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

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 holistic health care needs are met well. Staff support them to attend routine and specialist health appointments. Young people are encouraged to eat healthy meals and to expand their choices of food. A range of activities, including swimming, football and basketball further contributes to supporting them to live healthy lifestyles, as well as providing them with interests to continue when they leave the home.  Educational provision is in place for young people. They are making positive progress and learning skills to help equip them for their futures. Staff provide encouragement for young people to complete homework and additional educational activities to further aid progress.  Staff work in partnership with other professionals and parents to ensure continuity of care and support. Positive feedback from other agencies demonstrates the commitment of the home to promote the needs of the

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The children's home provision is good because:

young people.  Young people build positive relationships with their peers. Bullying behaviour is not accepted and is addressed through encouragement to value and respect each other as individuals.  Staff receive regular supervision and feel supported by their manager to fulfil their role. They demonstrate an understanding of their role and responsibility in relation to safeguarding young people.  Shortfalls within the home relate to ensuring access to staff records at all times; further staff training to promote a greater understanding of the quality standards for young people; make the home more homely for young people; a radiator needs to be replaced in the bathroom and young people be encouraged and supported to personalise their bedrooms There has been a recent event where the staff notified the placing authority and local safeguarding board. However, the regulator did not receive information in a

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The children's home provision is good because:

timely manner, although there was no adverse impact on 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: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard Demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met. In particular with reference to training for staff in relation to the Quality Standards (Regulation 13 (2) (g)) 29/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure 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)) 29/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious (Regulation 40 (4)(e)). 08/02/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Children should be given a choice about how their personal space is decorated. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, paragraph 3.19, page 16)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the children’s home provides a homely and domestic environment. This is in relation to replacing the radiator in the bathroom. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, Paragraph 3.9, page 15)

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Information about this children's home

This home is an independent children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for up to eight children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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good

Young people make good progress at the home. They benefit from support from a consistent and established staff team; enabling them to develop trusting and positive relationships.

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good

All young people engage in education, with the vast majority of them attending school. Where there is a delay in educational placements, staff liaise with the placing authority to source an appropriate one. They support young people to participate in educational activities to prevent any decline in educational attainment. Staff communicate effectively with schools and named teachers. One teacher said: ‘the home is good at keeping us informed if there are any issues or concerns. They attend meetings and educational reviews as well as attending social events the children take part in. We have positive relationships with the home.’

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good

Young people benefit from having their health effectively supported. This includes access to community and specialist health care professionals as well as the promotion of health and well-being within the home. Staff prepare nutritionally balanced meals and encourage young people to be involved in planning menus and to expand their choices and tastes in food. They take part in a range of activities and sports which further contributes to their health promotion.

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good

Young people learn strategies to help them manage their emotions and behaviour. An example of this includes two young people who have developed an interest in music and are encouraged to take time out to play their music.

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good

Staff encourage young people to succeed and all achievements are recognised and celebrated. Individual activities and hobbies are encouraged as well as group activities. This supports young people to engage with their peers as well as having their own interests.

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good

Staff have a good understanding of the different levels of communication with young people and ensure they communicate effectively in accordance with this. This enables all young people to contribute their wishes and views well.

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good

Young people develop self-care skills in accordance with their abilities. This includes helping to tidy their bedrooms and communal areas of the home, involvement in preparing simple meals and contributing their wishes to overall plans for their futures. Staff understand the importance for young people to maintain relationships with family and friends. Where appropriate, families are welcomed to the home. One parent said: ‘when I visit, I feel very welcome and I can spend time with my child as well as joining in with activities within the home. I am confident that my child is receiving good care and support and is happy.’ For families that live further away, regular telephone contact is available. Where there are restrictions in place, staff adhere to these.

