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

Inspection report children’s home: SC480854 1 SC480854 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 home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to six children or young people irrespective of gender.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered at the home since June 2016.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC480854 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/08/2017 Full Outstanding 15/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/01/2017 Full Outstanding 09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC480854 3

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Recommendations

 Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Due to the care provided in the home, the children and young people are making positive and sustained progress. They are achieving much better outcomes than might have been predicted considering their needs and experiences. This is because of the skill and commitment of the management and staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children and young people benefit from stable placements. Three young people have been in placement for over a year, with one living at the home for over two years. The children, young people and the staff talk about ‘family and team [name of home]’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All the children and young people are in some form of education or training, with 100% attendance for some. Two young people are sustaining part-time work alongside studying, which is a significant achievement for them. Three young people completed all their exams this year. One young person exceeded expectations and has just started studying business at college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Extremely warm and trusting relationships are established between the children, young people and staff. These relationships form the bedrock for the positive changes the children and young people are making. One young person wrote to his key worker stating, ‘If it wasn’t for you, I would probably not even be on the right tracks. You have really fixed my life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Through these relationships, the children and young people are developing the skills to manage their feelings and behaviour more appropriately. The staff spend a great deal of time undertaking direct work with them around their difficulties and vulnerabilities. Unwavering encouragement and celebration of achievement is helping the children and young people to develop a positive self-view, which is promoting better emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff have been successful in helping the children and young people to repair their relationships with their birth families. This has been instrumental in helping two of the Inspection report children’s home: SC480854 4 children and young people to progress. One parent said: ‘[Name of young person’s] key worker has put in 1000% and has re-connected me with my son.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are extremely proactive in securing specialist help, such as drug and alcohol services, for the children and young people. The misuse of substances by some young people is reducing markedly due to this and the persistent support from the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager is passionate about giving the children and young people a range of life experiences. If it is safe for them to do so, they go abroad each year on holiday, and last Christmas they helped a local charity feed homeless people. He said: ‘I believe that the experiences we are giving children will stay with them for a lifetime.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff team is extremely motivated and assured in its knowledge of the children and young people. From this confident base, staff advocate strongly for them to ensure that their needs are met.

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

Highly effective planning to manage and minimise risk is in place. If children and young people go missing, the staff are exceptionally proactive in their actions to locate and protect them, such as following them extensively and visiting addresses. Their actions safeguard the children and young people as much as possible.

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

Close relationships with the police have resulted in enhanced protection of the children and young people. In one case, the police were able to issue a harbouring notice on an address due to intelligence passed on by the staff. A police officer said, ‘They are one of the best homes in the area with regards to the actions of staff to safeguard the children and young people.’

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

The staff work exhaustively to help the children and young people to understand risks. For example, all the children and young people undertake online safety training. They watch DVDs about the risks associated with drug misuse and sexual exploitation.

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

The children and young people have a strong sense of safety and well-being. They spoke affectionately of the staff and said they feel safe living in the home. They are able to talk to the staff about any concerns. The staff promote open and transparent dialogue about issues, such as sexuality, safe relationships and risk-taking behaviour. This is having an impact on the children and young people, who are now making more positive choices in their lives.

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

Where risks are not reducing, the manager has identified this and challenged the local authority to find alternative provision better able to meet the young person’s needs.

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

A strength of the home is the caring but strong boundaries that are applied consistently to manage the behaviour of the children and young people. They respond to these, gradually understanding that the staff enforce them because they care deeply about them. As a result, challenging behaviour and the need for physical intervention are Inspection report children’s home: SC480854 5 infrequent. This is a considerable achievement given some of the needs of the children and young people when they first arrived in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is highly confident and engenders a culture of positivity in all aspects of the running of the home. His aspirations for the children and young people are those of any parent and he has no hesitation in challenging and advocating on behalf of them. In this way, he ensures that services are in place to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Other professionals are complimentary about the care provided. One said: ‘It is a fantastic home, very well managed. Young people are at the centre of decision-making and feel respected and supported.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff mirror the ethos of the manager in that ‘nothing less than the best care will do’. They are ambitious for both the children and young people and themselves. They embrace training and continuing professional development. They receive regular supervision that develops their knowledge and skills further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has undertaken training about young people and gangs and is spending some time in London to extend his knowledge. He is then going to act as a champion in this area for the company.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has comprehensive monitoring systems in place which enable him to have an excellent oversight of the care and progress of the children and young people. He ensures that their level of achievement is reflected in their goals. Through this monitoring and the extensive consultation that takes place, he identifies improvements that can be made and acts accordingly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has taken the appropriate steps to inform the home’s safe area risk assessment. He has a great deal of knowledge about the safeguarding risks in the local community. However, this knowledge has not been transferred adequately into the assessment. This misses the opportunity to provide the staff with clear information and for particular ‘hot spots’ to be monitored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager recognises and successfully challenges placing authorities when the needs of children and young people may be met more effectively elsewhere. For example, one child was unable to cope with living in a group setting, due to his developmental condition, and is now much happier in a small home with specialist support.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC480854 6 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: SC480854 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: SC480854 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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