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

Inspection report children’s home: SC482683 1 SC482683 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

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered for four young people. The home provides care for young people aged 11 to 17 who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. The registered manager is appropriately qualified and experienced for the role.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC482683 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/10/2017 Full Good 09/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/10/2016 Full Outstanding 03/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC482683 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home—

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b)(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, fully explore previous employment histories and any concerns arising from this. 16/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when young people raise a concern following an incident of restraint, this is fully explored, and information shared with all relevant parties. 16/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; 16/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC482683 4 the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) Inspection report children’s home: SC482683 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and cosy and provides a nurturing environment, which helps young people to thrive and develop. Young people enjoy personal space in their beautifully decorated bedrooms, where they can relax and unwind. Staff are caring and patient and, as a result, they have formed positive relationships with young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of contact between young people and their close family and friends. Young people’s relationships with people who are important to them improve. Staff advocated and promoted contact for one young person, which then informed the young person’s care plan for reunification with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are experienced and meet young people’s needs. When young people’s education provision breaks down, staff work tirelessly and in partnership with partner agencies to seek a suitable alternative. Young people have good opportunities to help progress their learning and improve their life chances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage young people to live a healthy lifestyle and support them to attend all their health appointments. Young people are developing well and making good progress with their physical and emotional well-being, considering their starting points. Staff and the manager ensure that young people’s transitions into and from the home are well planned and managed. Young people feel settled at the home and are supported to settle into their new placements when they move on. Staff also undertake some good independence work with young people, which equips the young people with the life-skills they need to live independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy various activities, such as going on holiday, trips to the cinema, shopping and meals out. One young person was supported by staff to attain employment. Good support to engage in the wider community helps young people’s social inclusion, self-esteem, confidence and life-skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, staff seek young people’s views and act on what young people say. For example, young people engage in regular key-worker sessions and young people’s meetings. One young person told the inspector, ‘When l asked to go on a trip in young people’s meeting, staff arranged to take me out and it made me feel happy and listened to.’ However, the manager did not follow up on comments a young person made in a restraint record. This was a missed opportunity to explore the young person’s experience of the incident. This can make young people feel that they are not always listened to and may prevent them from confiding in staff in the future. Inspection report children’s home: SC482683 6

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improvement to be good

Restraint records require improvement because they lack sufficient detail and the manager does not maintain effective oversight. For example, on one occasion it is not clear that staff received a debrief following the incident and on another occasion the manager did not recognise and take action when staff shared different accounts of the same incident. Furthermore, one restraint record showed that information was added two months after the incident had occurred and some information was scribbled out. This raises concerns about the credibility of the records and makes it difficult to assess whether restraint practice is appropriate and safe. Furthermore, when a young person raised a concern about staff’s actions during a restraint, the manager did not follow this up sufficiently. This has the potential to compromise young people’s safety.

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improvement to be good

When young people go missing from the home, staff follow procedures and take the necessary steps to help young people to return quickly and safely, including trying to locate them and sharing information with relevant professionals.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk to the young people to try to understand the reasons behind their missing episodes. This positive work means that young people receive the help they need to stay safe. Young people’s missing episodes have subsequently reduced.

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improvement to be good

Staff use reward programmes and sanctions to help young people to understand how their behaviour effects themselves and other people. As a result, they begin to take responsibility for their behaviour and make better choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Monitoring and management oversight are not consistently good. The manager has recognised that her review of restraints has not always been robust. As a result, she requested an external audit of restraint records to bring about improvement. This is a positive step; however, the effects of this development are yet to be fully realised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff recruitment is generally safe. However, there was one occasion when the manager failed to follow safer recruitment protocols effectively. She employed a staff member without making sufficient enquiries into their employment history.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager works well with partner agencies and exercises effective challenge when required. Effective partnership working helps to progress young people’s care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision and feel supported by the manager. The organisation invests in staff training, which means that staff have access to various training opportunities to help them to develop the skills and knowledge required for their roles. Inspection report children’s home: SC482683 7

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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: SC482683 8

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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

Rumbi Mangoma, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482683 9 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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