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

Inspection report children's home: SC479650 1 SC479650 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

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is part of a private company which has a number of children’s residential services throughout the UK. The home provides therapeutic input to the young people via an external contracted service. There is an onsite registered school.

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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

Date of last inspection: 9 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

A monitoring visit took place on 15 December 2016. At this monitoring visit, it was concluded that the provider had complied with and met the compliance notice which was raised under regulation 12, ‘The protection of children standard’. Inspection report children's home: SC479650 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people report that they feel safe and supported within the home and that they now feel listened to and supported better under the new manager.  A real strength of this home is the child-centred approach that the manager and staff employ.  Developed and sustained links with health, social care and education professionals ensure that young people make some good progress with their social, emotional and educational needs.  Young people’s wishes and views are listened to and taken seriously. Young people are well supported by staff to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives. Staff advocate strongly for young people to ensure that they remain involved and central to their own care planning.  Professionals are pleased with the care and support that the manager and staff provide to young people. They confirm that they are kept up to date on the progress that young people make, and are confident that the staff do

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Key findings from this inspection

everything that they can to support young people to engage with all aspects of their care plan.  Staff are recruited safety, supported well by managers and trained well to deliver a good standard of care to young people.  Good internal and external monitoring of the home, which incorporates the views of all relevant parties, ensures that the home continues to develop and improve the experiences and progress of young people.

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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

 The health of young people should be promoted by ensuring that they receive the health services and support that are identified within their individual healthcare plans. Young people’s health should be promoted further by addressing the mould that is evident in the young people’s shower room upstairs.  The manager should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people, including Ofsted.  The manager should identify by whom, how and when the actions identified within staff and young people’s meetings will be addressed within these meeting minutes. Inspection report children's home: SC479650 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/04/2016 Full Requires improvement 24/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC479650 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the health and well- being needs of children are met. The registered person must ensure that children receive advice, services and support and achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant education, health, and care plans. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(i)) 31/07/2017

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations. (‘Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, in regards to addressing the mould in the young people’s shower room upstairs.  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with each child and the home’s staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23) This is in particular regards to identifying by whom, how and when the actions identified within staff and young people’s meetings will be addressed.  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events

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Recommendations

are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people, including Ofsted. (‘Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into and out of the home are sufficiently managed. Thought, care and Inspection report children's home: SC479650 5 sufficient planning by the manager ensure that young people’s transitions into the home are safe, smooth and suitable for all young people. The provider identifies and works effectively with partner agencies when young people’s placements cannot be maintained safely. Suitable arrangements are in place at these times to ensure that young people’s transitions out of the home are managed well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people maintain effective, positive and nurturing relationships with staff, who provide good care and a high level of individual support. The calm, relaxed and homely environment enables young people to feel safe and at ease, which supports them to make good progress against their individual targets and goals. Warm and nurturing relationships between the staff and young people were evident throughout the inspection. One young person validated this and confirmed that they now feel happy, safe and settled and at home now a new manager has been appointed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Cohesive and effective working relationships between care staff, education staff and clinicians ensure that young people receive an individual and holistic package of support to address their identified needs. This high level of care and positive multi-agency working ensures that young people make progress from their individual starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from improved education outcomes as they are supported to maintain high attendance rates. Daily handovers between the care staff and education staff ensure that young people’s present and future education needs are known and understood. Young people’s education plans are reviewed and shared regularly with young people, placing authorities and clinicians. This ensure that young people’s present and future education needs are planned for efficiently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a respectful understanding of young people’s past experiences and articulate well how these affect their current behaviours, vulnerabilities and risks. The staff work well with the placing local authorities and education colleagues to develop clear, well thought-out strategies to support young people suitably. In addition, staff sensitively support and encourage young people to access and participate in the additional in-house clinical therapy. This supports young people in their journey to becoming increasingly safe within the wider community, and enables them to benefit from improved emotional well-being and happiness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Improved communication and consultation systems ensure that young people are given numerous opportunities to share their views regularly. Formal consultation sessions, informal discussions, attendance at looked-after review meetings, and regular written feedback processes allow young people to maintain some control over some aspects of their lives. When young people make specific requests about their care plans, such as increasing family contact, the manager and staff advocate strongly for young people to ensure that this can be achieved. One young person confirmed this and said, ‘You tell the manager what you want to do and he gets on it. I asked the previous manager and they did not sort it out. This manager was straight on it and the staff helped me to do it.’ They went on to add, ‘Basically, since the new manager came, he has been a massive help to everyone here. He is really helping me to get what I want.’ These improved

