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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 1 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties, learning disabilities or mental health issues.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in August 2022 when the home was first registered.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector spoke with all four children during the inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/12/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living in this home are happy. They identify this as their family home where they feel well cared for. The children’s presence is seen and heard throughout the home. One child said, ‘I love living here, it’s mint.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff speak about the children’s progress with pride. Children’s achievements are celebrated, and their successes are evident in the home. There is an abundance of photos and memorabilia displayed in the home, which the children are proud of.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have formed strong relationships with staff, which are built on trust and affection. Staff show a good knowledge and understanding of children’s individual support needs. This has helped the children to make good progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are provided with a range of activities; they have fun together and enjoy new experiences. Children are encouraged by a dedicated staff team who has high aspirations for the children. As a result, children overcome social anxiety and their confidence grows. Children said that they enjoy going on holiday together. One child said, ‘I’ve never been on holiday before, it was so much fun. It was my first time in a hot tub.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work with education specialists and children’s social workers to address any barriers to learning that the children face. All of the children engage in education, and they make good progress. One child has reintegrated into formal education full time, with 100% attendance. This is exceptional when taking into account the child’s individual starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported to attend health appointments and they have access to the healthcare services that they need. Regular conversations with the staff about the importance of having a balanced diet, exercise and healthy relationships help the children to develop a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children who move out of the home well. The staff understand the significance of these moves and they celebrate them so that the children have a positive and memorable experience. Children receive memory books when they leave, which contain photos, achievements and sentiments from the staff. Children are provided with contact details and encouraged to stay in touch.

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

Children said that they feel safe living in this home. They can identify adults who they can speak to should they have any worries or concerns. Children are confident that they will be listened to. Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 4 When children are unkind to each other, the staff identify and address this immediately. The staff help the children to understand why bullying behaviour is not acceptable. This helps the children to develop socially acceptable behaviours.

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

Incidents of children going missing from the home are rare. When children do go missing, the staff understand and act within their roles and responsibilities. They ensure that the children can speak with an independent person, and confidently alert the local authority if there are delays with this happening. This practice ensures that children are better protected and supported to return home safely.

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

Children feel confident to raise any worries or complaints with the manager and the staff. When children complain, this is taken seriously. The manager investigates the complaints and addresses any identified actions thoroughly. She then shares the outcome of the complaint with the children.

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

Staff have regular discussions with the children about topics that have been identified as important. These discussions allow the children to express their views, wishes and feelings. This helps to promote their independence, safety and well- being.

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

The children receive praise and recognition for positive behaviour, which they are proud of. The staff provide the children with predictable structures and routines. However, there are rules in the home that some children do not understand the rationale for. One example is that children must hand in their electronic devices each evening. This practice is not personalised to the specific needs of each child and does not consider individual children’s freedom and choice.

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

Staff do not fully understand the risks to children who use the internet; this includes social media and gaming online. Furthermore, staff are unclear about the level of supervision needed when children are gaming online and if their electronic devices should be regularly checked.

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

The children have experienced an unsettled period, with an increase in police attendance at the home. The police have been called when staff have been unable to calm children while they are in crisis. This has resulted in children being arrested, which increases the risk of children being criminalised. This may affect their later life chances.

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good

The manager is enthusiastic about her role. She is proud of the progress that children make at the home. The manager has trust and confidence in the staff team. She is well supported by the wider organisation.

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good

The manager has a good knowledge of children’s starting points and what they have achieved since living at the home. She is fully involved in the children’s lives and is Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 5 clear about the progress that the children make. The manager is a trusted person for the children. This makes her a good role model for staff. One child said, ‘I love [manager’s name]. She is a motherly role model in the home for us all.’

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good

Leaders have reviewed the process for children moving in to the home to assist and support a smooth transition. Robust assessments are now completed. These make sure that the new child’s individual needs can be met, and that there are sufficient staff who have the appropriate skills and experience to care for all of the children.

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good

The needs of the children already living in the home are considered, and their views sought before any new child moves in. The new child’s introduction to the home is planned sensitively to ensure that they have the best possible experience of moving in to the home.

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good

The staff team is new and is developing. Overall, staff are positive about their work and said that the manager provides good support. Leaders are aware that team dynamics are not yet resulting in a cohesive staff team that displays confident and consistent practice. Clear plans are in place to further develop the team.

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good

Staff supervisions take place; however, the quality of supervision provided is inconsistent. The leaders who are responsible for providing supervision do not currently have a shared understanding of the home’s ethos and values in order for them to continue improving the quality of care delivered.

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good

When practice issues are identified, action is taken to address and monitor staff’s performance, but these are not always recorded. In addition, the staff’s well-being is not always considered. The regional manager recognises this and is developing a plan to improve the quality of supervision and support for staff’s well-being.

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good

The manager supports newly employed staff through the induction process; however, there is no induction in place for staff who transfer from the organisation’s other homes. The manager ensures that permanent staff are suitably vetted. However, the manager does not carry out safer recruitment checks of agency staff. The responsible individual took immediate action to implement a process to address this shortfall.

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good

The home provides the children with a homely and comfortable environment. This includes soft furnishings, which make these spaces feel homely and welcoming. However, the standards of cleanliness are inconsistent throughout the home. Some areas of the home are tired and worn and redecoration is needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 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, 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(b) (3)(a)(d)) 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand the risks that using the internet may pose for children. When children are at risk from using the internet, 30 November 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 7 the registered person must ensure that staff have well- developed strategies in place to keep children safe and support them in learning how to keep themselves safe.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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 the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)) 30 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(b)(iv)(ix)(c)(i)) 30 November 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 8 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)(b)) 30 November 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review the procedures in the home to reduce unnecessary police involvement in managing children’s behaviour. Children should not be at risk of being criminalised resulting from behaviour in a children’s home that would not similarly lead to police involvement if it occurred in a family home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.40)

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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: 2661071 9

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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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Inspector

Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2661071 10 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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