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

Inspection report children’s home: SC480086 1 SC480086 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

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to six children. The home looks after children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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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: requires improvement

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC480086 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are strong relationships between the staff and the children.  There is a good, homely atmosphere.  The children make progress in their education and behaviour.  There are strong relationships with specialist workers, such as the police.  The staff respond promptly when children go missing from the home, and effective return home interviews take place.  The staff manage behaviour well, resulting in no physical interventions having taken place since the last inspection.  The staff and the management team have a good understanding of the children’s needs.

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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

 Individual and location risk assessments are not sufficiently clear or comprehensive.  Records of supervision do not routinely capture discussion about the children.  Reports of monitoring visits by an independent person are not submitted to Ofsted promptly.  The home’s development plan is not clear about timescales for, or evaluation of, progress.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/08/2016 Full Requires improvement 30/12/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/08/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC480086 3

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child and help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regard to ensuring that risk assessments are clear, comprehensive and consistent. 19/07/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to review their effectiveness. In particular, ensure that any review of the effectiveness of consequences is meaningful. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  Ensure that best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under Regulations 44 and 45) is made to ensure continuous improvement. In particular, ensure that any development plan contains timescales and is reviewed to monitor progress and that Regulation 44 reports are submitted to Ofsted in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  Ensure that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children

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Recommendations

assigned to their care. In particular, ensure that supervisions contain reflection and discussion on the children and that records reflect this and the duration of the supervision. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, Inspection report children’s home: SC480086 4 paragraph 13.2)  Ensure that the location risk assessment identifies any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. In particular, ensure that the information regarding risk management strategies associated with the location and children going missing at night-time is comprehensive and known by the staff. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and manager work hard to create a homely atmosphere, and the overall effect is positive. The staff build good relationships with and have a nurturing approach to the children. The staff feel supported and nurtured by the management team. These factors combine to provide the children with the foundations to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children make progress in a variety of ways. A social worker spoke of the difference that the service has made for one child who arrived at the home at a point of crisis. The professional said, ‘They [staff] have kept her safe and happy and kept her healthy.’ An independent reviewing officer said of another child, ‘Since I have been reviewing her, I have seen massive progress. Before coming to the home she would barely talk to me. Now she is fully engaged in the review. She is making progress.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to attend school. The staff link with education providers to ensure that children have an appropriate provision. A professional said, ‘They [staff] worked really well at securing her an education placement. They were keen and pushed in a measured way and got her a placement at a mainstream school. She [child] has done well.’ The staff act quickly to ensure that the education placements meet the children’s needs. The staff work closely with schools to support the children while they are at school. A teacher said, ‘I work very closely with them [staff]. We have a very good relationship. They are amazing. They work really well with complex students who come in and do well. They are always to hand and we have meetings. The staff have gone the extra mile.’ The children’s attendance is consistently good. One child has made significant progress in her education since moving to the home. This child’s education

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

provider said, ‘I just think that all of my colleagues have only ever come back saying positive things. We have a number of looked after children and they [the staff] are probably the best that we work with.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to attend routine and specialist health appointments. They have worked hard to support children, who have previously resisted, to engage with health providers. One specialist mental health worker said, ‘The support that they [staff] offer the child is balanced, appropriate and useful. The staff are sensitive and respectful.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage the children to develop their independence within appropriate boundaries. One professional said, ‘They [staff] are not unduly restrictive and they are not averse to taking risks, but they do this with careful safeguarding.’ Professionals say Inspection report children’s home: SC480086 5 that the staff and management team work alongside the wider multi-agency team to help the children to take reasonable risks in order to develop their independence. This supports the children to prepare for life after they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a strong culture of communication between the children and the staff. The staff consult with the children twice a week to plan activities. As a result, the children are able to participate in a range of activities that they enjoy. The staff and the children consistently sit down and eat together three or four times a day. This provides frequent opportunities for interaction and communication. Discussions range from the big topics of the day to the minutiae of the children’s individual interests. This familial approach significantly contributes to the homely feel and the positive relationships.

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

The children feel safe at the home, and they know that the staff care for them. The children are able to identify people with whom they can share worries or concerns. They know how to complain. The children say that relationships in the home are generally good. Although there is occasional ‘bickering’, the staff support the children and manage this without it becoming a bullying issue.

