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

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The staff team is committed to providing the best care for the girls living in the home. The quality of care provided to the girls by the staff team is exemplary. The quality of the relationships between the girls and the staff is excellent. There is an openness and honesty in the home that encourages conversations about feelings, expectations, ambitions and daily life. The girls experience a family-style home, meals out together, family outings and celebrations.  The girls have made excellent progress to take control of their lives, and they embrace the support from the staff team to achieve their full potential. The girls enjoy an excellent standard of care in the home. The registered manager spreads the ethos of the home and disseminates their achievements to other social care professionals by attending and speaking at national events.  The manner in which the registered manager and the staff team protect the

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

girls is exemplary. The staff team has a clear understanding of safeguarding young people and the risks that they are exposed to. Staff talk to the girls to help them understand these risks. The children going missing protocols are effective. Staff continue to search if the girls go missing until they have been located and are safely back home. Collaborative working relationships with other professional agencies such as the police support this process.  The registered manager is resilient and determined to provide a high standard of care. She leads a highly skilled staff team. Challenge to other agencies when the girls need their support is done with rigour and tenacity. Some of the girls said, ‘She (the manager) will fight for us and won’t stop.’ There are effective monitoring systems in place that continually review the quality of care that the girls receive.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Improve the monitoring of consequences to ensure that records evidence the manager’s oversight. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned and may only provide accommodation for up to six children of the same sex with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/06/2015 Full Outstanding

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Outstanding

The commitment shown to the girls from the staff team is outstanding. This supports the girls to make excellent progress. Achievements are celebrated. Over time, this approach has helped to increase the girls’ self-esteem and self- worth. The staff team recognises the need to prepare the girls emotionally for learning, particularly those who have not being in school for some time. Staff also pay excellent attention to the finer details that will help the girls to overcome any challenges they that may face when returning to school. For example, making sure that the girls have the right school clothing, shoes and support to enable them to get to school on time. The girls go on to achieve well academically, or in the workplace, gaining apprenticeships and employment. Staff are attuned to the individual needs of each girl placed in the home. Staff respect and are empathic to girls’ experiences prior to coming to live here. Care is

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Outstanding

unique to each of the girls and planned well around their needs, preferences and aspirations. Staff take time to get to know the girls well and form positive relationships. One of the girls described the staff as ‘fun, crazy, silly and not horrible’. Staff demonstrate warmth and provide a nurturing culture for the girls to live in. As relationships develop, the girls have started to accept the tactile interaction that staff provide akin to good parenting. Giving hugs, an affectionate pat on the back and styling hair and nails are part of the exemplary care provided. All the girls choose a member of staff that they want to be their first point of call, to attend meetings with them, and to manage their records. This is usually the person that the girls will chat to more formally about their experiences, views and feelings. Staff keep comprehensive records about these discussions. Records show that staff listen to the girls and act on their feedback.

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Outstanding

The girls are fully integrated into the local community. When girls are new to the home the staff spend time with them showing them around the local area so that they know what is on offer. Every year the girls get involved in the local ‘cake bake’ for charity. The home has its own hairdressing salon which is well used. As a result of listening to the girls’ requests, they now have a gym instead of a ‘contact’ room. There are opportunities to enjoy a multitude of activities both in and out of the home. Some girls explore their love of horse riding and work towards competitions. They also attend local youth clubs. Local sports facilities are well used by the girls. Together, the girls planned the camping holiday that they went on this year. This trip included one of the girls that had just moved out of the home. The support and encouragement that staff give to the girls to maintain relationships with their family, friends and key professionals is excellent. Most

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Outstanding

recently, the registered manager took one of the girls on a five-hour round trip to a goodbye meal with her independent reviewing officer (IRO). A parent said, ‘It is very welcoming. They keep in touch with me and she is most definitely safe there.’ Access to health services is arranged when the girls move in. The staff link well with the local medical centre and support the girls to attend health appointments when necessary. A particular strength is the registered manager’s ability to engage services very quickly to support the emotional needs of the girls. A health professional described the staff as ‘very attuned, very reflective, very creative and willing to think about new ways of supporting the complexities the girls bring’. Some girls do smoke and this habit is strongly discouraged by the staff team. A request made by the girls for a heater outside to make it more comfortable for them to smoke has been refused.

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Outstanding

When girls move into the home, it is a well-planned process, even when on occasions, it has happened at short notice. The registered manager has a firm expectation of placing authorities about the information that she needs about the girls before they move in. This rigour is as a result of the registered manager learning from previous occasions when information on referral paperwork did not match the needs of the girls when they moved in. Since the previous inspection, some girls moved from the home quickly due to the risks that their behaviour posed to others. Despite these challenges, the registered manager ensured that these moves ended positively. Letters from the girls to the registered manager evidence this well. For girls that have been at the home longer, they retain their secure attachments with the staff when they move out. The staff maintain relationships and continue to support the girls emotionally and practically.

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Outstanding

The girls continue to visit the home and join in with family lunches every now and again. The registered manager and the staff team have redecorated the home. The girls have been actively involved in making the home more homely. They have chosen the colour scheme and decor, which is calming and attractive. Signs and notice boards have been taken down and this gives a noticeably more welcoming feel to the home. The soap dispensers remain by choice of the girls but the registered manager is continuing to work on this and hoping to replace them with more attractive ones.

