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

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.

p.2

The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 There has been a very high turnover of staff since the last inspection. This impacts on young people’s ability to form meaningful relationships.  The turnover has resulted in inconsistent practice while staff familiarise themselves with the routines of the home.  The registered manager has had to prioritise the needs of young people by working shifts himself, and this has taken him away from the oversight of the home.  The registered manager has also had to focus much of his time on the recruitment of new staff. However, the recruitment checks on new staff are yet to comply with the principles of safer recruitment, as checks required by regulation are not always evident.  Inexperienced staff have made poor decisions. This has had an impact on the safety of young people.  Young people’s risk assessments lack detail and their care plans do not always reflect current care practice.  The procedure in place to ensure that staff were familiar with the above

p.3

The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

documents was ineffective, as the signature page offering this confirmation was missing from one young person’s records.  Gaps were evident in staff supervision and appraisal.

p.3

The children's home strengths

 There is a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager in charge of the home. He is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home.  The registered manager is working hard to address the shortfalls, and he has the respect of staff and young people.  Young people currently living in the home are happy here and are making progress in many areas of their development.  Positive feedback has been received from some service users.  All young people are engaging in education.  Young people are able to maintain meaningful relationships with their family and friends.

p.3

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 within the given timescales.

p.4

Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person (Regulation 12(2)(a)(v))

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, their responsibility to report to senior managers in the event of an emergency. 30/12/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(2)(b))

p.4

Requirement Due date

Specifically, that care plans and risk assessments are updated promptly and contain relevant detail, and that the process for staff familiarisation is effective. 30/12/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person should ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(2)(d)(e)) 30/12/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers Ensure that individuals who are employed at the children’s home satisfy the specified requirements and that full and satisfactory information is available in respect of each of the matters in schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(3)) 30/12/2016

p.4

Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff Ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)(c)) 30/12/2016

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11) Specifically, that they receive feedback to the matters that they raise at young people’s meetings.  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, that mobile phone risk assessments are subject to review and then adhered to by staff.  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures, and that there are clear lines of accountability. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the

p.5

Recommendations

quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

p.5

Information about this children’s home

The home is one of a number owned and managed by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six male young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/12/2015 Full Outstanding

p.6

Requires improvement

The consistency of the staff team is a concern. Over the past five months, the majority of the staff have changed. Only the manager and deputy manager remain consistent. This has inevitably affected young people’s ability to develop meaningful relationships with staff. This instability has also resulted in some disruption to the care afforded to young people, as new staff are not familiar with the routines in the home.

p.7

Requires improvement

Outcomes for young people who have left the home since the last inspection have been variable. While some have made the difficult move to independent living successfully, the organisation has made requests to other local authorities to move their young people who were not investing or making progress in the home. Consequently, a number of young people have been introduced to the home since the last inspection. Staff do visit young people prior to their admission and they pass on information about the home. Sometimes, young people also have the opportunity of visiting the home and staying overnight. This helps to reduce their anxiety about their move.

p.7

Requires improvement

Although disagreements do occur between young people, who are adjusting to live alongside each other, these are not frequent. Young people say that they get on ‘okay’ for the majority of the time and that sometimes it is good to have others to engage in activities with. Young people spoken to during the inspection said that they were happy at the home and that it was better living here than they had expected it to be.

p.7

Requires improvement

Young people currently living in the home are making steady progress. They all engage in some kind of educational provision. While some are currently attending on a part-time basis, this is an improvement on their historical position. One social worker commented, ‘While waiting for an education placement, [Name of the home] endeavoured to provide good stimulation and education for [Name of young person].’ Some young people are also engaging in further education and are thinking about future career opportunities. They are also learning some independence skills, including how to manage their own money. Some young people have their own bank accounts. This will help them when they move on from the home.

p.7

Requires improvement

While each young person benefits from a personalised placement plan, such plans do not always reflect the current care practice in the home, since they have not been updated as the situation has changed. For example, free-time arrangements for one young person did not reflect current practice. This detail is important, given the number of changes of staff. It results in inconsistent practice and has the potential to cause unnecessary confrontation between staff and young people.

p.7

Requires improvement

Young people’s meetings take place on a monthly basis, when young people are able to offer suggestions and contribute to decision making in the home. However, they do not always receive feedback to the issues that they raise. Hence, young people do not know if staff have taken any action following this. This has slipped in recent months as new staff have been unaware of the process.

p.8

Requires improvement

Young people receive support to keep in contact with their family and friends. They have access to social networking sites via the home’s computer or their own mobile telephones. Contracts of agreement are set up regarding their phone usage. However, these are not being adhered to, as young people do not give their telephones to staff overnight.

p.8

Requires improvement

Some young people engage in activities together or with staff, while others prefer to spend time with their friends in the local community. Activities currently enjoyed include attending the boxing gym, swimming and playing golf.

