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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 1 SC480704 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is one of a number owned and managed by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six male young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 December 2017

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

This children‟s home is outstanding because:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make excellent progress in all areas of their lives since moving into this children‟s home. This is because of the high and consistent level of care provided to them in the home. They benefit from clear and consistent routines, boundaries, stability, support and intervention to meet their needs to a high standard.  Outcomes for the young people are significantly improved in education, health, relationships, behaviour and safeguarding. Consequently, young people are happy and settled in the home. Young people are proud of the progress they make and now have aspirations for their future.  Young people all engage in education, despite this being difficult for some of them when they first moved into the home. Young people are making measurable progress in education and are keen to achieve well. The home fully supports and promotes the young people‟s education and has strong relationships with education professionals.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people benefit from their physical and emotional health needs being well met at the home. Specialist health and development support is sought to meet the individual needs of the young people when necessary. The home immediately identifies and addresses any unmet health and development needs of young people when they move into the home.  Young people‟s views are central to their care and they have opportunities to share these through discussions with staff, key-work sessions, young people‟s meetings, consultation documents and looked after children review meetings. This empowers the young people to develop in a way that they wish, as they play a central role in the planning and decision-making about their lives.  The relationships between the staff and young people are excellent. They have developed nurturing, trusting and supportive relationships. The young people know that the staff do their very best for them and ensure that they receive the

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

most appropriate support and intervention to meet their needs.  Preparation, planning and support for young people moving in and out of the home are excellent. This secures smooth transitions and continued support for young people moving in and out of the home.  Safeguarding practice in the home is robust and ensures that young people are safe from harm. Detailed risk assessments and risk-reduction plans are in place, which outline the individual risks to the young people and the strategies in place to manage these and reduce the risks.  Partnership working is successful in ensuring that young people are cared for exceedingly well. The managers actively challenge professionals and proactively share good practice between them to ensure a consistent approach to the care Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 3 provided to young people.  Staff are of high calibre and go over and above what is required to ensure that

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

the young people‟s needs are met well. They are highly motivated and passionate about their work and keen to develop their knowledge and skills to consistently improve the quality of care that they provide to the young people.  Leadership and management are inspirational and ambitious for the young people and the development of the service.  The monitoring and review systems in the home are robust and enable the registered manager to identify strengths and weaknesses and areas for development. Swift action is taken to address any identified shortfalls in practice or the quality of care provided to young people, to ensure that their needs are well met and outcomes are improved for young people.  Staff are fully supported by the registered manager. They receive regular reflective supervision and training and development opportunities. Staff morale is good and staff regularly meet as a team to reflect on and share good practice

p.3

Key findings from this inspection

and discuss their learning from training and development opportunities. This ensures a consistent approach to the care provided to the young people living in the home.

p.3

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/12/2016 Full Outstanding 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/06/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home provides a nurturing, comfortable and welcoming environment that supports the individual needs of young people. Staff consistently deliver exceptionally personalised care plans and intervention programmes that encourage young people to prosper in all areas of their development. Staff are extremely motivated and have high aspirations for young people. The promotion of positive outcomes is central to the work and ethos of the home. Young people continually convey their views, wishes and feelings on the running of the home and all aspects of their care and welfare. As a result, young people are pivotal to the development of the home.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are extremely positive about living at the home and particularly positive about the care that they receive and the progress that they have made since living there. As a result, young people become more settled and confident in their abilities. Young people said, „I class this as my home,‟ „This is the best home I have ever lived in and the staff really do care,‟ „I have made loads of progress since moving here, the staff are happy and I love it,‟ „I really feel listened to and it‟s great to know that staff really do care. They are fair but firm, it‟s great.‟

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people‟s educational outcomes are tremendous, considering some of the difficulties young people experienced in education prior to living in this home. All young people are engaging in education or training programmes and staff have high aspirations for young people. One young person said, „Sometimes I think I‟m not going to school today, I‟ll stay in bed, but that‟s not what staff think. They continually wake me up and talk to me about my future, the consequences of not going to school and the importance of education.‟ Appropriate documentation is evident in the young people‟s files representing their individual educational needs. One teacher commented, „The care and advice given to [name of young person] was excellent. Although he would continually challenge the staff, they remained proactive and creative in their approach. I cannot fault the excellent communication with the staff team and the excellent approach they

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff proactively promote the emotional, psychological and physical health needs of young people, through established and effective partnership working with general and specialist health services. Staff ensure that young people receive appropriate healthcare as soon as they move into the home to ensure that any unmet health needs are addressed without undue delay. For two young people living at the home, staff took immediate action to ensure that they were supported to visit a dentist and local general practitioner. This ensured that their immediate health needs were met. Staff are proactive in ensuring that specialist support from health and development professionals is in place to address the needs of the young people. Discussions around intervention strategies then take place with young people, in their one-to-one sessions. This means that young people benefit from an integrated approach to meeting their emotional and

