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

Inspection report children’s home: 1212094 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is privately run and managed.

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1212094 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/05/2017 Full Good 27/09/2016 Full Good 02/08/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1212094 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. This relates specifically to obtaining a copy of an up-to-date personal education plan (PEP) for those young people who require them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been no new admissions, placement breakdowns or placement disruptions since the last inspection. Young people’s transitions to and from the home are managed in a controlled and positive way. Young people’s needs are assessed carefully by the registered manager prior to their admission. The use of robust risk impact assessments ensures that young people placed are appropriately matched. A social worker reports, ‘The home tries very hard to match the young people in placement… This matching process appears to have worked well.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from well-planned, highly individualised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives. Young people make good progress, taking into account their individual starting points, across most aspects of their welfare, physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. They benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives. A mentor reports, ‘I think they’re brilliant compared to other homes I’ve worked with. I can see they genuinely care.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from the support that they need to maintain contact with their friends and families. Staff support young people to sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff work closely with social workers and the families of young people to promote positive contact taking place. Social workers confirm that the home is ‘good at supporting contact’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from a highly supportive, caring and nurturing environment. Staff provide young people with effective, high-quality support that contributes to behavioural change and improvement in their lives. For example, there has been a decrease in the frequency of challenging behaviour and incidents of self-harm. Young people report:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are really supportive, like when you have your ups and downs. They give me options to manage my anger and behaviour. Staff are really kind and nice. It’s a caring and loving home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school regularly, with good support and encouragement from staff. Inspection report children’s home: 1212094 4 They have access to the equipment they need to support their learning, such as reading materials, a study area, internet access and the use of a personal computer at the home. Staff help young people when learning becomes stressful or difficult. They maintain highly effective partnerships with the providers of young people’s education to promote their educational achievement. A copy of the up-to-date plan is needed for one young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides young people with a diverse range of positive and enjoyable activities, both at home and in the wider community. Young people attend special events and visit places of particular interest to them. Young people report, ‘We do a lot of activities and a few of my favourites have been when I go on drives, walks, Costa and going to theme parks.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and have access to these services when they need them. The home works closely with a range of health professionals to promote young people’s good health. Young people have access to therapeutic support if they need it to promote their emotional and psychological well- being. Medical consent is obtained and staff are familiar with the types of health decisions and responsibilities that are charged and delegated to them.

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

The safety of young people is consistently at the centre of staff practice, irrespective of the challenges that this presents. Risks associated with them are well known and understood by staff. Staff have a good understanding of young people’s specific needs and vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Young people become increasingly safer as a result of the actions staff take to support and protect them. Young people are kept safe and have a strong sense of personal safety.

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

Most young people who live at the home do not go missing from care and those who do are a minority. When young people do go missing, staff follow the home’s procedures to locate young people quickly and promote their safe return. The home maintains highly effective partnerships with the police and all other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of young people.

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

Significant incidents are shared with the appropriate authorities so that the right action is taken by the right professional agencies to protect young people from harm. Staff receive training in child protection and have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. There have been no allegations of abuse, complaints or referrals to children and young people’s services since the last inspection.

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

Positive behaviour is acknowledged, consistently praised and reinforced. The use of sanctions to address negative behaviour is kept to an absolute minimum. When consequences are used they are fair and proportionate. There has been a significant decrease in the use of restraint as young people learn to self-regulate their own feelings and behaviours safely. The use of restraint is only ever a last resort to protect young Inspection report children’s home: 1212094 5 people from actual harm. A social worker reports:

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

My young person is doing brilliantly. Right from the beginning they have been attuned to her needs. She really has done well in this placement. There has never been a physical intervention for months, which shows they manage her behaviour in a positive way. I would have no hesitation in recommending the home to others.

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

The home provides young people with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely environment. Health and safety matters are managed effectively and staff ensure that a safe environment is consistently maintained for young people, visitors and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home employs an ambitious, passionate, well-qualified and experienced registered manager and deputy, who exercise strong and effective leadership of the day-to-day operations of the home. The home employs sufficient numbers of well-qualified, trained and experienced staff who share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. Collectively, staff meet the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, delivering a high-quality service for young people. Young people are cared for by committed, dedicated and competent staff who promote their needs effectively. Young people report, ‘The staff support me when I struggle and keep me safe… I feel I have grown more confidence. I can speak more about how I feel.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have consistently high expectations of staff and high aspirations for young people. They stimulate staff’s enthusiasm and they channel staff’s efforts effectively. Leaders and managers provide staff with clear purpose and direction. They manage the home efficiently and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from appraisal of their practice, and leaders and managers ensure that staff are well supported, managed and led. Staff report, ‘All the kids in here make me feel dead proud… The management is amazing. The manager here has so much knowledge. The management are so supportive.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people are able to influence and make a positive contribution to the running of their home. Staff involve young people in decision-making and they act on their reasonable requests. The views of young people are central to all aspects of how the home operates and develops its practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager evaluates feedback from young people, their social workers, families and other professional agencies to review and improve the services the home provides. Feedback received about the home is consistently and exceptionally positive and testament to the good work provided by the home. A parent reports:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

They just took charge of her. She showed some very testing behaviour and she Inspection report children’s home: 1212094 6 wasn’t going to school. The home was very consistent with her. She now attends full-time education and her behaviours have improved. I’m very, very satisfied. I can’t sing their praises enough. Her key worker’s excellent. It’s an excellent staff team. I don’t know what else to tell you other than I think they’re outstanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are highly effective systems in place for the routine monitoring of the performance of the home. The home is visited each month by an independent professional who scrutinises the conduct of the home and its arrangements to safeguard young people and promote their well-being. The manager has an exceptionally good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She makes positive use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to secure the home’s continuing improvement. The home provides a good, high-quality service for young people and can evidence the positive impact and difference it has made to their lives.

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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: 1212094 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

Anthony Kyem, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1212094 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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