Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited in Preston

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision is requires improvement because:

 A child spent four weeks missing from the home, while on home contact. Poor assessment and monitoring of the home contact arrangements contributed to this.  Group impact risk assessments do not fully analyse the risks of new placements to children already residing in the home This does not provide guidance to staff to support consistent safe care.  The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of one significant incident. This did not enable Ofsted to have a realistic overview of the service provided or clear oversight of children’s safety.  There are gaps in the records of supervision, and one casual member of staff has not had supervision despite being in post for 11 weeks.

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The children's home strengths

 Feedback from professionals and families is good. They value the service and how it benefits the children.  Routines are well established and conducive to prioritising education and healthy routines.  Well-written care plans provide clarity about individual needs.  Expectations and aspirations for children are high and have resulted in good educational attainment and progress.  The standard of accommodation has improved, with redecoration and refurbishment of the home.  The staff team is warm and nurturing, resulting in positive relationships.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered persons meet 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular regard to risk management, the registered provider must ensure that staff: 2(a)(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. This is with particular regard to group impact risk assessments. 23/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 23/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 23/09/2016

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Information about this children's home

The children’s home is privately owned. It is one of a group of homes owned by the organisation. The home is registered for six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities. The home is registered for single sex occupancy.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Requires improvement

This home requires improvement to be good. There has been one serious incident that had a detrimental impact on a child. Lack of robust risk assessment in respect of home contact for this child meant that risks were not sufficiently considered and mitigated. Group impact risk assessments in regard to planning for new admissions do not sufficiently consider the needs of the children already living in the home and the potential risks of a change in group dynamic to ensure the safety of all of the children. Children benefit from strong relationships with staff who provide care that is genuine and centred around the children’s individual needs. Staff work hard to build relationships and children say that they can approach staff at any time. Most children gain a sense of security and belonging, although this has not been the case for all. Following a settled period of several months without incident, one

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Requires improvement

placement came to an unexpected end when a child left suddenly without informing staff and returned to her placing borough. This coincided with another child going missing from home contact for a period of four weeks. Within five days of this child returning to the home, another child was admitted as an emergency. Seven new staff appointments have been made. Overall, this has caused some feelings of uncertainty for the children. Care plans hold detailed, specific information. They provide a format for all relevant information to be held centrally, and staff update this as required. Healthy, active lifestyles are strongly encouraged. Staff ensure that children attend health appointments and that food is healthy and nutritious. The staff team provides the routines of a family home. Children enjoy regular family mealtimes and afternoon tea with staff. Staff sit with children around the dining table and initiate discussions and plan activities with them. This promotes a

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Requires improvement

sense of homeliness. The staff provide a wide range of fun activities that are in line with children’s interests and promote children’s physical health and enjoyment. Children are encouraged to think of others and contribute positively to the local and wider community. This includes holding a charity barbeque in the garden of the home. Children also enjoy bowling, cinema, horse riding, arts and crafts and boating. A group caravan holiday was enjoyed and valued by the children. Staff actively seek the views of children. A child explained: ‘We have a meeting every Monday when we discuss stuff in the home, like projects, decorations, events - that sort of stuff. We also choose the menu.’ Children happily attend and contribute to meetings, knowing that their views are valued. There has been significant improvement in the environment. Bathrooms and bedrooms have been refurbished to a good standard. New carpets in the hall and

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Requires improvement

lounge promote a comfortable and welcoming home. A room for hair and beauty has delighted the children. One child said: ‘Have you seen our pamper room? The staff designed and built it. I love it.’ Staff work hard to ensure that children access and attend an education provision. Bespoke packages support reintegration into education. These include a home tutoring programme for two hours a day leading to full-time alternative provision. One child sat GCSEs in the home, making the most of tutoring hours available to her. A third, with good predicted grades, sat GCSE exams in school. Staff provided focused incentive-led support leading up to her exams. This has resulted in a provisional college place. Access to full-time education has increased children’s self-confidence, enabling them to access opportunities that were previously not possible.

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Requires improvement

Group impact risk assessment is not robust. The last child admitted to the home was not fully risk assessed for impact until after the admission had taken place. Risk assessment failed to include the management of mobile phones, which poses a risk to children already placed in the home and the child newly admitted. Failure to fully identify and mitigate risks when considering and accepting new admissions puts children in potentially unsafe situations. The number of incidents of missing from home are few. However, a recent incident resulted in a child going missing from home contact for four and a half weeks. The impact on this child’s physical and emotional health is harmful and significant. Staff responded by working with a number of agencies to find the child. This included going to the area to search and to raise public awareness. While the staff reacted quickly to the child going missing, the risk management prior to the event lacked

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Requires improvement

foresight and did not include close, joined-up working with the other professionals involved. These shortfalls were raised prior to this inspection, following an investigation visit, and have been addressed. There is some reduction in risk-taking behaviours. Staff specialise in reducing risks to those at risk of sexual exploitation and, in terms of managing this from the home’s location, this has been successful. Behaviour management and de-escalation of incidents in the home work well. Staff know the children and understand their individual responses. This provides a holistic approach and staff are proportionate in their interventions. There are occasions when the staff use physical interventions to manage children’s behaviour. The records of these evidence the necessity and provide a clear, detailed chronology. Managerial monitoring takes place, questioning staff’s responses and providing objective oversight. This safeguards children and

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Requires improvement

encourages reflective practice. The staff know what to do if they have a safeguarding concern. They escalate any concerns that they have and know whom to go to in the home and which professionals to notify. When children raise concerns, the staff react appropriately in reporting and recording. The home benefits from a rural location, away from negative peer influence. Although this is not appreciated by all children, it has been chosen by social workers to support children’s personal safety. The house is maintained carefully, and fire prevention equipment is serviced regularly. This protects children from household hazards and fire.

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Requires improvement

An established experienced manager has been in post since January 2011. She is registered with Ofsted and holds a level 5 qualification in residential childcare management. She receives support from a deputy manager and a service manager. Since the last inspection, seven new members of staff have commenced in post. Most staff receive regular supervision and say that they feel well supported. However, one new member of staff has had no recorded supervision for 11 weeks. This does not provide a record of the practice issues and discussions that are crucial in the support of new staff. The manager generally notifies Ofsted when a serious incident occurs in the home. However, a notification was not made following a serious disclosure from a child. This impacts on Ofsted’s ability to monitor the quality of the service and the safety of the children. External monitoring raises significant points and internal monitoring encourages

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Requires improvement

reflection and better practice. Previous shortfalls were addressed, with significant improvements made to decor and furnishings. The staff team is dynamic and shows creativity in utilising resources and involving children in refurbishment. While the inspection identifies several shortfalls, the core staff team is cohesive and energetic. Care planning reflects children’s needs, and staff identify and address emerging needs. Collectively, staff try hard to improve outcomes for children and support their future life choices. Feedback from professionals and families is consistently positive. Social workers and a parent spoken to are complimentary about the home and the staff group. They say that communication is good and that staff advocate on behalf of the children.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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 whom 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’. procedures set out in 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

regulates and inspects 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, 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

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Information about this inspection

Policy Team, 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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