Children's home run by Hennessy Living Group Limited in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482418 1 SC482418 Registered provider: Hennessy Living Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have physical and/or learning disabilities, two of which may stay under short-break arrangements.

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Information about this children’s home

All four children living in the home at the time of the inspection were observed by the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager recently resigned from the role after being in the position for 9 months. A new manager has been appointed but is not registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 9 and 10 December 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is available on the Ofsted website.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 12 November 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC482418 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2019 Full Good 17/07/2018 Full Good 07/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC482418 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. For one child, this means that they have exceeded targets and for other children, that they have developed social skills and mobility. Feedback from professionals and children’s families is positive. When reflecting on a child’s progress, one professional said that the child ‘is much happier and more settled’ since moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy in the home. They have good relationships with the staff. The staff are in tune with the children’s needs and together they have fun. The children were seen smiling, laughing and enjoying being with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into the home in a planned way. The manager and staff gather relevant information about the child’s needs and plan any additional resources needed to care for the child. Introductory visits are completed so that children, and where appropriate their families, can visit the home and become familiar with the environment. This helps children to have a good start to living in their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are developing independence skills, which is increasing their self- confidence. The staff devise activities according to children’s individual strengths and abilities. This helps the children to learn new skills that are useful as they develop into adulthood, for example helping at mealtimes, choosing clothes to wear and enhancing personal care skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support to express themselves and develop communication skills. The staff encourage children to interact with them, using techniques which the children understand. For some children, this has increased their use of vocabulary and developed their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to access education and have good attendance. The staff ensure that children are prepared for the school day, giving them encouragement and reassurance. When children require education at home, a tutor is allocated, and staff support this process well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. When appropriate, family members visit the home and join in events such as children’s birthday celebrations. The staff also support children to join clubs and have fun with other children. This helps them to integrate into their community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is suitably equipped with communal and private space for the children. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. The walls are painted with children’s favourite colours, and some walls feature murals. The communal spaces are welcoming, for example the sensory room with colour changing lights, soft seats and textured Inspection report for children's home: SC482418 4 surfaces for the children to explore. Some areas of the home are being refurbished and the manager has a vision for further home improvements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to be healthy. The staff follow children’s meal plans and encourage each child to exercise, for example going for a walk. The staff support children to take prescribed medication and attend appointments with health professionals. Where children would benefit from a review of their healthcare, the manager and staff advocate on behalf of the child.

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

Children do not go missing from home and there are no incidents of bullying or exploitation. Risks to children are understood and closely monitored by staff. Risk assessments are clear and provide staff with the information that they need to reduce risks to the children. When children’s needs change, for example levels of supervision, the child’s network of family and professionals is consulted. This results in plans being updated and new strategies introduced to help keep children increasingly safe.

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

When complaints or allegations are made about the staff, plans are swiftly implemented to reduce potential risks to the children. The manager and, where appropriate, senior leaders in the organisation carry out thorough investigations. When practice issues are identified, action plans are followed and, if necessary, additional training and advice are provided.

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

Physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep children safe. Records of restraint are completed by the staff, and a debrief is carried out to enable the staff and the children to reflect and to consider new strategies to avoid reoccurrence. The quality of restraint records varied and some information was missing, for example the duration and specific location of the restraint.

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good

There is a culture of staff being promoted into roles without good evidence of their suitability or competence. During the past 18 months, the management and staff team have changed significantly. This disruption has affected the consistency of care for children and the quality of management oversight in the home.

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good

A new manager and deputy manager have been appointed. They have carried out a significant amount of work in recent weeks to address shortfalls in practice. For example, the previous manager failed to track staff training effectively. In addition, the frequency of some staff supervision was not in accordance with the home’s policy. These issues have been rectified by the manager.

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good

Staffing pressures have been a challenge. During the past 12 months, half of the staff team left their post, which has resulted in agency staff being used on a regular basis. Core staff have worked additional hours, including the deputy and the Inspection report for children's home: SC482418 5 manager. Recruitment of new staff is underway; however, this has been more difficult due to the impact of COVID-19.

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good

The manager and staff develop positive relationships with children’s family and professionals working with the children. Social workers say that the manager listens to their feedback and uses this to make improvements in the home. For example, the quality of communication between social worker’s and the staff has improved. In addition, the staff attend meetings and share relevant information in respect to the children.

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good

The quality of children’s records is improving. They show the children’s progress and their positive experiences in the home. However, other aspects of record-keeping need to improve. For example, some records are incomplete or inaccurate.

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good

The new manager and deputy have a good insight into the home’s strengths and weaknesses, and where improvements should be prioritised. Together, with the support of the senior leadership team, they have introduced new monitoring systems to address shortfalls. It is too early to evaluate the impact of these. Inspection report for children's home: SC482418 6

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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.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and

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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)(a)(c)(e)(h)) 7 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 7 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC482418 7 the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the register of children who have moved in or out of the home. 7 June 2022

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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: SC482418 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hennessy Living Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rickleton 1B, Bowes Offices, Lambton Park, Chester-le-Street DH3 4AN

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Inspector

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC482418 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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