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Outstanding

High-quality care planning and reviews take place routinely. The staff team has developed an exceptional knowledge about safeguarding and managing risks. Risk assessments are individualised and reviewed regularly with the girls to ensure that all of their needs are included. Staff follow the child protection policy with rigour when a concern arises about the safety and well-being of one of the girls. Since the previous inspection, some girls moved in which changed the dynamics of the group. A situation arose where some of the girls were harming each other. The registered manager acted quickly and recognised that she had not been provided with all the information that she required when one of the girls first moved in. As a result, gaps were identified in the care planning and risk assessment process to determine if the girls were able to live safely together. The registered manager swiftly reassessed the risks and made some difficult decisions which meant some of

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Outstanding

the girls leaving the home. These challenges led to an increase in incidents of going missing and an increase in police involvement to assist the staff in managing behaviour and some difficult incidents. The registered manager has learned from this period and has improved the joint protocol with the police, confirming how they will work together. The police are in agreement with this protocol and the registered manager has devised a training session that she will deliver to the local police force. The positive relationships between staff and the girls enable them to talk about their past and times when they have not been safe. Staff respond sensitively and carefully to these disclosures. As a result, the girls feel ‘believed’. Staff record this information respectfully and in a manner that may make it easier for the girls to read when they are older. Reporting to professionals when one of the girls is at risk is commonplace for the

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Outstanding

staff team. The registered manager has extensive links with the local police force and the local and placing authorities. As a result, information is reported appropriately. If the staff team is not confident that the information has been dealt with accordingly, then they will continue to act and escalate the concern until the necessary action to protect the girls is taken. The occasions when the girls go missing have decreased since the difficult period earlier in the year. The staff team’s attention to the girls means that they can quickly identify when someone may be contemplating leaving the home and they can deal with this effectively. When any of the girls go missing, staff continue to search for them until they are found. On their return, staff focus on their safety and well-being, including making them hot drinks and settling them to bed. The majority of the girls decline the offer of an independent return home interview, but

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Outstanding

will speak to staff about their experiences. Staff provide them with the necessary support. Staff expertly support the girls who have been exploited or who are at risk of exploitation. The registered manager is a member of external groups where she shares her knowledge and experience of high profile cases and provides input into serious case reviews. Links with the local child sexual exploitation police officer are outstanding. The registered manager attends regular meetings and contributes to sharing local knowledge about risks. These meetings provide the opportunity to discuss any concerns about the girls, their links in the community and also to consider any information and risks about girls due to move into the home. Staff help girls with their emotional well-being very well. They also help the girls to understand about each other’s emotions and how these can be respected. There is good access to external agencies such as the child and adolescent mental health

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Outstanding

service (CAMHS) as a result of the registered manager’s persistence to ensure that the girls receive the service that they need. Staff support the girls to manage incidents of self-harm in a safer way, helping them to seek appropriate medical care. The girls are confident in talking to staff if they feel that they are going to hurt themselves. There are extensive support networks available to help the girls to understand about risk and making safer choices. Some of the girls decide to engage in this more formally and complete workshops. Other girls do this more informally, by talking with the staff. This includes talking about positive relationships with their friends and about healthy relationships with their boyfriends or girlfriends. The girls are encouraged to behave well through incentives and rewards. Typically, the use of sanctions is rare. When sanctions are given, the records relating to these have not been monitored effectively by the registered manager. A

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Outstanding

recommendation has been made to rectify this weakness. Restraints have occurred and increased when the home was unsettled earlier this year. All restraints occurred to protect the girls from one another. Staff ensure that the girls have an opportunity to talk about this when they are ready. The registered manager’s monitoring of restraints is effective. This monitoring initiates a review of behaviour support plans and risk assessments.

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Outstanding

The registered manager is tenacious and effectively leads a staff team that focuses on the needs of the girls. She is suitably skilled and qualified for the role. Other professionals describe her positively as a ‘fighter’. Other social care professionals recognise the registered manager’s attributes as she facilitates training and shares her knowledge with them. The registered manager uses research to develop the care that she and the staff team give to the girls. The girls are the registered manager’s priority. She is honest and identifies that, ‘When the girls need me, the management side lapses.’ There is no obvious detrimental impact to the quality of care as a result. Staff retention is high and this provides consistency of care for the girls. When staff leave, it is generally to develop their career. New staff receive a thorough induction and increased supervision with their line manager. Supervision of staff is regular

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Outstanding

and is focused on the needs of the girls. All staff have their performance reviewed annually. Access to training is good and includes safeguarding, first aid, fire safety, reducing the risks of self-harm and understanding attachment. The girls are included in the training if they wish, particularly on topics like fire safety. The recruitment of staff follows safer recruitment guidelines. Regular team meetings take place and include discussions which are directly related to the care of the girls, the support and care that the staff give to them and any challenges that the girls or staff are facing. Team meetings are well attended. In addition, the girls hold their own meetings to talk about their views and feelings. These meetings have instigated changes in the home in relation to their care, activities, time away from the home, the layout of rooms and decor. The registered manager has effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that

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Outstanding

the girls receive high-quality care. When the registered manager is involved in incidents or restraints, the responsible individual provides independent scrutiny of those incidents. The care that the girls receive changes as a result of the monitoring by the registered manager. The registered manager’s reflection of recent challenges this year resulted in improvements in how the team agrees to new girls moving into the home. The needs of the current girls living in the home are prioritised over any business need. There is no pressure for any new girls to move in until the home has sustained a period of calm and stability. The registered manager collaborates well with a wide range of external agencies in order to provide outstanding care to the girls. She is persistent in her manner to ensure that the girls have everything in place that they may need. The registered manager challenges other professionals as necessary. As a result, other

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Outstanding

professionals regard this as a high-quality home stating, ‘It feels like home, not a residential placement.’

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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 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 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

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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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