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

Inspection report children’s home: SC482569 1 SC482569 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 privately owned and provides accommodation for up to six children and 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

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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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC482569 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

 The care team has warm and positive relationships with young people. Young people feel cared for and valued.  Young people make exceptional progress from their starting points. The care team helps young people to build their self-esteem and to learn to protect themselves. Consequently, young people have started to make positive choices and their safety has increased.  Young people who move on from the home continue to be an integral part of this home.  Young people integrate well into their local community. They engage with the services that help to meet their needs. Young people are encouraged to care about others. They are involved in organising events for charities.  Young people are helped to rekindle positive relationships with their families.  A strong focus on the protection of young people is integral to the care team’s practice. The team has highly developed skills, which ensure that staff take

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Key findings from this inspection

preventative action that keeps young people safe. The young people feel safe and cared for. Young people no longer self-harm, no longer go missing and are no longer exploited and abused.  Leaders and managers are strong advocates for young people. They work closely with other agencies to get the best outcomes for them.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/11/2016 Full Outstanding 18/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/06/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC482569 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people describe the home as ‘amazing’. They recognise and value the progress that they have made since living there. One young person said, ‘This is the best care home I have ever lived in.’ The home is welcoming and homely. Photographs of the young people and care team are displayed throughout the home. Young people are proud of their home and purchase items to complement the decor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Leaders and managers design the home so that it meets the needs of the young people. As well as the usual living areas, the young people have a hair salon and gym. Staff and the young people are currently redesigning the top floor of the home to accommodate a second lounge, tutoring area and relaxation therapy space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The quality of the relationships that the care team forms with young people is excellent; the approach is worthy of wider dissemination. The warmth of the relationships is evident. The team values young people and very much cares about them. Caring gestures are included routinely in the care that young people experience. For example, making them a hot water bottle to comfort them when they feel a little low. A young person said, ‘The staff are just the best staff you will ever meet.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The voice of young people is integral to the running of the home and children are champions for other children in care. Young people are leading a ‘take over’ day where they will care for the staff team and manage the home. This creative approach results in the staff team having a better understanding of young people’s experiences. In addition, one young person took part in a national campaign to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation. Videos of them talking about their experiences of child sexual exploitation and how to get help were broadcast online and on the local radio.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The care team supports young people to devise their individual placement plans. These plans describe young people with warmth. The young person’s identity, the purpose of them moving into the home and what they wish to achieve are all captured exceptionally well in care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s progress is celebrated and the care team staff members tell young people frequently how proud they are of their achievements. In an Ofsted survey, one young person said that the registered manager ‘burst into tears when I won my horse riding competition, she was so proud. When I got home, all the staff cheered and clapped.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The care team spends time with young people individually, building their self-esteem and resilience. Young people have begun to engage in education; this had previously been a challenge for them. The care team helps them to explore their interests and develop realistic ambitions so that they can plan how to reach their goals. The team picks young people up when they fail and supports them to move on and pursue a new direction. Inspection report children’s home: SC482569 4 Leaders and managers create a culture of belonging. Young people who move on continue to be part of the home. Some young people come back to visit; occasionally, they enjoy a meal with everyone and get their laundry done. Leaders and managers have travelled the country to support young people who have moved on and who have called them for help at a time of need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The quality of the care provided and the experiences that young people have enrich their lives. Recently, they enjoyed a holiday where some young people and the care team overcame their fear of heights on the high ropes, had fun in the swimming pool and enjoyed pancake stacks and meals out. The care team helps the young people to make use of local amenities; some young people are enrolled in local clubs and have taken part in competitions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Leaders and managers support young people to build good relationships with their families. A parent said, ‘The manager of the home and her team are vigilant in making sure that I am there for the good bits so we can rebuild a positive relationship with my daughter. It is fantastic.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are supported to show compassion for others and to engage positively in their local and wider community. For example, in response to a recent terror attack they organised a cake sale at the local police headquarters and raised a large amount of money for the appeal.

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

Leaders and managers gather a wealth of information about young people before they move into the home. Leaders and managers thoroughly analyse how the needs of young people can be met and carefully consider how well matched their needs are to those of other young people already living in the home. Placement plans and risk assessments are comprehensive due to this careful planning, and young people are fully involved in the process. This ensures a smooth transition for young people moving in and that other young people already living in the home do not experience disruption.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and individualised to set out the specific risks for each young person. These documents are updated regularly as young people develop and make progress. One young person said, ‘My risk assessment went down. I do not go missing anymore.’ For another young person, their risk assessment shows the swift progress that they made to keep themselves safe.