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good

Young people benefit from care and support provided by an established and consistent staff team who are knowledgeable about their individual needs. Some of the young people have lived at the home for a number of years and say they feel comfortable with the staff who provide consistent and clear boundaries. This supports young people to develop positive behaviour and understand when their behaviour is not acceptable. Rewards systems and positive praise further supports this. Where there is a need for sanctions, these are clearly explained to the young people and records are maintained. Staff receive training and guidance on behaviour management and de-escalation skills to minimise the risk of young people coming to any harm through their behaviour. One social worker commented: ‘staff are supportive and keep me informed of any concerns or issues. I feel young people are well cared for and their safety and well-being is central to

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good

Young people are protected as staff have effective working relationships with other agencies, including education, health, and social work professionals. Where there have been safeguarding concerns, these have been clearly discussed and appropriate referrals made to the local authority designated officer. However, one recent incident, although referred to the placing authority with strategies implemented to safeguard young people, a notification to the regulatory body was delayed. This could impact on regulatory oversight to ensure young people’s safety is maintained.

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good

Detailed risk assessments, along with individual placement plans reflect the needs of young people. Regular reviewing ensures any changing needs are reflected and that appropriate actions are implemented. This further promotes young people’s safety.

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good

Young people are confident they can talk with staff if they have any worries or concerns. One young person said: ‘I can talk to staff if I am unhappy or upset about things and I can also speak with my social worker.’ Another young person said: ‘I don’t have any worries about talking to staff if something is worrying or upsetting me.’ Regular consultation through young people’s meetings, questionnaires, and discussion with independent visitors provides additional opportunities for young people to raise any concerns. Staff remain vigilant to any bullying behaviour and provide support and guidance to young people to enable them to understand the impact this has. As a result, young people say they do not feel there are any issues with bullying.

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good

The home only admits young people into the home in accordance with the home’s Statement of Purpose. In addition, impact assessments analyse incidents and risks and strategies are implemented to address any potential difficulties. This means disruption is minimal and enables young people to continue to make good progress.

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good

Regular health and safety checks are undertaken. Any potential hazards or maintenance issues are, in general dealt with swiftly. However, at the time of the inspection, a radiator in one of the bathrooms required replacing to make sure young people have adequate heating when using this area.

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good

Young people participate in fire evacuation drills to enable them to understand what to do in the event of a fire. This, along with emergency evacuation plans, further enhances their safety.

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good

The manager has been in post since June 2003. He is experienced, suitably qualified, and knowledgeable about the needs of the young people. A deputy manager supports him within his role to ensure management oversight of the home in his absence.

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good

Effective recruitment and retention of staff means the home is adequately resourced. Young people benefit from continuity of care and support provided by an established staff team. One young person who has lived at the home for a number of years said: ‘I know all of the staff well and I am happy here.’

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good

Staff say they feel well supported. They have regular supervision, attend team meetings, and have access to regular training and development to maintain their skills and knowledge. However, training with regards to changes to regulations and the introduction of the quality standards has not been fully implemented to ensure all staff are fully aware of these in relation to their practice. The senior manager of the service is aware of this and is arranging further training to address this shortfall.

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good

The home’s Statement of Purpose is an accurate reflection of the home and the support it provides.

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good

Young people’s records are well organised and maintained. Placement plans reflect individual needs. Young people have child friendly plans to make sure they have a good understanding about how the home will support them to achieve their full potential; the manager makes sure they remain current with appropriate strategies in place to meet changing needs, and he audits all plans and risk assessments.

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good

The manager undertakes regular monitoring of the home to enable him to have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for further development. Additional monitoring is through independent monthly visits to the home. The manager responds to identified shortfalls to improve the quality of care provided.

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good

At the time of this inspection, access to recruitment and selection records was not available. Although there had been no changes to the staffing, this does not enable robust scrutiny of records to be completed.

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good

The majority of the home is well decorated and maintained with young people encouraged to participate in choosing the décor to make it feel homely. However, some areas require further work to enhance the overall presentation of the home. This includes maintenance to a bathroom and additional décor to one young person’s bedroom to make it welcoming and reflective of their individuality. Externally, the grounds are well maintained and provide an extensive area for the young people to play and take part in a range of outdoor activities.

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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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