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

health needs. Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 5 Staff work closely with families and this is a considerable strength of the service. Young people are encouraged by staff to verbalise their wishes and views in relation to current and proposed contact arrangements. Staff promote contact for the young people and their families and support them when appropriate by transporting the young people and supervising contact sessions. Staff work with placing authorities to ensure that the views of young people are considered and included in their plans. Furthermore, staff work with families to equip parents with the necessary skills to continue to support and develop young people. Parents who had completed the in-house questionnaires said, „They [staff] really have made a difference in my son‟s life; they always keep me updated and have helped when there are problems. They are outstanding,‟ and „Nobody wants their

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

child in care, but I feel this has benefited [name of young person] very much. They [staff] all do a hard job extremely well. ’ This means that young people re-establish and progress relationships with their families and other people who are important to them.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Social activity is being successfully well planned, managed and encouraged, with young people enjoying participation in a wide range of fun and exciting activities, both within the home and in the local community. Young people are able to choose activities they would like to try and this enables them to feel that staff listen to their wishes and feelings. The home has its own games room and outside area, which contains a gym, pool tables, football pitch and other outside space. Although young people enjoy this outdoor area, staff still encourage and promote activities in the local community as this enables the young people to expand their social circle and this enhances their self- esteem and confidence.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are members of the local football team. Staff support and encourage them to attend training sessions and staff always ensure that they are available to watch them play in match games. They are praised for their engagement and progress within the sport. Young people actively contribute to decisions about daily living. House meetings provide a forum where young people and staff plan meals, identify activities and discuss specific issues relating to group living in the home. In one meeting, young people talked about the possibility of going abroad for their summer holidays. The managers spent time carefully planning and assessing the risks. As a result, young people enjoyed a successful holiday to Spain. Photographs were evident around the home of young people having fun and enjoying the time spent with staff.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Preparation for independence is a key theme within this home. All young people participate in general household tasks, such as cleaning, laundry tasks, food preparation and shopping. This contributes to a sense of ownership, and damage within the home is limited. This means that young people learn the skills and develop the confidence they will need to assist with a smooth transition into independence in the future. Young people‟s life chances and opportunities are enhanced by effective preparation for independence.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Transitions in and out of the home are robust. The managers have detailed systems in place to plan for new admissions to the home and prepare and support young people as they move on. Managers consider applications carefully to ensure that they are able to meet the needs of young people and carefully consider what the impact on young people Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 6 already living in the home will be. The home has clear transition support plans in place for young people moving on from the home to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. Consequently, young people are fully supported and prepared for moving in and out of the home.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The views, wishes and feelings of young people are a central part of the home‟s functioning and are ascertained regularly through day-to-day discussions with them, young people‟s meetings, young people‟s consultation forms and key-work sessions. Plans and records clearly demonstrate their views, wishes and feelings. A young person said, „I can talk to any member of staff and know they will listen to me.‟ Young people are supported and encouraged to attend weekly young people‟s meetings. This is an opportunity to share their views about the home and engage in discussions around the plans for the forthcoming week. Attendance at these meetings is good and the records demonstrate that all young people have a voice in the meetings. Consequently, young people are provided with a sense of belonging and feel valued.

p.6

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The physical environment of the home provides young people with a safe and nurturing home. There have been some recent home improvements, as the main lounge area has been decorated and new furniture is in place. The home was decorated for Christmas and made a nice environment for the time of year. Photographs of staff and young people are placed throughout the home and demonstrate the good times they enjoy together. The hall, stairs and landing area was being painted at the time of the inspection. Young people‟s bedrooms are personalised, clean and tidy and have suitable furniture in place. Young people are supported and encouraged to keep their bedrooms tidy and they take pride in doing this.

p.6

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

Young people are clear that they feel extremely safe and happy in the home. They say that this is because they know staff care about them. They also say that they trust staff to work well with the important people in their lives, and to represent their views openly and honestly. Staff have accessed advocates for young people when young people do not feel they are listened to by outside agencies; this ensures that young people are listened to and understand that their views are important. Professionals say that staff provide safe and nurturing care, and promote transparency in their relationships. This instils confidence in the ability of staff to keep young people protected from harm. Because the home provides good information about incidents and difficulties experienced by young people, external professionals can assess the quality of safe practice in the home.

p.6

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

Staff have been appropriately trained in a range of multi-disciplinary child protection courses. They use this knowledge well to assess the risks posed to individual young people and create strategies to minimise them. Key workers devise, monitor and review careful risk-reduction plans to enhance the safety and well-being of young people. These typically include measures that encourage young people to identify risks themselves and manage them safely. If young people go missing, staff ensure that they liaise effectively with out-of-area police, social workers, and young people‟s families to coordinate Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 7 searches and contact. Strong relationships with young people mean that staff are successful in locating them and encouraging their safe return home. Return home interviews are provided by an independent person to ascertain information relating to the reasons the young person went missing and any risks they faced during the time

p.6

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

that they were missing. The managers use this as an opportunity for learning, to see if the young person requires additional support or guidance in key areas of their life.

p.7

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

There is an effective e-policy in place for young people, which alerts the staff and manager to situations that could expose young people to concerning situations on social media sites and the internet. All staff and young people have completed training on internet safety. This further protects young people. The managers are currently considering the safety factors of having wi-fi access in the home for young people. The managers are fully aware of the potential risks and want this to be introduced in a positive, safe way.