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

The care team understands very well the individual risks posed to young people. One-to- one conversations with young people address areas that are imperative to their progress and success. Young people begin to understand about abuse and child sexual exploitation and how they can keep themselves safe.

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

When young people go missing and there are concerns of abuse and sexual exploitation, leaders and managers take immediate action to protect them. They have established Inspection report children’s home: SC482569 5 excellent working relationships with the local police force and anti-child sexual exploitation officer. Social work professionals receive information swiftly and a multi- agency plan is agreed to protect the young person. The local police anti-child sexual exploitation officer said, ‘They take a very proactive response to ensure the safety of the girls.’ Young people often go missing from home, when they first move in. Gradually, the incidents of going missing lessen and then cease.

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

Young people can talk to someone independently when they have been missing. However, most young people prefer to talk to the care team. The care team speaks openly with young people, letting them know how worried they have been. As a result, young people know that they are valued.

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

The care team meets young people’s emotional health needs well. All the team have training in responding to the needs of young people with mental health issues and those who self-harm. Gradually, young people are assisted to find alternative strategies that will help them and, as a result, the frequency of self-harming reduces and stops. Leaders and managers ensure that young people have access to the specialist services that they need to support them to achieve positive mental health. Additionally, they have commissioned a counselling service to provide more therapeutic support. Some of the care team members are qualified in relaxation therapies, which they use to help young people to unwind.

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

The care team rarely uses restraint. Restraints last for a short amount of time, often less than one minute. Leaders and managers monitor the use of restraint effectively and identify areas of learning and reflection. The care team members talk to the young person and ascertain their views. The care team members also talk to any young people who witnessed the restraint to gain their views and offer them support.

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

Some of the young people smoke and there are strict rules about this. Consequences for negative behaviour usually relate to the young people breaking rules about smoking.

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

The recruitment of staff follows safer recruitment processes and the same rigour is applied if staff are recruited through an agency.

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

Child protection records are detailed and comprehensive. These could be improved further by the addition of a summary sheet for ease of reference.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers of this home provide consistent and strong leadership. Both the registered manager and deputy manager have been in post since the home opened in 2009. They complement each other well. The deputy manager is highly skilled to deputise for the registered manager in her absence. Both are suitably qualified for their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager disseminates her knowledge and skills widely to other services, delivering training, speaking at conferences and supporting homes to improve. At a successful recent fundraising event for the home, the registered manager spoke to the Inspection report children’s home: SC482569 6 public to raise awareness of child abuse and sexual exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers regularly seek the views of the young people about their care and the operation of the home. Young people told the inspector that they know that their views are important and that they feel listened to by all staff. Young people have created some personal videos and music clips about their experiences in the home. These detail the support that the care team has given the young people to progress and be happy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children’s guide, while meeting the requirements of the children’s homes regulations, is not a document that engages young people sufficiently. While young people helped to write the guide, it is too formal and in the words of young people ‘boring and not something we want to read when we move in’. The care team is considering how to make it more child-friendly, using videos created by the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers act as tenacious advocates to ensure that the young people have everything that they need from the services that support them. They are persistent and this results in positive outcomes for young people. For example, on one occasion, the registered manager ensured that a young person was visited by a social worker from her home area rather than a local social worker whom she did not know. On another occasion, the registered manager raised concerns about an agreement made for one young person to stay over in a location that the registered manager felt was unsafe and, following her challenge to the placing authority, the young person was returned to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers support young people to build positive relationships with the professionals from outside of the home. They recognise the difficulty in this with some agencies, such as the police, due to some young people’s previous experiences. To address this, young people agreed for the police to attend an event at the home. This work increases the safety and well-being of young people who now feel able to contact the police should they need to; this had not been the case previously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The training package for the care team is tailored to the needs of the young people. Training is effective in ensuring that the team delivers high-quality care. All training is up to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have highly effective monitoring systems to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Young people are fully involved in future plans for the home and have helped to devise the development plan. Leaders and managers use research to inform young people’s care and continue to develop their practice and vision for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have aspirations for the young people. They provide positive role models in terms of realistic ambitions, goals and achievements. The registered manager is a champion for the young people in her care. She focuses on their strengths and potential, which builds trusting, kind and caring relationships. Inspection report children’s home: SC482569 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 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: SC482569 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, 1 Tustin Court Port Way, Ashton-on- Ribble, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

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Inspector(s)

Nicola Lownds: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482569 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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