p.8

Requires improvement

Young people say that they feel safe, living in this home. They can name a trusted adult whom they could contact if they needed to. They also receive contact details about agencies that that they can contact for support or to make a complaint when they arrive at the home. However, they have made no complaints since the last inspection.

p.8

Requires improvement

The manager has tried hard over recent months to ensure that new staff continue to enforce the positive ethos of the home, for example that staff are clear about the standards of acceptable behaviour and promote good behaviour by developing relationships with young people and focusing on their achievements. Young people, while missing some staff who have left the home, say that they get on well with the new staff and are coming to know them. Staff receive training on behaviour management and rarely need to resort to physical intervention as a means to keep everyone safe. However, staff keep detailed records of incidents that do occur, ensuring that lessons are learned from these and that alternatives are considered for the future.

p.8

Requires improvement

Impact risk assessments highlight the presenting needs of any new young people whom the manager is considering for admission to the home. These demonstrate their compatibility with other residents. Similarly, these documents demonstrate the reasons why some placements have not proceeded. Personalised risk assessments help to inform staff about the specific areas of risk for each young person. This enables staff to respond in the most appropriate manner. These are updated following an incident of concern. However, staff are not recording the date of the incident or including details of its severity. Hence, it is difficult for new staff to form a clear understanding of the current concerns and to base their decision making on this information. The procedure to alert staff to any changes made is also ineffective, as the manager was unable to locate the staff signature page on one young person’s record and, consequently, was unable to

p.8

Requires improvement

The numbers of incidents of young people going missing from the home have increased since the last inspection. Staff do try to locate young people themselves and refer to other safeguarding agencies, if they need to. However, on one occasion a young person put himself at considerable risk by returning to his area of origin following poor decision making by staff earlier in the day. Staff not following the organisation’s policies further hampered him returning to the home as the home was short staffed. A third party did make contact with Ofsted about this incident, due to their level of concern.

p.9

Requires improvement

The manager has spent a significant amount of time focusing on staff recruitment since the last inspection. Some staff from elsewhere in the organisation are also currently working at the home as a short-term solution. While the majority of vetting procedures are performed centrally within the organisation, some errors were evident in relation to their detail. Specifically, a reference had not been requested from an individual’s last employer and documentary evidence of childcare qualifications was not evident. A requirement was posed at the last inspection in relation to staff recruitment, and is repeated because of the above.

p.9

Good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He has managed the home for almost two years. A deputy manager works in the home to support him. However, the deputy manager was moved elsewhere in the organisation to support another setting for a period of three months since the last inspection. They provide visible leadership and are clear about the ethos of the home.

p.9

Good

The registered manager has faced a number of challenges since the last full inspection that culminated in a judgement of outstanding. Since this time, the entire staff team has changed. Some newly recruited staff have also left. The wider organisation is looking at the issue of staff retention, but the manager has been left to address the immediate staffing situation. This has resulted in him being required to work shifts in the home, provide additional support to young people, help with continuity and perform his management functions in the home. He has performed these tasks to the best of his ability, prioritising the direct impact on young people. However, some shortfalls relate to him having insufficient time to address the management issues at the home.

p.9

Good

While some staff have received regular supervision, others have not. Similarly, the registered manager was unable to confirm when staff, including himself, had last had a performance appraisal. Thus, it is difficult to be assured that the specific learning needs of individual staff have been addressed.

p.10

Good

Staff speak positively about the training opportunities available to them. However, due to the number of new staff in employment, some have yet to complete the required core training, such as first aid. Currently, only one staff member in addition to the two managers has a level 3 childcare qualification. The manager is acutely aware of the need to skill his staff team and has arranged for a number of essential training components to be delivered to the team as a whole in the near future. This includes drug awareness and self-harming behaviour.

p.10

Good

Staff rotas demonstrate that young people are staffed at a ratio of one staff member to two young people. However, on one occasion, a staff member went home sick without reporting this to an on-call manager, resulting in the home being short staffed. This had an impact on the decisions made by the remaining staff on that shift. Additionally, staff rotas do not indicate who is in charge of a shift when staff on duty undertake the same role. Hence, it is unclear who is making the necessary decisions.

p.10

Good

The home’s statement of purpose reflects the aims and objectives of the home. The registered manager also has a development plan in place. He has had insufficient time to devote to some of the objectives set this year. However, young people did enjoy a holiday to a theme park over the summer period.

p.10

Good

Liaison with other agencies is effective. There are positive relationships between managers and other agencies. One professional commented, ‘I have always had good communication with staff at the home, and this has resulted in any issues being quickly resolved. Staff are always polite and respectful, and this has helped us to have meaningful conversations.’

p.10

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’. 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

p.11

What the inspection judgements mean

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 harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.11

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

p.12

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 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.12

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, work- based 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,

p.13

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.13

Information about this inspection

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

p.13

Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.13