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

consultation and communication systems ensure that young people are empowered and Inspection report children's home: SC479650 6 in control of the decision-making, and also support more effective care planning. This is because young people are committed to working with their care plans, as they have been fully involved in devising them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is committed and dedicated to maintaining positive links between young people and those who are important to them. The manager listens carefully to what young people want and advocates strongly for these arrangements to be put into place so that young people can remain in touch with their family members as often as is safe and suitable to do so. Staff support and facilitate contact arrangements sensitively with family members who live some distance from the home. Staff support young people thoughtfully during times of heightened anxiety or distress. Therefore, young people maintain their sense of identity and sustain positive relationships with those people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enhance young people’s experiences and opportunities within this home. Young people are provided with the opportunities to develop their hobbies and areas of interest in a safe and managed way, both in the home and in the local community. Young people enjoy fishing trips, shopping trips and days out at theme parks. Other young people have benefited from taking part in charity events and local music concerts, which they and the staff team are proud to share and celebrate. These activities and opportunities enable young people to develop positive relationships with each other, their local community and expand on their previous experiences. This in turn enables and supports young people to build positive experiences of their time spent within the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are clear about young people’s individual needs and work effectively with them to increase and develop their life skills satisfactorily. Young people are supported to gain more independence skills as they are supported to undertake household chores, such as budgeting and cleaning. Consequently, young people are developing their abilities in line with their age and capabilities, and are better equipped with the knowledge and skills that they require to support them successfully into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are systems in place to ensure that young people’s general health and well-being are maintained sufficiently. Staff are suitably trained and follow young people’s medication regimes. Young people’s health records are present and are kept up to date and young people are supported to access generic health services as required. That said, poor historical communication has resulted in two young people failing to attend and access the additional support and services as identified within their statutory healthcare plans. Consequently, the speech and language therapy needs of the young people have not been met and progress in these areas has been hindered.

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

Young people report that they feel safe and are kept safe due to the actions that the staff take. Safe and appropriate behaviour is promoted through positive role modelling, support, praise and incentives. Young people are aware of their individual goals and targets and agree that the sanctions used are fair. Staff celebrate young people’s achievements and commend and reward young people when they refrain from taking Inspection report children's home: SC479650 7 part in negative and unwanted behaviours. Consequently, young people are developing more effective ways of managing their emotional responses in a more appropriate manner. Subsequently, young people’s behaviour has improved and the use of sanctions and physical interventions have reduced. Staff are clear that they will only physically restrain young people when there is a need to do so to keep young people or others safe. Staff report that they use their

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

relationships with young people to de-escalate any problematic situations before there is a need to intervene physically. On the rare occasions that young people have been restrained, they and the staff are offered an opportunity to discuss their experiences and comment on these. Staff encourage young people to reflect on the situation and their actions so that they can identify more suitable strategies to manage their emotions more effectively in the future. The manager deals with complaints made against the home promptly and sufficiently. When young people raise their dissatisfaction about the level of care they receive, the manager fully investigates these concerns and shares his findings with young people and placing authorities to ensure that a satisfactory outcome is achieved.

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

Following an Ofsted judgement of ‘requires improvement’, and a further judgement of ‘declined effectiveness’ following concerns about safeguarding practice, the provider has now strengthened its safeguarding arrangements when allegation against the home are made. All staff are now fully aware of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities when young people raise any issues or concerns, as they receive sufficient training in this regard. The training arrangements for all staff have been improved and links have been made with safeguarding agencies, such as the local authority designated officer who has now visited the home and attended a staff team meeting. This promotes young people’s safety and welfare, as the staff are fully aware of their responsibilities should young people disclose any allegations or concerns.

