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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC480678 1 SC480678 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

The home is operated by a large private organisation and provides care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2016 and is suitably experienced and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 September 2018

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children‟s home: SC480678 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Good 07/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC480678 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people enjoy exceptionally positive experiences in this nurturing, supportive and safe home. They receive an exceptional quality of care that is making an important difference to their lives. A professional said, „I feel that the home has supported (name) through some extremely difficult times and has remained consistent and supportive without “giving up” on him and he has responded to this.‟ As a result of moving into this home, children have become happier, healthier, safer and less likely to be at risk of abuse, exploitation or using drugs. They are settled, achieving in education and seeing more of their families. They have a better understanding of their previous experiences and have aspirations for the future. The registered manager and staff have created a warm, family atmosphere where young people quickly develop a strong sense of belonging. A social worker said that this is, „A great placement, fab staff team – who are very supportive to my young person. She

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

described it today as a family environment – what more could you ask for.‟ Young people enjoy very positive and trusting relationships with staff. They know that staff enjoy spending time with them, are interested in their well-being and want what is best for them. The registered manager and staff fully consider the particular needs of young people living a long way from their family home. Young people‟s admissions to the home are carefully planned to ensure that they have access to local education and health services that will meet their assessed needs. The registered manager also makes sure that these young people maintain important links with their families. Young people have gained qualifications. Those who are at college are now working hard to achieve higher qualifications in their chosen careers, including football ground maintenance and landscaping. The staff support and encourage young people‟s

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

preferences and aspirations in line with good parenting. They have supported young people with work experience, such as football clubs and car showrooms, which has helped to build young people‟s confidence. The registered manager and staff ensure that young people live in a healthy environment that actively promotes their physical health and emotional well-being. Young people enjoy very healthy and varied diets and get plenty of physical exercise. Staff ensure that they have access to suitable support services, including child and adolescent mental health services. Staff have an excellent understanding of young people‟s specific health needs and manage their health with sensitivity and confidence. Young people live in a suitably designed and located family house. They have easy access to all the community facilities and services required to meet their needs. It is a homely, pleasant and comfortable house, which is furnished and decorated to a good

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

standard. The young people have plenty of personal space and their bedrooms are decorated to reflect their characters and interests. Inspection report children‟s home: SC480678 4

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

The registered manager and staff have developed a good safeguarding culture in the home. Young people are always listened to, taken seriously, valued, and treated with dignity and respect. Consequently, they feel extremely safe, loved, cared for and have a strong sense of belonging. They have become significantly and increasingly safer after moving in to the home. Young people‟s safety is given the highest priority. The manager and staff always take decisive action to protect children and promptly report any concerns about their welfare to the appropriate safeguarding agencies. They work collaboratively with families, social workers, the police and the local authority to understand and manage risk and protect children. Staff use restraint with young people only when young people are at risk of harm. They make good use of their training, professional judgement and knowledge of the young person‟s needs and plans to intervene appropriately and safely. Young people‟s plans

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

consider their age and their physical and emotional development to ensure that the restraint used is suitable for the needs of the individual. The registered manager and staff always ensure that young people can talk about what happened and express their feelings about the situation. Restraint and other behaviour management records provide a detailed and reflective account of each incident, including what happened, the action staff took to try to avoid the use of restraint, the young person‟s behaviour, views and mood following the restraint, and an in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of the whole incident. This analysis clearly identifies what measures helped the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has overseen the home since 2016. He is a very experienced and suitably qualified manager. He provides extremely effective leadership that unmistakably prioritises young people‟s welfare and focuses on improving their lives. He gives the staff team clear direction and has embedded a culture of providing young people with an exceedingly high quality of care. Consequently, young people flourish living in this very positive and exceptionally nurturing environment. A very experienced deputy manager, with the relevant management qualification, runs the home when the registered manager is on leave. This clear and suitable arrangement maintains the effective and consistent leadership of the home and the high standard of care. The registered manager and staff have high aspirations for every young person to enjoy the same opportunities and experiences as other young people. They fight for the young

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

people to have their voice heard, influence the decisions affecting their lives, and get the best possible support to ensure that they achieve improved social, economic, emotional, health and education outcomes. The registered manager and staff have excellent communication and professional relationships with young people‟s families, placing authorities, independent reviewing officers, police, schools, colleges and health services. They actively and assertively challenge partners to deliver the best possible support to Inspection report children‟s home: SC480678 5 young people. They work together collaboratively to ensure that young people make sustained progress across all aspects of their development. The leaders and registered manager have a detailed understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas for development. An independent visitor provides rigorous and impartial scrutiny of the running of the home and how effectively children‟s welfare is

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

promoted and safeguarded. He talks to the children, their families and social workers to help him make judgements. The registered manager leads a strong, settled and cohesive team. The staffing arrangements ensure that enough suitable staff are always available to meet the assessed needs of the young people and achieve a high level of continuity of care. This means that young people have developed meaningful relationships with the people looking after them. It does not take young people long after they first move in to feel comfortable and to build positive attachments with their staff. The staff are extremely well supported by effective professional supervision. This takes place regularly and gives staff the chance to reflect on their performance, young people‟s progress, and to discuss and work through the emotional impact of their work. In addition, extremely well-attended team meetings enhance staff‟s understanding of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

young people‟s needs, experiences and plans of support. The meetings share ideas, and develop staff‟s skills and knowledge through training, such as building staff‟s awareness and expertise around young people‟s emotional well-being and self-harming behaviour.

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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: SC480678 6

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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

Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC480678 7 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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