Children's home run by Esland North Limited in Preston

Inspection report children's home: SC480161 1 SC480161 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people who may have emotional, behavioural and/or learning difficulties. It is owned and managed by a private provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people,

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people,

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

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people,

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children's home: SC480161 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children‟s home is outstanding because

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children‟s experiences and future life opportunities are significantly enhanced by the quality of care that they receive. They benefit from consistent and stable relationships with supportive and nurturing staff that enable them to develop a sense of belonging.  Children are fully involved in their plans, and are motivated to achieve their goals so that they are able to make positive progress towards safer and happier life experiences. They make significant progress across all aspects of their lives from their individual starting points.  Staff actively promote the safety and well-being of children, responding to their specific needs and individual vulnerabilities. Children respond to the support and protection that staff provide and say that they feel safe living at the home.  Staff practice is informed by a recognised research-based model, and delivers a high-quality service which meets the aims and objectives of the home‟s

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Key findings from this inspection

statement of purpose. External professionals recognise the positive impact that this has on children‟s outcomes.  The manager and staff have a very clear understanding of children‟s needs. They respond to needs with a highly individualised approach, working closely with therapeutic partners to promote children‟s emotional well-being and to develop resilience.  Staff access specific training to enhance their practice to meet individual needs and support their professional development. They demonstrate their expertise and are enthusiastic in providing care which makes a real difference to children.  The new manager is settling into her role. She recognises the commitment and strengths of her team and is already implementing further developments to enhance the service for children. The children‟s home‟s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home‟s records should accurately reflect that all staff receive regular and reflective supervision in line with the company‟s policy, ensuring appropriate evaluation of practice and any support required.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/10/2016 Full Outstanding 21/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/01/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC480161 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff that provides evidence it is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b) and reflects the provider‟s supervision policy. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make sustainable, positive progress across all aspects of their lives. This is due to holistic and highly individualised care provided by a committed and skilled staff team. From their individual starting points, children‟s daily experiences and future life opportunities are significantly enhanced. They enjoy close and secure relationships with staff who know them extremely well and who demonstrate unconditional positive regard, regardless of children‟s complex needs and challenges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children describe the home as „brilliant‟, „peaceful‟, „inspiring‟ and „safe‟, and say that they „love it‟. Children are central to their care planning, so their voices are heard and needs are met. Parents say that their children are happy living there, and that the staff keep in touch with them regularly to provide updates. One parent said that they had „nothing but praise‟ for the staff, who „are a lovely bunch of people‟. Children clearly have a sense of belonging and are confident that they can talk to anyone in the team and feel that staff listen to them. Children say they do not need to complain, but they are all aware of what to do if they need to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children who attend the provider‟s school have 100% attendance. They make positive progress within a structured and supportive environment. Older children have completed the first year at college and are to continue with their studies in the next academic year. Staff are sensitive to the emotional needs of a child who is facing difficult personal circumstances and they show compassion. However, as an independent reviewing officer stated, she was „pleased that they are encouraging him to “carry on” and are not “letting him” use this an excuse for not attending college or carrying on with day-to-day life‟.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy a broad range of activities, both as a group and as individuals, including concerts, trampolining, horse riding and roller skating. They enjoy indoor activities such as games, cooking, watching TV and art activities. Children are currently researching to prepare to build a pets‟ area in the garden during the summer, and have experienced the excitement of an indoor sky-diving opportunity as a reward for positive behaviour in education. One child volunteers at a nearby skating rink and at a local radio station. These experiences help children to build friendships, social skills and self-confidence, and to be integrated into the local community. Children also participate in a community- Inspection report children's home: SC480161 4 based programme, ICOPE, to develop social skills and networks in the local area. Children are proud of their achievements and are fully involved in the programme‟s

