Children's homes

We operate seven children’s homes across the city. These children's homes are open 24 hours per day and 365 days per year, staffed by appropriately trained and skilled members of staff.

All of the children’s homes are tailored towards children and young people’s needs -

two longer term homes for children who are likely to need to stay in a children’s home until they reach an age when they are able to move on to independence with support or return to their extended family networks
two children’s homes which offer support, respite and full time care for children with disabilities
a children's home which cares for younger children under the age of 14 years, when the plan is to support them to live in a foster placement
a children’s home which offers support to older children aged 15 to 18 years of age and often works with children who have spent some time out of the Hull area in specialist or commissioned agency placements to meet their needs.
a children’s home which works specifically with children on the edge of care and those families who need additional respite support to continue to care for their children within their family network and community. This service works closely with the short breaks fostering service and provides additional support to families outside of normal office hours.

Children’s Rights Director for England (CRD)

The Children's Rights Director for England (CRD) is Roger Morgan. With his team, Roger spends lots of time listening to what children and young people who live away from home have to say about how they are looked after.

Children living in a children's home, family centre, boarding school, residential special school, further education college, with foster carers, are adopted, getting any sort of help from social services or a care leaver can contact Roger to find out about their rights and a way for them to be heard.

Roger Morgan
Ofsted, Aviation House
125 Kingswood
London
WC2B 6SE

Tel: 0800 5280 731

About residential care

Residential care for children (children's homes) are there to ensure that the needs of children are met when they cannot live with their own family. Children's homes look after children with many different needs and are a place for children to develop and grow, providing food, shelter and space for play and leisure in a caring environment.

When children and young people come to live in a children's home they will have a care plan. Their care plan says why the child is living there, what is supposed to happen while they are living there and what is supposed to happen at the end of their stay. Most children will go home afterwards but a few go to live with other families and others go to live in other homes. Older children who are not planning to return home are given help to prepare them for living on their own - this is called aftercare.

Education is important. Children go to their own school if they have a school place or we help to get them back into school, whilst some young people may attend college etc.

It is very important that children and young people stay in touch with their family and friends. It is only when they might be hurt or a Court Order says that contact is not allowed, that some children will not be able to visit or have visits from their family.

Children and young people are respected as individuals. By providing for their religious and cultural needs children are encouraged to keep their sense of personal identity and community.

Eligibility for the service

Children and young people have to live away from their own families for all sorts of reasons. These include -

their parents are unwell
they have problems with their family and need to spend some time away from home, for example behaviour problems or educational difficulties
they may have a disability and need a break from living with their families
they are in the care of the local authority and are subject to a Court Order or an Interim Care Order
generally, when children and young people need to live away from their families, they will stay with foster carers, unless foster care is either not possible, undesirable accommodation or may not be what the young person chooses