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

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:

 The Registered Manager leads an enthusiastic and experienced staff team. Children and young people positively respond to the aspirations and expectations that staff set.  Children and young people benefit from a warm and nurturing environment that the staff work hard at providing. As a result they make good progress across many areas of their lives, especially in education.  Children and young people become more resilient, develop positive relationships and learn skills they will need to successfully embrace young adulthood.  Staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities of each child and young person and their safety is a priority. Children and young people feel safe at the home.  Children and young people enjoy an environment in which they successfully learn to live together and appreciate diversity. They are treated as individuals and their interests encouraged and supported.  Areas for improvement are identified. These do not currently impact upon

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The children's home provision is good because:

the welfare of the young people. They relate to record keeping and decorative improvements within the home.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.6). In particular, significant documents should record the young person's views and they should be supported to contribute to the record.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4). In particular key-working sessions should be evaluative and placement plans clear in their goal setting.

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Recommendations

 For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of children, they will in most cases, be homely, domestic environments (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular repair and repaint the upstairs corridor and clean or replace the carpet.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children’s home and is registered to provide accommodation for up to 8 children, of single sex, with emotional or behavioural difficulties and children with learning difficulties. This is the first inspection since registration.

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good

Children and young people receive care that is personalised to meet their needs, histories, personalities, particular strengths and vulnerabilities. Through this individual care they develop self-awareness and respond to the guidance and boundaries that staff provide. Self-control of their emotions improves and they express themselves in acceptable ways. Children and young people benefit from increased contact with family members and this supports their emotional growth. Social workers comment upon the flexible approach that staff take with regards to contact arrangements and in addition, the support that is also offered to parents. Through the holistic approach that is taken by the staff, children and young people’s identities are supported and valued. Children and young people develop good self-reflection, their positive changes and achievements are a result of the positive regard they receive from the staff. One

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good

young person commented, ‘I wouldn’t talk to no one – I would flip-out and hit them – I would ignore them and if I heard something I didn’t like I’d tell them to go and xxxx themselves and walk away – now I listen.’ A social worker commenting on the progress of another child said, ‘He is much calmer in his behaviour now. For example, when I used to take him out in the car he would be opening windows, shouting to people, chucking things out – now he just sits listening to music. In meetings he is less anxious.’ Relationships with staff are warm and infused with humour. Staff are good role models, providing clear boundaries and expectations. This helps children and young people live together in a positive way and appreciate their differences. This positive environment is enhanced with activities that children and young people enjoy. Staff take an active role in encouraging healthy leisure pursuits. For example,

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good

children and young people successfully completed a sponsored 20 mile bike ride raising pocket money funds for their holiday abroad. More regular activities include fishing, cinema, premier football games, visiting public libraries, swimming and rugby. Staff value and quickly identify children and young people’s talents and interests. For example, one child very new to the home has already joined a hockey club new kit in order to continue his interest. One young person commented, ‘Staff look after us good, they give us money, take us out, let us choose take-aways – we get lots of activities like laser quest, golf, we can go swimming whenever we want. The food is good.’ Children and young people make good progress in their education and develop future aspirations. For some young people this has represented a significant change in their willingness to attend and improve their behaviour in school. All young people have high attendance whether at school or college. Those in further

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good

education and training have a good commitment to their chosen careers. Staff give young people individualised support to acquire the skills and knowledge they will need in adulthood. They use a dedicated flat to safely experience semi- independent living. Young people embarking upon and making this transition commented, ‘They help me with my shopping, budget and learn about life. I’m more independent – when I first came I couldn’t catch buses but now I can go out myself – can talk to people better – I use to be reclusive.’ One leaving care social worker commented, ‘They have been his one source of consistent support and help him make decisions about where he wants to be when he leaves, without influencing him in any way.’

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good

Young people become increasingly safe whilst at the home. They say they feel safe and are safe. Staff respond pro-actively when children and young people go missing. They actively search for them and liaise appropriately with other agencies. Staff work effectively with children and young people identifying underlying causes for their risk taking behaviour. They ensure resources and specialist help becomes available in a timely way. For example, the manager secured increased staffing for one vulnerable child for whom incidents of missing from home had become a concern. Since that time there have been no further incidents. Staff help children and young people develop insight and knowledge about potential dangers and so they can make safer choices. Children and young people are successfully supported to improve their behaviour. They understand and accept the clear and consistent boundaries. This is further

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good

underpinned via individual key-working time with staff. One young person commented, ‘The rules are fair – if you break the rules you get a consequence…. the consequence depends on the kid – they are fair they give you many warnings. I was told something like six times one day. So they do give you warnings and are fair before they give you a consequence.’ The home is a positive and healthy environment. Children and young people say there are no incidents of bullying, they know how to make a complaint and that they have trusted relationships with staff. Children and young people respond to the incentives they are set so that physical intervention is rarely needed or used. Planning for children and young people to join the home is thorough. Careful consideration is given to the effects upon children and young people already living at the home. Existing age ranges, interests, risks and group dynamics are taken

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good

The Registered Manager has been in post since October 2014 and was the previously registered under the home’s former registration from 2010. She is suitably qualified and experienced. She brings drive and enthusiasm to her role and leads a committed team. One social worker commented ‘They are certainly a strong team here and X trusts them – it is his home. It is consistent and he engages well and gets a lot out of it.’

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good

The manager has good insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the home and continually drives forward improvements based on the needs of the children and young people. For example, recent improvements include establishing written weekly updates from schools and colleges. These are closely monitored by the staff and this interest in their achievements has encouraged the children and young people to maintain and improve their commitment. Other improvements have been to consolidate and streamline paperwork and build good leaving care links with external providers. This latter development has ensured that young people access the services they require to make successful transition and that plans are enacted in a timely way to meet their needs.

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good

Staff feel supported in their role and benefit from both formal and informal supervision. The manager has good insight into the strengths of her team and uses a wide range of measures and evaluation to ensure that children and young people are well cared for. The staff team reflect a variety of skills, backgrounds and genders and this provides children and young people a wide choice of individuals with whom they can identify and talk to.

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good

Other professionals have good regard for the care which is provided by the staff and they report receiving timely and focused information. This assists with assessment and planning for children and young people. The manager and staff regularly review progress as a group and take a team approach to the care offered. Staff act as effective advocates for children and young people to ensure the best support is available to them, for example securing therapeutic and specialist services. On the whole the physical environment is homely and welcoming. All the children and young people’s bedrooms have been, or are in the process of being redecorated. There is good indoor space available which includes a games room, computer room and sitting room. This space facilitates a variety of activities which the children and young people enjoy. There are however areas of redecoration and repair which require attention.

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good

Records are kept up to date and reflect the young people’s daily lives and progress. However, key-working sessions are not evaluative in nature and placement plans contain ‘given’ standards of care as goals. In addition, children and young people are not actively encouraged to add to these records.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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