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

planning, which is carefully risk assessed. This introduces them to age-appropriate risks and supports them to develop their independence skills. Children‟s everyday experiences enrich their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children‟s health needs are met well. Staff promote healthy eating and active lifestyles, and are proactive in seeking medical advice, for example to review medication to check that it remains appropriate and effective. Skilled therapists enable young people to explore difficult past experiences and feelings to help them to identify and manage their own risk factors and behaviour. Therapists work in close consultation with the staff to promote the reinforcement of therapeutic intervention in direct work. Children benefit from this wraparound support to meet their physical and emotional well-being and to help to overcome barriers to their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are willing to „go above and beyond‟ to support children to enjoy positive contact with their families. Some exemplary work was in progress at the time of the inspection to prepare a child to attend a family celebration. Staff and therapists had worked with the child to develop cue cards so that he can discreetly seek help if circumstances become challenging. He is being accompanied by a staff member in whom he has great trust, this indicates that the staff member is working extra hard to support the young person which helps give the individual confidence. Careful assessment of all contact arrangements ensures that contact is a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, and any issues arising are reported to relevant professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Professionals confirm extremely high levels of satisfaction with the progress that young people make. They recognise the impact of the RAID accredited behavioural support model, which informs practice really well and is consistently seen across the team‟s practice. Key workers are considered to be strong advocates for children at their reviews, and children‟s voices are clearly heard. Some children chair their own reviews confidently. One independent reviewing officer, who nominated a child for an award at the Child in Care ball, said that the staff „made [the experience] all the more special for him‟. Feedback from all professionals remarked on the significant progress that children have made as a result of the home‟s depth of understanding of and response to children‟s needs, and the consistency and structure of the home. Another independent reviewing officer noticed a „change from day one‟ in a child‟s social presentation. The

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

home maintains regular contact to ensure that all involved in children‟s care are kept updated. Other professionals are clear that, where necessary, staff offer appropriate challenge to revisit assessments of needs, including special educational needs, where these no longer appear to be accurate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are very much at the centre of practice at the home, and their views and suggestions are taken seriously through their regular meetings. Their ideas are taken forward to staff meetings and carefully considered. Recently, children decided that they would like to wear a school uniform, and have chosen the colours and style themselves. A social worker commented that she was really pleased that children were involved in helping staff to make home improvements. The practice model encourages children‟s Inspection report children's home: SC480161 5 confidence, opinions and expression, and is clearly seen in their development and flourishing maturity.

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

Children say that they feel safe living at the home and value the support that staff provide. They have well-established and trusted relationships with staff, and look to them to provide guidance and help with any difficulties or concerns. The home works proactively with partners to develop and oversee robust risk management plans to keep children and others safe from harm, and these take into account specific individual needs. Children take an active role in the planning process, so that they understand and respond positively to behavioural expectations and the boundaries implemented. They are proud of their progress in their community activity programmes, and are motivated to work towards increased levels of independence. Progress is dynamically reviewed to ensure that next steps are at an achievable pace and in response to any presenting risks, and, where necessary, programmes are suspended so that individual direct work

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

can be undertaken to address immediate issues. Therapists work with the children and staff to develop strategies to support safe progress towards their goals. The highly effective planning and proactive safeguarding practice contributes to a significant reduction in risk and, consequently, to children‟s sense of safety and stability.

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

Staff are trained in an accredited behavioural support model, RAID, which enables the creation of a nurturing environment that focuses on developing positive behaviour. This encourages children to reflect on their own behaviour and to develop more adaptive strategies and self-regulation. Consequently, they feel valued, their self-esteem and resilience grow, and the risk of offending or engaging in harmful risk-taking behaviour is substantially reduced. Children have not gone missing from the home, nor have they been involved in any risky behaviours associated with going missing, because of the vigilance of staff and appropriately high levels of supervision. However, staff refresh their knowledge of required procedures to ensure that, if a child were to go missing, they are clear about the actions to take to promote their safe return to the home. Staff have recently benefited from specialist gender-specific training in relation to child sexual

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

exploitation, enhancing their knowledge. Links have also been established with lead statutory partners under the „Prevent‟ strategy so that staff can access any specialist advice regarding radicalisation and access further training to recognise potential risks.

