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

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 make progress from their starting points in relation to their education, health and physical and emotional well-being.  Staff work well with families promoting contact.  Staff prioritise safeguarding. As a result, young people become increasingly safer.  Young people have a stable staff team who are knowledgeable about their needs.  Young people live in a nurturing environment.  Partnership working is effective. Managers and staff work well with professionals and families to support young people and keep them safe.  Feedback from professionals and family members is positive.  There are some shortfalls in practice relating to gaps in staff employment history; the young people’s guide does not fully reflect the day-to day experiences in the home; not all staff undertake specialist training; room searches are not always undertaken with young people’s permission.

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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

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2 (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 02/12/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure a child's bedroom is not generally entered without their permission, though it may be necessary to establish routines to allow for rooms to be cleaned regularly. Usually, rooms should only be searched if a child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child's or other person's safety or well-being (The Guide to Quality Standards page 16, paragraph 3.20  Ensure the children's guide helps children to understand: what the day to day routines are. (The Guide to Quality Standards page 25, paragraph 4.22)  Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and the registered person should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home (The

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Recommendations

Guide to Quality Standards page 53, paragraph 10.11)  Ensure a child's assessed needs is recorded in the child's relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for (The Guide to Quality Standards page 11.4, paragraph 56)

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Information about this children's home

This home is part of a private children's care organisation and is registered to accommodate four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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good

Young people live in a comfortable, well-furnished home in a rural location. The home has had a number of young people move into and out since its re- registration in March 2015. For some young people new to the home, the rural setting is not their preferred option and they feel the home is only a ‘temporary base’ for them. Where possible, the registered provider ensures young people have planned admissions to the home, including a visit to the home prior to moving in. For some young people who recently moved out of the home, managers and staff remain in contact with them and have continued to be supportive wherever possible. This helps young people feel valued.

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good

Young people receive personalised care that helps them to make progress in all areas of their development. Staff provide a nurturing environment that reflects the individual needs of the young people. In a minority of instances full comprehensive information is not always available at the start of placements, such as referral information and placement plans. This has the potential to compromise the individual care young people receive.

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good

Managers and staff have high aspirations for young people which is reflected in the home’s practice. Relationships between young people and staff are good. Staff know the individual personalities and differences of the young people well. As a result, they are able to identify behaviours early and prevent incidents occurring.

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good

Positive behaviour is promoted by staff in a calm, consistent and where appropriate humorous approach. Partnership working with other agencies is positive, ensuring the holistic needs of young people are met. This in turn reassures young people that adults around them are working together.

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good

Staff proactively promote healthier lifestyles and help young people to stay in good health. They work closely with agencies who provide support to young people in both their physical and emotional health. For example, child and adolescents mental health services (CAMHS), smoking cessation; sexual health and alcohol and drug misuse. This provides young people with the necessary skills and knowledge for them to make informed choices regarding their health.

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good

There is an expectation that young people attend an educational provision. Managers work effectively with education providers to ensure educational placements are secured as quickly as possible. Young people are offered a good range of extra-curricular activities and encouraged to try new activities such as horse-riding that are both enjoyable and social. This demonstrates to young people the importance of education and promotes young people’s feelings of self-worth.

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good

The service values young people’s views and uses a range of consultation methods, such as young people’s meetings, one-to-one key working sessions and young people’s consultation papers. Staff support young people to make complaints which are dealt with quickly and robustly.

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good

Young people enjoy time with their families and others who are significant to them. Staff promote contact and facilitate it where necessary. This ensures young people are not isolated from their families and have an understanding of their heritage.

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good

Staff promote young people’s independence. This in turn gives them the encouragement they need to make the most of the opportunities available. This includes developing practical skills such as budgeting, shopping, cooking, laundry and taking responsibility for their own personal healthcare. As a result, young people are better prepared for their transition into adulthood.

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good

Arrangements to keep young people safe are strong. A young person’s written feedback states: ‘I feel really safe in the home, everyone was welcoming on my first day. Staff really helped me stay out of trouble and kept me safe. They are a lovely bunch and wouldn’t change them for the world.’

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good

The home has good policies, procedures and practice around safeguarding. Staff are trained and confident in the action they would take if a child or young person makes an allegation or disclosure. On the rare occasions when room searches have been undertaken, staff have not always sought young people’s permission. As a consequence staff have not consistently respected young people’s privacy.

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good

Physical intervention is used as a last resort. All staff are trained and although physical interventions are minimal, when they have been used they are recorded and reviewed appropriately.

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good

Personalised risk assessments help inform staff about the issues relevant to each young person with the most appropriate strategy to deal with them. When young people go missing, staff understand and implement missing from care protocols. They work in partnership with the police and other agencies to locate and protect young people. Managers ensure young people receive a return home interview and individual key-work sessions to help them understand about keeping themselves safe. A parent comments: ‘She is as safe as she will ever be.’ A social worker comments: ‘She is progressing slowly, staff are dealing with issues very well and appropriately. Communication is absolutely brilliant. She is safer than she has been and the home is definitely keeping her as safe as possible. Managers speak immediately to the police if they have concerns or if she goes missing; and they have good relationships and partnership working with local police.’

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good

The registered provider completes a wide range of recruitment checks on all staff before they start working at the home. In a minority of instances the manager does not rigorously identify gaps in employment, which could have the potential to impact on the safety of young people.

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good

The registered manager has managed the home since its re-registration in March 2015 and prior to this date. She has a national vocational qualification at a level 4 and a diploma at level 5 in residential childcare. She has over 20 years’ experience working within residential settings and provides strong leadership to staff. She supports staff through supervision and annual appraisals. Staff undertake mandatory training such as safeguarding, first aid and physical interventions. However, staff do not participate in more specialised training which can affect young people, for example self-harm. This limits staff understanding and insight and potentially limits the effectiveness of practice.

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good

External and internal monitoring systems are robust. They enable the manager to continually improve the quality of care and development of the home. Managers have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the home. As a result, managers are able to demonstrate the impact living in the home is having on young people coupled with continually driving forward improvements.

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good

Managers are committed to ensure young people receive services that meet their needs and have challenged placing authorities when this has not been sufficient. As a result, the majority of records are comprehensive, detailed with clear, meaningful and comprehensive information.

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good

Information about the home in the statement of purpose reflects the aims and objectives of the home and is supported by the young people’s guide. However, the young people’s guide does not fully detail information that staff bring their dogs to the home when they are on shift. As a result, young people do not have a clear understanding of the day-to-day experiences of the home. Staff deployment recognises young people’s fundamental need for good adult relationships to influence and overcome their experience of poor parenting or trauma. Young people receive care from a consistent and long standing staff team. On the whole, the home supports the professional development of its staff and staff report they enjoy working in the home. The staff team clearly have the interests of the young people at the centre of their practice and as a result young people are cared for by an enthusiastic and committed staff team.

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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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