Children's home run by Kingston upon Hull City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2836328 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

This home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties or have a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in May 2025. Three children have lived at the home since it was registered. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with both children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025 and is also registered to manage another of the provider’s homes nearby.

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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: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2836328 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive care from staff who are committed to them and know their individual needs. Clearly written care plans give staff the information they need to maintain important structure and boundaries for the children. Children build trusting relationships with some staff and make good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience positive moves to the home. Staff get to know children’s likes and dislikes and support them to continue pursuing existing hobbies and interests when they move in. This helps children to maintain established routines and settle into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children, and their voices are well evidenced throughout important documents. Children say they feel heard and can identify staff that they can talk to about any worries or concerns. This helps children to feel that their views are important and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised in the home and children have been helped to settle into new school and college placements. When children do not attend school, staff work effectively with education professionals to explore ways to help children overcome barriers. This helps children to understand the importance of gaining an education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain meaningful relationships with family members. Staff work effectively to include family members in care planning to support long-term plans. Parents say they feel well informed and involved in their children’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop and enhance important life skills. They prepare children to navigate the challenges of living independently after moving on from the home. When children do move on from the home, staff remain in touch and support them to settle into their new home.

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

Staff understand the children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. Children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans are regularly reviewed and give staff guidance on actions to keep children safe from harm. Children say they feel safe living at the home and learn valuable skills to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff take part in appropriate training and regular reflective discussions to ensure that their skills are relevant to the children’s needs. This helps staff to maintain effective safeguarding arrangements. Staff discuss risks with children to support them to identify and respond to potentially unsafe situations. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836328 3 Staff use structured interventions to promote children’s self-care skills. They consistently offer children the right practical and emotional support to help them make progress. Children develop important skills and to stay safe and healthy. For one child, this has led to significant improvements in the cleanliness of their bedroom.

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

Staff understand children’s behavioural needs and use de-escalation skills effectively. Physical intervention is used as a last resort when danger is present. Holds have been used proportionately to keep children safe. However, some records demonstrate gaps in management oversight. Furthermore, children have not been offered the opportunity to speak to someone independent about their experiences.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. When incidents of going missing do occur, staff respond to keep children safe and help them return home safely. The manager has developed the way incidents of going missing are recorded and evaluated. This has improved the effectiveness of her oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths of the team. Her plans for development focus on improving children’s experiences. She has a strong presence in the home and is committed to understanding and acting on the children’s views and wishes. This helps her to ensure that children feel well cared for and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the children and their needs well. They understand how the care they give to children affects their progress and access additional support when necessary. This helps children’s continuing progression.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff respect the manager and appreciate the support she gives them to perform their roles. Practice-related supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly and offer staff opportunities to reflect on their practice and on children’s needs. This helps staff to understand how best to support the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built positive working relationships with external professionals. She makes good use of these relationships when she needs to escalate any concerns. This enables her to have a positive influence on multi-agency responses to children. Professionals speak highly of the manager and of the difference the team has made to children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s auditing tools allow her to evaluate the effectiveness of the staff. However, management oversight is not yet consistent across all documents, including incident records. This limits the effectiveness of these monitoring systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff take part in important, structured training to increase their knowledge and skills. However, one staff member is outside of timescales to achieve the required qualification. This limits the manager’s ability to be assured that all staff have the required skills to care for children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836328 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h)) 19 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is offered the opportunity to access advocacy support to help them to express their feelings about their experiences of the restraint. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)

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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: 2836328 5

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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: 2836328 6 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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