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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2613032 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

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties and may have learning disabilities, alcohol misuse issues and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, five children were living in the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

At the full inspection on 9 and 10 October 2023, the home was judged inadequate as significant breaches in regulations relating to the leadership and management of the home and the protection of children were identified. At a case review on 11 October 2023, it was agreed that compliance notices under Regulations 11, 12, 13 and 28 would be issued. In addition, due to the seriousness of the inspection findings, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation, to prevent children from moving into the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613032 2 Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit on 23 November 2023 to monitor the provider’s compliance with the notice restricting accommodation and the progress made in meeting the compliance notices. The provider demonstrated that they had taken appropriate action and made improvements. Therefore, the compliance notices were met. The provider has an action plan in place to continue the improvement work in

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

this home. Following a case review on 27 November 2023, it was agreed that the notice restricting accommodation was no longer required. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613032 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2023 Full Inadequate 16/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2613032 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress from their individual starting points. They are helped to develop positive relationships with the staff, who care about them and want them to reach their potential. Children can identify trusted adults who they can talk to if they have any worries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with the people who are important to them. This supports them to maintain positive relationships with significant people in their lives. Staff have good communication with children’s parents and families. Children benefit from seeing staff, professionals and family members working well together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote children’s education well. Children have good educational attendance and are making progress. Staff support the children to think about their future and make plans for their careers. Staff and managers are good advocates to ensure that children’s educational needs are met now and in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop independence skills for adulthood. Staff help them to learn how to cook, budget for shopping and to do their own laundry. This support helps children to learn and develop important life skills and plan for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with local health services and are encouraged to attend appointments when required. The manager has been proactive in seeking specialist support for one child’s emotional health as she recognised subtle changes in their presentation. Furthermore, one child has attended the dentist for the first time in a long time. This was because of the staff offering reassurance and being persistent in their efforts.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and welcoming home. Photos around the house remind them of the good times and many memories made. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their individual tastes and reflect their interests. They have been out shopping for new furniture and paint as part of the ongoing redecoration of the home. The involvement of the children increases their overall sense of belonging.

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

Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are well known by staff. Risk management plans are generally well written. They contain clear guidance for staff about the risks to children and what they need to do to keep the children safe. Plans are regularly updated to reflect any changes or emerging risks to children.

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

The manager and staff work exceptionally well with partner agencies, such as the police and the local authority, to reduce risks for children. Risks have not been eliminated, but they have been significantly reduced. The collaborative working Inspection report for children’s home: 2613032 5 results in the overall risks reducing and stability of placements for children. One professional said:

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

‘I cannot fault them at [name of home]. The decisions around managing risks have been collective decisions. There is nowhere else that could have better protected our children.’

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

Staff are proactive when children go missing from the home. The manager thoroughly reviews the records of missing-from-home incidents. Debriefs are carried out with staff and children. This ensures that staff are continually reflecting on their practice and helps to reduce the risks to children. As a result, missing-from-home incidents have reduced.

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

Staff manage children’s behaviours well and have a good understanding of their individual needs. Staff put clear and consistent boundaries in place, which means that children are helped to understand which behaviours are not acceptable. Children are mostly offered positive rewards rather than negative consequences. This helps to reinforce positive behaviours for children.

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

Children’s complaints are taken seriously and acted on. However, they are not consistently informed of the outcome of their complaint. Children have used the complaints process to complain about each other’s behaviour. Through staff’s support and mediation, children’s relationships with each other are managed well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team, along with the support from the responsible individual, have made positive changes throughout the home. The collective work and commitment have resulted in progress and improvements being made since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has introduced new systems to monitor the quality of care and staff practice at the home. The new systems better inform the manager of the day-to-day running of the home. As a result, practice is improving. For example, children’s records are better written and are of good quality.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is positive, and they say that they feel supported in their roles. Most of the staff team has been working at the home for some time. This provides consistency for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular team meetings which focus children’s experiences and progress. Managers use these meetings to drive the ethos of the home and improve staff’s knowledge, skills and understanding of their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular supervision is provided for staff and the manager. However, those responsible for delivering supervision to the staff do not have adequate training to do so. The quality of supervision varies and does not always offer space for reflection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613032 6 Feedback from professionals about the staff and management of the home is positive. The manager has good relationships with external agencies. The manager uses the expertise of external agencies to improve the care the children receive, for example sourcing and supporting a child to receive an advocacy service. The manager professionally challenges services when necessary to ensure the best outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613032 7

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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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 April 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children can see that their views are considered. In particular, children should be kept up to date and informed of the outcome of any complaints or concerns that they raise. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: 2613032 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

Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2613032 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under

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Inspector

the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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