Children's Home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited in Kirklees

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people’s outcomes have improved since living at the home. Over time the type and frequency of behaviour associated with risks to their emotional and physical health declines. They are supported to pursue personal interests and re-engage with education.  The home has effective and strong leadership supported by experienced and committed staff. Young people receive consistent care which supports positive decision-making and educational progress.  Young people feel valued and listened to. They are supported to manage relationships and develop positive identities. They are consulted on a wide range of issues which affect their care.  Young people enjoy relationships with the staff that are warm and respectful. They learn to develop the skills which they will require for successful transition into adulthood.  The needs of existing young people at the home form an integral and important part of decision-making with regards to the consideration of new

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The children's home provision is good because:

referrals made.  Areas for improvement are identified. These do not currently impact upon the welfare of the young people.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

13 In order to meet the leadership and management standard with particular reference to the physical environment the registered person must –

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and deliver the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose. This is specifically with regards to, outstanding repair or redecoration of the living room ceiling and paintwork, replacement of damaged windows and renewal of damaged bedroom furniture and soft furnishing such as curtains; repair of damaged door casings; redecoration of the young person’s telephone room and cleaning or renewal of young people's bedroom carpets 31/10/2015

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Requirement Due date

5 In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard the registered person must, and must ensure that staff –

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Requirement Due date

(c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans. With particular reference to fulfilling recommendations made at young people's reviews and providing the particular support identified. 19/09/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  In some instances, a child may express wishes that are not always in their best interests or which may conflict with the views of other children in the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 22, paragraph 4.9,). In particular that young people's views are recorded clearly in both key-working documentation and young people's meetings.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children’s home providing accommodation for up to six young people of either sex with emotional and or behaviour difficulties between the ages of 11-17 years. The home was registered in September 2014. Contractual arrangements are such that it currently only cares for young people from the Kirklees Local Authority.

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good

Young people’s harmful behaviour such as high levels of drug use, incidents of missing from home and exposure to child sexual exploitation, reduces as a result of living at the home. For some young people this has decreased significantly from their starting points. This is underpinned by the positive relationships which the staff build with young people and the consistent boundaries which are set. One young person commented, ‘Staff are proper nice here. When I first came here I didn’t really care about anything. These guys have helped me a lot. They go out of their way to help you – you are their main priority’.

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good

Young people say they feel safe at the home and that staff have a genuine regard for them as individuals. They expressed warmth and positive regard for the staff and the encouragement they receive to achieve across many aspects of their lives. They are offered regular and consistent advice on a group and individual basis which positively affects their decision-making.

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good

Young people’s views are listened to. Their views affect the decisions regarding choice of food, activities, holiday arrangements and they are encouraged to personalise their rooms and make choices over colour-schemes. Overall young people are consulted and decisions are made based on this. However their views and opinions not clearly recorded in key-working documents or young people’s meetings. As a result this places limitations on evaluating and capturing young people’s thinking and development.

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good

Young people are encouraged to positively manage the relationships that are important to them and are practically supported with contact arrangements. Staff are informed and sensitive to the diverse cultural needs of young people. The staff group are themselves reflective of this cultural diversity and offer positive role models. Young people are supported to take part in religious events. They are successfully given advice and experiences to learn necessary life skills. These include incremental stages towards managing a budget, learning to cook and self- care skills. Through staff attention to individual needs young people increasingly develop confidence and self-esteem.

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good

Staff share their own personal skills and abilities in areas such as rugby, boxing and cadets to enhance and enrich the activities which are offered to young people. Regular activities also include gym attendance, cinema, bowling and individual interests such as knitting, henna tattoo and art work. These positive experiences enhance young people’s sense of achievement and overall sense of enjoyment.

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good

Careful consideration is given to the existing needs and dynamics of the young people at the home when new referrals are made. Young people new to the home are made to feel welcome and their needs understood by all the staff. One social worker who recently placed a young person commented, ‘When I ring I don’t have to repeat things or keep explaining who I am or her history. All the staff know about any appointments. She has settled in nicely.’ Young people who have left the home are assisted to make the transition in a planned manner.

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good

All young people have an educational provision identified and are supported by the staff to identify and develop their future aspirations within work or education. Young people make good progress with regards to their education, with some young people achieving 100% attendance from their starting points of very poor attendance. Young people new to the home also make progress, which is underpinned by the staff establishing routines and structure to support attendance. Educational achievement of young people is important to the staff and described by the manager as ‘A given.’

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good

Young people say they feel safe living at the home and that staff are ‘protective’ of their welfare. All young people make progress with regards to making increasingly safer choices For some young people there is significant progress over time in terms of exposure to child sexual exploitation, drug use and alcohol use. This is as a result of the positive and trusting relationships which are established between young people and staff. A recent review for one young person commented, ‘X has made some really positive changes since the last review, X has stopped smoking cannabis, is more discerning about what they do and who they spend time with … and has made some very positive relationships with staff.’

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good

The safety and welfare of young people is a priority for all the staff. When missing from home incidents do occur staff are proactive in seeking to remain in contact, trying to establish where young people are and with whom. They physically go searching for them. The staff are active in requesting strategy meetings as a response to new or heightened concerns regarding the welfare of young people. This is further supported by an increase in the individual keyworker time which is given to the young people. This ensures that young people are offered timely advice and support and relationships between staff and young people are further strengthened. Young people’s backgrounds and previous adverse life experiences are understood well by the staff. They understand the role that harmful behaviours may play in the lives of the young people and seek to counter-act these through stable, consistent, positive messages and expectations. Positive behaviours are promoted and

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good

sanctions are minimised in order to encourage behaviour which is safe. Physical intervention is rarely required or used.

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good

The staff have proactive and effective relationships with the police and other agencies. This ensures young people are afforded a coordinated response to any welfare concerns. Young people are assisted to understand the decisions which are made on their behalf and continually encouraged to make positive choices.

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good

The manager has been registered for this current provision since October 2014. He has extensive experience of working with young people in both residential care settings and educational settings. He holds both Level 4 and Level 5 qualifications in Management and Leadership. The manager is well respected by both professionals and staff alike. He is fully committed to the progress of young people and ensuring that they are treated with the same care and attention, ‘As if they were our own children.’ He demonstrates good understanding of the homes strengths and developmental needs and is both open and encouraging of improved care practices.

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good

The manager is supported by an experienced staff team that are drawn from diverse cultural backgrounds and life experiences. The care offered to young people therefore draws upon varied and appropriate mix of experiences, skills and knowledge base.

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good

Staff benefit from supervision which is focused, well documented and seeks to develop their skills. This ensures that children are cared for by a team that are clear about their roles and continually strive for professional development. There is a good induction programme that measures staff competencies and affords suitable assessment of strengths and weaknesses. Staff are encouraged to develop professionally and they are given opportunities to assume responsibilities to support this development.

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good

Young people make progress. A key strength of the home is the good quality relationships that staff establish with young people. The manager and staff understand the young people’s needs and therefore tailor their individual responses accordingly.

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good

The manager and staff team have positive working relationships with social workers and other agencies. This ensures there is a multi-agency response and that information is disseminated in a timely manner. Young people however do not always have timely access to the services identified to meet their needs. Processes employed by the staff to pursue these recommendations with the placing authority are not always effective. As a result some young people have had to wait unnecessarily for services such as anger management programmes.

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good

The young people feel at ease in their home and staff work hard at maintaining a relaxed and welcoming feel. Overall the home is reasonably furnished and maintained although would benefit from some necessary maintenance and redecoration.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children 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 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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