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

The manager ensures that the relevant safeguarding agencies, such as the placing social workers and the local authority designated officer, are informed following any significant incidents. The manager is proactive at requesting the necessary meetings to ensure that all of the risks can be considered cohesively, and he requests additional support and services required to meet young people’s emerging needs quickly and appropriately. While systems are in place to ensure that all of the correct information is shared with the required safeguarding agencies in a timely manner, Ofsted was not informed of one notifiable incident until 10 days after the incident. As such, the regulator cannot be assured or evaluate whether the appropriate course of action was taken to safeguard young people quickly and efficiently.

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

Young people are provided with a high level of support and supervision, which means that there have been no reports of bullying or missing from home incidents since the last inspection.

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

Procedures for recruiting and appointing staff are inclusive and thorough. Staff are carefully selected and vetted to ensure that only those safe and suitable to work with Inspection report children's home: SC479650 8 children and young people do so. A recent change to care practice ensures that young people are now involved in the interviewing process as they are supported to provide questions for the prospective employees.

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

Young people live in a large, comfortable home. Staff respect young people’s privacy, and the size of the home allows them to enjoy their privacy and time alone, while also having the option of enjoying spending time together. Although there are a variety of health and safety checks undertaken to enhance the safety and welfare of young people and staff, the physical well-being of young people is being compromised as the provider has yet to identify an action plan to address the mould which is evident in the young people’s upstairs shower room.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager resigned from their post in March 2017 after the new manager was appointed. A period of transition supported the new manager in gaining a good understanding of his role within the home. The new manager has submitted his application form to Ofsted to become the registered manager and he is currently waiting for a date for his interview in this regard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A real strength of this home is the child-centred approach that the manager and staff employ. The young people are the heart of the home and the manager and staff do their utmost to advocate and include them in every aspect of care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates a good understanding of the difficulties that the home has faced and is committed and passionate about addressing them. The provider has now addressed the one requirement made at the last inspection. As such, young people’s welfare and safety are prioritised as safeguarding practice has been improved. The manager is committed to building on and embedding the positive steps forward that he and his staff team have achieved. He and the management team have a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for continued development. There is clear and realistic plan in place to support him and his team in achieving this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s internal monitoring identified that there was an issue with staff receiving annual appraisals. Since his appointment to the post, he and his deputy manager have improved these processes to ensure that sufficient systems are in place to support staff to continue to develop and enhance their practice. This and improved supervision and training arrangements for staff ensure that young people receive a high standard of care from members of a staff team who are trained, supported and monitored to deliver a good standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partner agencies, such as the police, placing social workers, independent reviewing officers, probation workers and education colleagues are extremely complimentary about the care and support that young people receive from the manager and staff. Professionals confirm that staff are skilled at developing and maintaining positive, nurturing and effective relationships with young people, which supports them to make progress in many areas of their lives. One professional said, ‘I am impressed how the Inspection report children's home: SC479650 9 home, the school and therapeutic services liaise and communicate with each other to ensure that all who work with [name] are providing consistent care. I am also pleased with how the home liaises with myself, and communicates the positive and negatives about their progress.’ They went on to add, ‘I am really pleased with [name’s] progress over the last few months and he is more mature in his approach to managing situations.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a sound understanding of the home’s strengths and where there is still capacity to improve. The areas for development are identified within the home’s updated development plan, which is monitored and reviewed regularly, within the home’s internal monitoring systems. External monthly monitoring undertaken by the independent visitor provides the manager with further rigour and challenge. This supports him and the staff team with making ongoing improvements within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a range of systems and methods to gain a good understanding of each young person, and their plans and the progress they have made. The manager is proud to verbalise the achievements that young people have made and celebrates these achievements with young people. The manager is keen to gain feedback from young people and the staff team to ensure that ongoing developments and improvements are made. In order to achieve this, the manager has strengthened the processes for staff team meetings and young people’s meetings. That said, the manager has missed an opportunity to clearly identify within these meeting minutes who is responsible for carrying out the actions identified and by when. Potentially, this can lead to confusion and actions not being completed in a timely manner.

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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 whom 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: SC479650 10

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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

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC479650 11 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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