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

The staff work with the children to explore their understanding of internet safety. This leads to an increase in the children’s awareness of routes for support.

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

The staff know how to raise concerns about the conduct of a colleague. They know what to do if they are unhappy with the way in which the manager has dealt with a concern. This provides a safe environment.

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

The children say that the staff manage behaviour well. When necessary, the staff apply consequences in response to incidents. The children see these consequences as fair and proportionate. The staff use these consequences to reinforce learning and reflection for the children. However, while the records of these consequences are generally sufficient, they lack evaluation. The manager reviews the incidents but the review primarily considers the appropriateness of the sanction rather than exploring its effectiveness.

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

The staff manage difficult incidents without routine recourse to physical intervention, and they encourage positive behaviour through a variety of creative means. The staff celebrate children’s achievements through reward and recognition. Consequently, there have been no physical interventions since the last inspection.

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

The home works with children who often arrive with a history of going missing. The staff and the manager have strong relationships with the local police, who are positive about the work that the home does and the relationships that the staff and the children have. A police officer stated, ‘They [staff] interact with us well. We have a good rapport.’

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

The staff and the management team promptly make local authorities aware when the children have been missing. Specialists in working with children who go missing are positive about the approach of the staff and the management team. A specialist child Inspection report children’s home: SC480086 6 sexual exploitation team manager spoke of how impressed her staff had been, stating, ‘We had a really positive experience of the placement. The worker was very impressed with the response of the staff and the really warm relationships between the staff and the residents.’ Because of the efforts of the staff, prompt return interviews take place and these capture significant levels of information. This enables greater understanding of children’s experiences.

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

The manager completes risk assessments for each of the children. However, these documents do not consistently contain information about when to contact the police if a child goes missing. This is despite the children’s placement plans directing the reader to the individual risk assessment for this information. This omission means that staff lack clear guidance regarding what to do if a child goes missing. While this has not affected the quality of the care that the children receive, unchecked it has the potential to do so.

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

The manager has completed a location risk assessment. This considers the risks that the location presents but it does not offer sufficient clarity regarding what the staff should do if a child goes missing at night. This clarity is also missing from the children’s individual risk assessments. This increases the likelihood that the staff will not be aware of the actions to take to mitigate these risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is established, experienced and registered with Ofsted. She has been in post since January 2011. She holds a level 5 qualification in residential childcare management. The manager receives support from two team leaders and a deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and the manager have a good understanding of children’s needs. The staff, children and professionals all report that there are enough staff to provide the care that children need. The children participate in local community events and activities. The staff invite guest speakers, including religious leaders and local community leaders to visit, and the staff engage with local charities. This increases the children’s sense of community and their understanding of issues affecting the local area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has good relationships with external professionals. The manager challenges professionals and she advocates for the children. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘I would say that they are very good advocates for her. They keep me updated if there are any issues. They are very forthright in chasing the social worker if they feel they [social worker] have not done what they should. I found them very professional.’ The strength of the relationships between the staff, the manager and professionals contributes to the progress that the children make. The management team monitors this progress through reviewing progress charts. These charts demonstrate the children making progress across a range of areas. These areas include reducing risky behaviours and increasing emotional literacy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have access to a range of internal training courses, which include safeguarding, physical intervention and first aid. The staff are supported to access additional external Inspection report children’s home: SC480086 7 courses such as mental health and managing self-harm. This enables the staff to further develop their understanding of issues pertinent to the needs of the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular and frequent supervision, which they say is supportive. They feel that supervisions contribute significantly to their professional development and their growth in confidence. Supervision records back this up, with records of supportive discussions and guidance being given. However, the records are less consistent regarding discussions about the children. Most of the supervision records do not capture discussions and reflections on the needs and experiences of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home each month and produces a report. This assists the manager in monitoring the quality of the service and making improvements. The independent visitor attempts to contact families and professionals as well as talking to staff and children. However, recently these reports have not been submitted to Ofsted in a reasonable timeframe. This affects Ofsted’s ability to regulate the service. The manager compiles an overarching development plan based on a range of sources of feedback. However, this plan lacks clarity. The majority of actions have no timescales attached to them, nor has progress been reviewed. As a result, the effectiveness of the plan is unknown.

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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 differences 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: SC480086 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

Ashley Hinson: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC480086 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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