Children's Home run by Hennessy Living Group Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 1 Hennessy Living Group Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may have social or emotional difficulties, learning disabilities and/or mental disorders.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted on 3 August 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of this visit.

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This monitoring visit

During a full inspection on 13 and 14 December 2022, inspectors found several regulatory breaches that impact on the children’s safety, protection and welfare. In response, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation. This means that no other children can move into the home, but those already living there can remain. In addition, Ofsted issued two compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the provider’s response to the notice restricting accommodation the steps identified in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, the inspectors found that the provider has complied with the notice restricting accommodation and has ensured that no children have moved into the home.

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This monitoring visit

In addition, the inspectors found that the provider and the manager have taken sufficient action to meet all the steps in both compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s individual risk assessments and behaviour support plans have been reviewed. These now reflect the children’s current needs and the strategies that staff must follow to support and protect the children. When risks are particularly Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 2 high for children, due to their emotional and mental health difficulties, additional risk management plans are in place. This ensures that the staff have clear plans to follow.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has ensured that staff understand their roles and responsibilities for protecting children from harm. Team meetings and one-to-one discussions between the manager and staff have helped to increase the staff’s knowledge of safeguarding children. This means that the staff have a better understanding of how to respond when there is a serious incident concerning a child.

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This monitoring visit

A comprehensive review of the children’s missing-from-care plans has been carried out so that these now link with the local protocol. The manager has also spoken with the police, and she has sourced additional staff training so that staff know how to prevent children going missing and how to respond to incidents when children do go missing from the home. Staff have applied this training in practice. In one example, the staff recognised that a child was likely to go missing. They managed the child’s behaviour well and provided support. This action prevented the missing-from-care episode.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of written records has improved. When incidents involving children occur, the staff complete a written record, and a separate debrief session takes place for the staff and the children. The manager reviews all incidents. This scrutiny has identified shortfalls, which have been immediately addressed with the staff. The manager has developed a system to track management oversight and to help identify themes and trends.

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This monitoring visit

Children have received advice about how to raise complaints. Staff have explained the complaints process to children and provided them with written information to keep for future reference. In addition, the staff have received guidance from the manager about how to respond to children’s feedback, particularly when a concern is raised. There have been no new complaints from children since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The manager supports the staff team. She is aware that staff morale has been low and has increased the time that she spends in the home. The manager has provided all staff with regular guidance, emotional support and supervision sessions. This has enabled the staff to reflect on their feelings and training needs. Despite the pressures and challenges on the manager, she has not received good-quality reflective supervision or the same level of support from the provider.

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This monitoring visit

The five requirements and the one recommendation made following the last full inspection were not considered during this visit. Therefore, they have all been restated. The notice restricting accommodation remains in place. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 4

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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, 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; 22 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 5 help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. 22 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 6 (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; 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.

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Requirement Due date

Paragraph (3) does not apply in relation to restraint that is planned or provided for as a matter of routine in the child’s EHC plan or statement of special educational needs. 22 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 7 (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c) (4))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 22 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39 (3) (5)) 22 February 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. A record of supervision should be kept and both the person giving the supervision and staff member should have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Goundry

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Inspectors

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Michael Dack, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2661071 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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