. One family member said, ‘I couldn’t ask for more for my child. Truthfully, they have been brilliant with [name of child]. They understand them and since [name of child] has been there, they are happier.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC034706 4

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

Staff understand individual risks for each child and take proactive steps to manage the children’s presenting needs. Children’s risk assessments clearly detail what the risks are and guide staff on how to keep children safe. Furthermore, the manager closely liaises with partner agencies to ensure that everyone contributes to the implementation of safety plans for children when risks increase.

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

Staff engage children in discussions about worries when concerns arise. Due to their positive relationships with staff, children speak openly about sensitive topics and share their feelings. This enables staff to provide children with reassurance, advice and, when required, refer to partner agencies for additional support.

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

There is a proactive response when children go missing from the home. Staff actively try to locate children and liaise with partner agencies and families. This supports them to return children safely home. There has been a significant reduction in missing-from-care episodes for some children.

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

Behavioural incidents for children are reducing due to effective de-escalation steps taken by staff. As a result, no physical interventions have been used since the last inspection. When staff need to call police, it is proportionate to the situation. Staff are clear that this is to keep everyone safe and not to criminalise children.

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

Staff take a proactive and creative approach when substance misuse is a concern. This includes educating children about the risks, sharing resources and liaising with drug and alcohol services. This is helping some children to understand the impact of their life style choices.

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

Staff receive specialist training that enables them to manage specific risks for children, such as child criminal exploitation. Staff’s knowledge and skills have helped to reduce the risks for one child. However, they remain alert and know how to escalate concerns should they re-emerge.

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

Staff help children develop their confidence and access physical and emotional health services. Staff provide reassurance and attend appointments alongside the children. Children feel supported and access services that they have previously been reluctant to do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides consistency for the children and staff. She is ambitious for the children in her care. Staff say that the manager always has the children at the forefront of her decision-making. The manager strongly advocates on behalf of the children to ensure that plans are formulated in line with their views. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034706 5 Staff feel well supported by the manager. They benefit from regular practice-related supervision sessions and regular team meetings. Individual case reflections with the child and adolescent mental health services support staff to understand each child’s needs and guide them on how to help each child. Monthly meetings capture the progress that children are making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems to support their oversight of the home. She utilises these to inform any action she needs to take to improve practice or address shortfalls. The manager knows the team’s areas of strength and development needs. She is focused on continually improving the service to better the outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite the statement of purpose stating that this home does not take emergency admissions, senior leaders instructed the manager to do so. These were exceptional circumstances and child-centered decisions. There is no evidence of any impact on the children already living in the home. The responsible individual has taken necessary steps to address this issue and is considering plans for moving forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person’s reports have not been routinely sent to the regulator as required by the regulation that governs this area of practice. This was due to an administrative error. During the inspection, the provider took sufficient steps to address and resolve the matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes a review of the premises. However, it does not fully reflect all the risks in the areas that are known. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034706 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC034706 7

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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

Jess Elliott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC034706 8 regulates and inspects 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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