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

Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 1 SC480840 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 children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 outstanding

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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: Improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children and young people have strong and secure relationships with staff.  The children and young people develop a sense of permanence and belonging while living in this home. Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 2  The children and young people feel secure and are learning how to keep themselves safer as a result of building strong relationships with the staff.  The leaders and managers have high ambitions for the children and young people in their care.

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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 managers and staff need to develop policies and practices regarding use of the internet in order to allow the children and young people to have appropriate and safe interactions online.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/12/2016 Full Good 13/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 3

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Recommendations

 Children’s home staff should take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the child’s needs and developmental stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action. Staff should discuss this with the child’s placing authority where appropriate. If a child makes a choice that would place them at risk, staff should assist them to understand the risk and manage their risk taking behaviour to keep themselves safe. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations and quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7) Specifically, develop practice around online interactions and use the existing strategies consistently to safeguard the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are making steady, positive progress in all areas of their lives through living in the home. Because staff take the time to understand each child or young person’s life experiences and tailor their responses accordingly, relationships are strong. As a result, the children and young people develop a sense of permanence and belonging. One young person has lived in the home for five years, and is now being supported well to move on to more independent accommodation. Staff are passionate about supporting the children and young people to express their wishes and feelings. As a result, the children and young people feel they have some influence in the decisions made about their lives. After care planning meetings, staff complete direct work with the children and young people about their understanding of the decisions made during the meeting. This is recorded in such a way that the children

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and young people can reflect on it later if necessary. Consultation with the children and young people about their day-to-day lives is undertaken in creative ways. Surveys for the children and young people to complete are designed to be fun and attractive, and cater for all levels of literacy. Lively house meetings take place regularly, in which the children and young people rate aspects of their care out of ten. The resulting confidence that this creates is evident in the way that the children and young people behave around the home, for example in preparing their own meals, doing baking and arranging their own daily activities. The children and young people benefit from direct work which is of a very good quality. The staff have prepared a resource list containing details of websites, quizzes and interactive worksheets under a wide variety of topics. Some of the sessions that the children and young people have undertaken include topics such as bullying,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

bereavement, acts of kindness, drug taking and sexual awareness. The way in which this work is recorded reflects on the response of the child or young person and identifies areas of focus for further work. Consequently, the learning for the children and young Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 4 people is maximised. The staff team has high ambitions for the children and young people to do well in education and training. Although some of the children and young people are experiencing difficulties, the staff are beginning to have success in stabilising school attendance. The manager and deputy manager are particularly committed to securing the future of young people through vocational training and job opportunities. One young person is commencing training as a mechanic, and others have gone on to join the forces. Young people continue to visit the home when they have left. This is testament to the strong bonds with the staff that are formed during their time living here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health needs of the children and young people are identified, and they are supported to attend all necessary appointments. They are learning how to improve their health through support with issues such as quitting smoking and healthy eating. The manager pays close attention to detail in the quality of the environment in the home. She ensures that it is homely and comfortable. She expects the children and young people to treat it with respect and this is generally adhered to. When children or young people arrive at the home, their bedrooms are presented as a ‘blank canvas’. They then choose decor, bedding and accessories. One child has created a lavish New York theme, which he looks after with little prompting. The children and young people are supported to maintain contact with appropriate family and friends. One relative expressed how the care at the home had allayed all her fears about residential care. The staff use what the manager described as ‘common

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

sense parental controls’ to enable the children and young people to visit their friends.

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

The strength of the relationships between the children and young people and staff results in them feeling protected and secure. Because of this, physical restraint is rarely needed. Incidents of the children and young people going missing from the home are infrequent, and when an incident does occur, there is a clear response plan in place which staff follow. The children and young people are offered independent interviews when they return home, and are helped to consider the implications of their behaviour. The vulnerabilities of the children and young people are well understood. Through strong direct work, the children and young people are learning how to keep themselves safer. They are about to have access to the internet in the home for the first time, although some children and young people already have access on their mobile phones. A great deal of work has been done in relation to keeping safe on the internet, and some

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

safeguards have been put in place. One young person who currently has internet access on his mobile phone is of the view that he should retain the ability to have appropriate online interactions. The staff are unsure how to review this in order to safeguard him. Protocols regarding internet access need to be agreed to guide staff practice in this area. The children and young people sign agreements to allow their internet usage to be checked but staff are not doing this to ensure that the young people are safely following these agreements. A recommendation in relation to accessing the internet has been made at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 5 The manager is insistent on respectful behaviour both towards and from the children and young people. This approach was evident during the interactions between everyone in the home. The children and young people clearly respond to the manager positively,

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

spending a lot of time in her office, laughing and talking with her. Staff are actively developing their understanding of the use of a restorative approach to behaviour management. The number of rewards far outweighs the number of sanctions. For example, ‘Star of the week’ and ‘Bedroom of the week’ awards are used to provide incentives for the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and deputy manager are enthusiastic and motivated for the children and young people in their care to experience what any child or young person would in a family situation. In accordance with the home’s statement of purpose, ‘A concerted effort is made to ensure young people have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of activities, festivals, events and holidays.’ The manager finds the financial resources to enable the children and young people to holiday abroad every year. They also enjoy camping trips and sporting activities. These high expectations are cascaded down to the staff, who are equally committed to helping young people achieve the best possible outcomes. The staff team has devised its own mission statements for the home, including comments such as, ‘We believe in the child and we want them to be inspired to achieve the best outcomes in their lives,’ and ‘We encourage the young people to become confident and independent thinkers.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is tenacious in her challenge to other professionals to provide the children and young people with the services they need. She has obtained agreement for one young person to attend an independent school. This will meet his needs much better. Another young person has secured a semi-independent placement. The auditing and monitoring systems of all areas of care are extensive. The manager is meticulous in reviewing and evaluating staff performance, and the ways in which the care for the children and young people can be improved. Care planning documents are clear and up to date. Records of direct work sessions, sanctions and meetings are all evaluated, including comments to develop practice if necessary. Recruitment is undertaken with adherence to safe practices. Gaps in employment are checked and references are verified. New staff are subject to a period of induction and have fortnightly management supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff undertake appropriate qualifications if they are not already qualified. Staff are encouraged to attend a variety of training opportunities, including on safeguarding and child sexual exploitation. Team meetings and regular supervision of staff are used to reflect on the quality of care. This in turn supports or challenges practice. For example, during one team meeting the staff explored the ways in which their practice meets the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. The manager knows her strengths and areas of development well in terms of her leadership. She is continually looking for ways to improve the experience and outcomes of the children and young people in her care. Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 6

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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: SC480840 7

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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: Unit 1, Tustin Court, Riversway, Preston PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Janet Black, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 8 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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