p.7

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

The home supports young people effectively to manage risk-taking behaviours, such as substance or alcohol misuse. Specialist intervention is provided when necessary to support young people through these difficulties. Furthermore, key-work sessions take place to support young people and raise their awareness and understanding of the risks associated with these behaviours. Consequently, young people have significantly reduced these risk-taking behaviours. They recognise that the support they receive has helped them to understand the consequences and risks and make safer choices. Young people are proud of their achievements and have a good understanding of how they have been supported to reduce the risk factors in their lives.

p.7

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

Behaviour management in the home is effective and contributes to the settled home environment. The staff and young people have a clear understanding of the strategies in place to manage behaviour. Young people benefit from clear, consistent rules and boundaries. Any incidents are dealt with appropriately and the home uses restorative practice to drive forward improvements in behaviour. Young people regularly receive rewards and incentives to promote positive behaviour. Sanctions are rarely required, and when they are, they are used effectively because of their restorative nature rather than being punitive. Consequently, the behaviour of the young people is very good.

p.7

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

The use of physical intervention in the home is rare and only ever occurs to safeguard young people. When incidents of physical intervention do occur, the records demonstrate that they have been appropriate and effective. The registered manager evaluates all incidents and spends time discussing the incident with the staff and young person involved. This allows staff and young people to reflect on incidents and consider strategies to reduce the risk of further physical interventions being required. Consequently, this reduces the risks to young people.

p.7

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

The registered manager employs staff by using safer recruitment processes that help prevent unsuitable adults from working in the home. In addition, thorough and demanding induction assessments ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to work safely and competently with vulnerable young people. Continuous supervision and feedback from managers underlines the importance of open, reflective Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 8 and transparent practice, to help keep young people safe. Fire drills are regular and young people are able to explain the emergency evacuation procedure. Health and safety checks are completed on a regular basis and help to support the welfare of young people, staff and visitors.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership and management arrangements are extremely effective because the registered manager has a wealth of knowledge and experience within residential childcare. He maintains up-to-date knowledge of social care legislation, regulatory changes and reforms to social care and communicates this to the whole staff team. The registered manager is highly motivated and demonstrates a dedicated commitment with passion and drive about delivering the highest standards and achieving the best outcomes for young people. An extremely committed deputy manager supports him.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has displayed exceptional leadership by showing awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and each staff member while highlighting areas of development. The management team provides oversight of documentation in the home, which ensures that it is of a high standard. The team is robust in constructively challenging any staff member it feels has not acted within the policies and procedures of the home. This ensures that an exceptionally high standard of care is consistently maintained at all times.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers and staff have high aspirations for every young person. They endeavour to provide young people with the same opportunities and experiences as any other young person. They ensure that each young person‟s voice is heard and support them to influence decisions made that affect their lives. This ensures that young people receive the right levels of support and as a consequence achieve improved outcomes. Managers and staff maintain excellent communication and relationships with children‟s families, social workers, health and education professionals and others. They actively and assertively challenge professionals to deliver the best possible support to young people.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is fully supported by its manager and staff morale is high. Supervision is regular and is reflective in nature. Supervision is of good quality, as it supports and challenges practice in order to improve the care given to young people. Action plans are developed from supervision sessions, which support the continuing professional development of staff by providing them with additional responsibilities and tasks. Reflective team meetings further support this, with young people being central to the discussions and agreed actions. The registered manager and staff also share good practice, learning and research information during team meetings to ensure a consistent approach to caring for young people in the home. Staff comments include, „The home is a very open and transparent environment,‟ and „The managers are excellent and go above and beyond the call of duty. They insist that we provide the highest levels of care

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

to all young people and consistently will ask “is that good enough for your own child?”‟ Consequently, the staff team feels extremely well supported and included in the running of the home, which has a positive impact on its practice and on the young people.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The monitoring and review systems in the home enable the managers to identify the Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 9 strengths and weaknesses of the home. They regularly review the quality of care provided to the children, which helps them to drive up standards. Monitoring and review systems include monthly external monitoring by an independent person, six-monthly quality of care reviews by the registered manager and regular file audits. The managers use the information available to ensure the continuous development and improvement of the home. Consequently, the managers and staff continue to provide an outstanding quality of care to the young people.

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is functioning in line with its statement of purpose. This document clearly sets out the ethos, aims and objectives of the home. The home aims to: „Allow children and young people to develop positive relationships with a high emphasis on life enriching opportunities and activities; accept measures to reduce negative behaviour and develop strategies to cope with situations. The primary aim is to create an environment of constant warmth, predictability and responsiveness to need with the opportunity for young people to experience new relationships through positive adult/child and peer group interactions.‟ This is clearly embedded in practice.

p.9

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.

p.9

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: SC480704 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hexagon Care, 1 Tustin Court Port Way, Ashton-on- Ribble, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

p.10

Inspector

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC480704 11 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.

p.10

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11