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

Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 1 SC480671 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 children’s home is privately owned and is registered to care for up to eight children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. However, the home has voluntarily chosen to care for only up to four children at this time. Children are aged from 8 to 13 years on admission.

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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 good

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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: 2 February 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 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 registered manager has a proven record of delivering outstanding care to children who have complex and challenging needs. She provides clear evidence that children in the home make significant and sustained progress from their starting point at admission. Progress exceeds all expectations at the point of placement.  Children experience stable, nurturing and trusting relationships with staff. Highly effective consultation means that they are central to all decision-making processes and can contribute fully to their home and community.  Children report that they are making excellent progress because they feel valued. Their achievements and progress are celebrated. As a result, they have enhanced self-esteem and confidence. One child said: ‘I really, really like it here.’  Staff proactively promote and facilitate contact arrangements. This means that children have substantially improved relationships and contact with family,

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Key findings from this inspection

including their extended family.  Children who have been involved in a range of risk-taking behaviours, and who have experienced a history of family or foster care breakdowns, are enabled to settle in this home. Risk-taking behaviours, in the majority of cases, completely cease.  Staff have excellent working relationships with partners such as health, education and the police. Children benefit from comprehensive assessments and high-quality care plans because multi-agency working is highly effective.

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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

 Develop strategies with staff to further reduce the need to have physical interventions with children.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good 17/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 3

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

Children in this home benefit from trusting relationships with a stable team of skilled carers. Staff support and encourage the children to do well and celebrate their achievements. They also ensure that children have opportunities to have fun and enjoy new experiences. As a result, children feel highly valued. Children who have a history of difficult relationships or difficult life experiences are supported to develop positive, healthy relationships. Children have greatly improved emotional health; incidences of destructive behaviour and outbursts of anger are significantly reduced. One professional reported that her child had recently completed a questionnaire for her. When asked, ‘How do you like living where you are now?’ His response was – ‘it’s great’ and stated that the reason for this was ‘like it’. He then ticked ‘No’ to the question ‘Is there anything you would like to change about where you live?’

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

Children benefit from a structured environment, with clear boundaries and planned daily routines. They are helped to take responsibility for their behaviour and conduct, to respect each other’s privacy and to be sensitive to each other’s feelings. If there are difficulties and tensions, staff swiftly defuse them, facilitating dialogue between the children involved right away. In this way, children learn to negotiate differences and to make compromises. They develop and maintain positive friendships and life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

The home is comfortable, decorated and maintained to a moderate standard, and is safe. The organisation has recently purchased a new property which is planned to be moved into in the new year. The children say that they like their home. Rooms are personalised, they are encouraged to take responsibility for their bedrooms and assist with cleaning and cooking in the home. They enjoy having photographs around the home of their days out and significant events. Consequently, children respect the home and each other’s space.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

Children who have had very difficult experiences in learning settings are accessing education and achieving very well. Children have made exceptional progress from their starting points and have exceeded expectations. This is because the staff and tutors are supporting them to do well. Children who were disaffected are now aspirational. Children, who were having difficulties in school, are now being educated full-time at local community primary schools.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

Children have significantly grown in confidence. They volunteer to run charity events in the home, baking cakes for Children In Need, for example. Children enjoy going to the local youth zone and now feel confident to try a range of activities on offer. This is huge progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

Children benefit from attending routine health appointments, enjoy a healthy balanced diet, and are encouraged to become involved in a range of physical activities. A staff member reported that one child had regularly eaten in pubs and had takeaway before moving to the home. He is now regularly cooking and was planning with the deputy Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 4 manager what they should cook for different meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

The staff are informed by children’s needs, histories, views and wishes. They ensure that they are taking into account children’s heritage and identity in their care plans. They encourage a range of cultural experiences and act as positive role models. Children are consulted about their targets and objectives with formal and informal key-work sessions. These may be about improving relationships, or about risks to their health, such as substance misuse. As a consequence of responding to key-work sessions and listening to advice from staff, they are making healthier choices and decisions about their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

Staff work closely with partner agencies to ensure that children are receiving the services and support they require to make progress. Agencies report that they have excellent communication with the home, that they are kept up to date, and that children are responding positively to the care that they receive. A social worker reported: ‘[the home] has been amazing for my young person and I have seen real positive outcomes for him. The staff are all friendly and always give 100% to the children they have. They work very well with the young person’s family and this has also contributed to the young person’s success. The parents of the young person speak very highly of [home] and have great relationships with all the staff. My young person has had some amazing experience since being at [home]. They keep the children busy and give them new and exciting experiences.’