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

Incidents at the home are extremely rare. Physical intervention is not required to manage behaviour and the use of sanctions is minimal. This reflects the success of the practice model, as well as the individual direct work delivered by key workers. The new manager has already incorporated restorative practice into resolving conflict between children and members of staff, to positive effect. Relationships between children are positive, and they support each other to achieve and celebrate each other‟s special events. Children recognised that during the school day some of their peers are less able to achieve „green cards‟, which contribute to group days out, and advocated for changes so that everyone could reach their targets. Careful plans and strategies are proactively developed with children by staff and therapists, so that they are well prepared for social events to reduce the potential impact of known triggers to harmful or risk-taking

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

Inspection report children's home: SC480161 6 behaviours. Children become safer due to the support and protection provided by staff and other professionals involved in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A highly qualified and experienced permanent manager has been recruited to the home and is currently submitting her application for registration. She brings additional skills, including restorative practice, which complement the RAID model and will enhance practice at the home. In the interim, the deputy manager has successfully led the home, with the support of the responsible individual. As the former manager of the home, he had resigned due to his promotion and the appointment of a replacement. However the replacement did not remain in post and urgent action was taken to recruit another manager. It took some time to appoint an individual of the calibre necessary to lead a home that provides this specialised service. Until the current manager was recruited, children benefited from the stability provided by the team, with support from a responsible individual whom they knew well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals who work closely with the home confirmed that there was no negative impact on the home‟s excellent management under the deputy‟s leadership. They noted the enhancements that she brought to the service and how children have been involved in developments. She advocated for improvements to the physical environment to reflect the respect that children show to keeping it a pleasant home to live in, and she has also enhanced her own and other senior staff‟s professional development. Team leaders were observed to be confident and assertive in their contributions to discussion during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home continues to develop under the current manager‟s leadership through the establishment of monthly leadership meetings. The deputy manager also assertively requested and accessed bespoke staff training, specifically designed to support a child at the home. As a result, staff are working with therapists to develop plans that more sensitively meet his individual needs. She has inspired the existing team to maintain the highest aspirations for young people and to deliver the highest quality of care, which continues under the new manager. In addition, the deputy has implemented a programme of visits by external agencies to work with children on specific areas such as sexual health, emotional well-being and areas of diversity. Young people have welcomed this, and will have points of contact to seek further advice independently in future. Newly appointed casual staff confirmed that they benefited from the in-depth induction

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

process, which the deputy has enhanced with specialist introductory information to support their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The new manager has confidence in the staff. She recognises them as an established, competent workforce that provides consistency and stability for young people, and is keen to support their continued practice development. Staff report reciprocal confidence in, and respect for, the new manager and the new practice ideas that she brings. She recognises and offers support to staff, being mindful of personal circumstances which may impact on practice. Staff from the provider‟s school and the therapy provider confirm that she is establishing even closer working relationships through Inspection report children's home: SC480161 7 multidisciplinary meetings to enhance the holistic approach to children‟s care. She already demonstrates a clear understanding of children‟s needs and plans, and the actions needed to ensure that they achieve their goals, particularly as children move towards the important transition to adulthood and independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

In order to gain understanding of staff members‟ strengths and areas for development, the new manager has undertaken supervision with each of them. She is aware that most staff are due to have annual appraisals, which she will undertake with the responsible individual, recognising that she lacks full knowledge of their achievements over the past year. Staff receive regular, reflective supervision that evaluates their practice. However, despite extensive weekly oversight meetings with the responsible individual, the records do not accurately reflect this level of supervision of the deputy manager. Although the home was subject to unusual circumstances, as referenced in the company‟s supervision policy, a recommendation is made in this respect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Highly effective internal monitoring identifies shortfalls and actions to drive improvement. The manager provided clear direction in response to errors identified in the administration of medication. Monthly monitoring tracks the progress of young people, who regularly review their own files and reflect on their achievements and future goals. External monitoring by an independent visitor provides further scrutiny to identify areas of development. Appropriate action has been taken in response to the recommendation at the last inspection, with evidence of challenge to placing authorities to ensure that current relevant plans are provided. There is a shared sense of ownership across the team to deliver the highest quality of care, in partnership with other professionals, to ensure that children experience positive outcomes and future life opportunities.

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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: SC480161 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(s)

Karen Willson, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children's home: SC480161 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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