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Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 1 SC482668 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and may provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, and is for single gender occupancy only.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Good

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people have good relationships with staff. This means that they feel content and secure; this helps them to make good progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 2  Young people benefit from a stable and dedicated staff team that provides them with a consistent level of care and warmth.  The staff team works in partnership with social workers, police, the missing team and voluntary agencies to manage the risks that young people face. This helps to keep young people safe.  The registered manager ensures that the staff team provides a high quality of care to young people through effective management oversight and scrutiny.  The staff team provides regular and effective key-work sessions that help young people improve and manage their emotional well-being and behaviour. As a result, young people demonstrate positive behaviour, and make progress in their everyday lives.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are some areas for development. These include the registered manager ensuring that placement plans are up to date and reflect young people’s current needs. In addition, records do not always evidence the support that the registered manager receives or adequately explain the reasons why young people’s movement around the home is restricted.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 24/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/07/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to 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 person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must cooperate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17 (2)). 28/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

Case records must be kept in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (2) (d)). 28/07/2017

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Recommendations:

 Just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, and paragraph 3.10)  A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the

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Recommendations:

quality standards’, page 61, and paragraph 13.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good quality care provided by a consistent staff team. Staff work in partnership with agencies such as placing authorities, police, social workers and specialist safeguarding teams. These cohesive working relationships mean that staff are able to meet young people’s diverse and challenging needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 4 Staff have secure and trusting relationships with young people. They spend time getting to know young people through activities, key-work sessions and dedicated one-to-one time. Because of this, young people feel a sense of belonging and have a range of positive experiences. Young people feel welcomed when they first arrive at the home, and have a good transition. This means that young people feel confident in their new surroundings, which helps them to settle in and be part of their home. One young person told the inspector, ‘I like living at the home and it is better than all of the foster

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

placements I have had. I really like it here. The food is nice and we pick it. If I could change anything then maybe a million pounds would be nice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s internal placement plans are regularly updated, are well written and detail young people’s abilities, progress and achievements. This means that staff are able to provide a consistent level of care to young people. However, statutory placement plans are not always received within timescales, and do not provide detailed and accurate information about the young person when they arrive at the home. As a result, young people’s needs and risks may not be accurately identified. This could affect the quality of care that they receive and the progress that they make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people know how to complain and feel confident in raising any concerns that they have with the registered manager. This means that young people are assertive and not afraid of sharing their views, such as wanting new furnishings for the lounge area or their bedrooms. Young people feel listened to. Staff respond to their complaints and concerns promptly. Young people routinely give positive feedback about the care they receive in house meetings, via written feedback and in key-work sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work in partnership with education professionals to promote young people’s school attendance and educational attainment. The staff team works hard to ensure that young people have access to alternative education provision when they have been excluded. The staff team also provides positive activities within the home to ensure that young people have consistent routines. For example, one young person has successfully completed a 12-week programme operated by the Prince’s Trust. This persistence and encouragement by staff means that young people’s social skills and self-esteem are developed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team promotes safe contact for young people with their families and previous foster carers. As a result, young people feel more secure in their home environment. Staff also welcome family members to the home. Young people maintain links with their families and feel happy having contact with them. This reduces any feelings of upset or anxiety they may experience and enables young people to settle. One young person told the inspector, ‘I feel staff have helped me to change my behaviours as they were worse before. I am applying myself and going to the gym, and feel staff help me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to develop their independence skills in readiness for their transition to semi-independent accommodation or adulthood. Young people complete an independence programme with the practical help and guidance of staff. This ensures that young people have the skills to meet their basic needs such as cooking, caring for themselves and budgeting when they leave the home. Young people feel a sense of Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 5 pride in being able to do this. One young person told the inspector, ‘Yeah, I am able to look after myself. Previously I wasn’t ready to move on but now I can cook and manage my money.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are clear about, and follow, safeguarding procedures where there are concerns for young people’s safety. This means that risks are responded to appropriately, and that young people are protected well.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Investigations into allegations against staff are managed competently, and the registered manager has good communication with the designated officer in the local authority. As a result, the registered manager ensures that issues concerning staff are promptly resolved and appropriate action is taken to safeguard young people.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people’s protection and well-being is a priority. Staff will actively search for young people if they do not return home when they are supposed to. Staff are trained in physical restraint but use this only as a last resort. There have been no incidents of physical restraint since the last inspection. This is because staff believe in talking with young people to de-escalate situations and to model appropriate behaviour. Consequently, young people are calm and relaxed within the home, promoting their health and emotional well-being.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff provide young people with consistent guidance and boundaries. Staff praise young people’s achievements with chosen activities and foods of choice. This ensures that young people feel secure, enabling them to improve their challenging behaviour. The registered manager provides positive incentives that young people can work towards. These incentives are provided if young people regularly attend school, reduce their smoking and demonstrate good behaviour. The incentives chosen by young people include items such as a new television, mobile phone and mountain bike. These incentives have supported some young people in behaving appropriately, minimising risks and making positive progress.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager ensures that improvements young people request such as new sofas and changes to the decor are considered and acted upon. This means that young people have a say about what matters to them, making them feel at home. However, some practices restrict young people’s movement around the home. For example, on occasion the door to the downstairs toilet is locked. In addition, a number of doors are locked overnight, including doors to the lounge and bathroom. These measures are designed to keep young people safe. However, young people’s individual risk assessments do not explain the rationale for these measures or their impact

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Recruitment processes are effective. Managers verify employee references and ensure that all necessary paperwork, including disclosure and barring checks are in place. Newly appointed staff receive a thorough induction, and there is a robust training package in place to prepare staff to provide good quality care. This means that young people work with adults who are competent in meeting their needs and who can provide safe care. Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people make good progress because the registered manager ensures that staff understand their needs and develop positive relationships with them. Staff receive a thorough induction, and managers ensure that new staff have a robust training package provided. The registered manager makes sure that staff receive regular, good quality supervision, are appropriately qualified and are able to access formal training. The registered manager is also positive about the support that he receives from the responsible individual. However, records of some of these sessions could not be found during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose adequately reflects the aims and objectives of the service. Feedback from other agencies is very positive about the care provided to young people and the progress that young people have made. One social worker told the inspector about a young person living in the home, ‘He had a really good introduction to the home and settled in well. Staff safeguard and respond well to him. I cannot be any more positive about the support and help that they have given him, the way he has responded to the care is really positive.’ The registered manager ensures that effective working relationships are maintained and that advice is accessed about young people’s needs when required. A children looked after specialist nurse told the inspector, ‘There is really good information sharing, staff contact me for advice and we share information as and when needed. There is a good working relationship. Staff are keen for my input and my

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses a number of systems to monitor and evaluate the quality of care provided by the service. These effective monitoring systems include routinely gathering the views of young people to improve their experiences and care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A number of case records relating to young people who have previously lived in the home are insecurely stored. They are not stored confidentially and are at risk of water or fire damage or theft. Consequently, the confidentiality of young people’s information is jeopardised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that the impact of young people arriving at the home is adequately assessed and considers the needs of those young people already living there. This means that young people are appropriately matched. This ensures stability and reduces potential upheaval. Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hexagon Care Services, 1 Tustin Court, Port Way, Ashton On Ribble, Preston PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Anna Rudge, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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