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Overall experiences and progress of young people and children: outstanding

The admission process is particularly child-centred. Staff visit children prior to admission, and children visit the home as part of the well-organised admission process. This means that staff and children are carefully prepared when they move. Children leave the home in a planned, sensitive, supported way. This significantly improves the likelihood of a successful transition into adulthood. It is testament to the care of the staff that children choose to stay in contact after they have moved.

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

Staff receive training in a range of safeguarding policies and practice. They are familiar with and understand indicators of radicalisation. They know how to minimise the impact of risk-taking behaviours, such as running away from home, damaging property and low tolerance of others. This means that any safeguarding concerns are promptly identified and referred to social workers, health and police as appropriate. Agencies work together effectively to keep children safe.

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

Children in the home have been subject to a number of safeguarding concerns in their lives. They have individualised risk and behaviour management plans to address these. The plans are subject to regular review and are updated frequently. This means that staff are able to intervene to protect children in an informed and timely way. Children who have been witness to domestic violence have undertaken effective programmes of work in key-work sessions. They have responded to their environment, and to the positive relationships that they have developed. As a result, negative peer influences have decreased significantly. There are low numbers of children going missing or unauthorised absences. Police report that the home has thorough risk assessments in Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 5 place and report any concerns promptly. Staff proactively look for children and keep in contact with them to ensure their safety. Children are markedly safer as a result of living

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

Staff work well with specialist agencies and services to keep children safe. A senior social worker said, ‘I feel his carers have supported [name] to regulate his emotions and behaviour appropriately. It has been evidenced, that with staff’s support, [name] is beginning to become more emotionally settled in placement and can be respectful of the boundaries and guidance set by the carers.’

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

Staff are informed by comprehensive risk assessments. They are highly skilled in good parenting. There are appropriate staffing levels to provide safe care. Staff maintain detailed records and ensure a detailed handover of information; in this way, any difficulties can be anticipated and planned for. Records are summarised to provide weekly updates to social workers responsible for cases. This also enables staff to identify emerging themes or changing needs. If there are setbacks with children’s behaviours or moods, staff are sensitive and non-judgemental. They ensure that there is a review of the behaviour and an agreement about how to move forward. This means that children continue to make good progress.

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

Children are responding positively to the stable, nurturing environment and clear boundaries. This means that there are greatly reduced episodes of aggressive behaviour. Staff are skilled in de-escalating challenging behaviours and though numbers appear high, physical interventions are often a guided approach away from a situation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has over 10 years’ experience of working with children and young people with a range of complex needs. She has a level 5 diploma in management of residential care services. She is passionate about children making progress. She is committed to ensuring that children are not disadvantaged by their care experiences. She recognises the importance of children building positive relationships with staff and places great emphasis on demonstrating respect for children’s views, wishes and feelings. The ethos of the home is to offer consistent, stable care so that children can reach their potential. She also wants them to have fun and to leave with positive memories of their experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that children are involved in all decision-making about their care plans and about developments in their home. Children are given the opportunity to give feedback about their care to staff through questionnaires, complaints processes, residents’ meetings and in individual management consultations. The manager is also skilled in facilitating impromptu group discussions to ‘nip an issue in the bud’. In addition, the manager acts as a role model for listening skills, mediation and compromise. As a result, children feel listened to and invest in their home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager refers to research and practice about outcomes for children looked after in team meetings and case discussions. She works closely with her deputy to inspire the Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 6 staff to develop their practice and knowledge. They have recently had team discussions and training on practice issues that affect children living in care. As a result, staff are acutely aware of the importance of understanding children’s histories and behaviours when responding to their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular, high-quality supervision that is overseen by the registered manager. Staff report that they value supervision and case discussions. Staff members are expected to develop particular specialities that benefit the service and staff group. This means that the staff team has specialist knowledge in all key areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers have excellent working relationships with the placing local authorities. They attend police missing from home coordinators’ meetings and share knowledge and skills with commissioners and providers. One social worker reported, ‘I have been very happy with the placement to date; my young person is clearly a very valued member of the placement, he engages well with the staff and young people and is involved in lots of different activities.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A range of quality assurance mechanisms ensure that the home is carefully monitored and reviewed. This includes internal auditing by managers and senior staff, monthly audits undertaken by an independent visitor, and monthly health and safety inspections. There are also quarterly quality assurance meetings for homes across the organisation. The manager responds promptly to any recommendations for actions. The analysis and evaluation inform development planning within the home. Rigorous monitoring ensures that staff and managers are delivering a safe, accountable service.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of young people and children. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of young people and children. They watched how professional staff work with young people and children and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to young people and children 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 young people and children 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: SC480671 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: Hexagon Care, 1 Tustin Court, Port Way, Ashton-on- Ribble, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 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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