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Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 1 SC482668 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 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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers 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: Improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/05/2017 Full Good 09/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 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 health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10(2)(c)) In particular, that follow-up actions from health appointments are completed in a timely way. 08/03/2019

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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— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 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 08/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 4 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 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))

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supportive and have high aspirations for young people. Staff provide individualised care for them. Subsequently, young people are making progress considering their starting point. Staff recognise and celebrate young people’s small steps of progress. Young people feel proud and have a sense of achievement. When young people struggle to meet their target goals, staff are patient and encourage them to keep trying their best. Young people become determined to re-engage with support services. Staff communicate regularly with educational establishments and attend all scheduled meetings. They work proactively with partner agencies to try and find creative ways to re-engage young people when school attendance falls. Staff generally meet young people’s health needs well. Young people attend all routine health appointments. However, on one occasion staff did not provide enough support to enable one young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

person to seek specialist advice. This has delayed the young person getting access to this advice, which does not fully promote their well-being. Weekly young people’s meetings with staff give young people the opportunity to express their wishes and feelings. Staff and the manager action requests made by young people. This helps young people to feel valued, and to contribute to the day-to-day running of the home. Staff advocate for young people to spend quality time with appropriate close friends and family. Young people enjoy a variety of activities within their community such as going to the gym, going to the cinema, day trips to theme parks and going out for meals. This helps with their self-esteem and forming stable supportive social networks which prevent social inclusion.

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

Staff know young people well and understand their risks and vulnerabilities. Staff have formed good relationships with them. Staff have well-developed, tailor-made and specialist knowledge around the risks and issues of child sexual exploitation, self-harm, county lines, gangs and knife crime, attachment and trauma, mental health and anti- bullying. Consequently, staff can identify any safeguarding concerns to keep young people safe. The manager and staff facilitated for the police, the fire service and substance misuse support services to educate young people on the consequences of some of their risk-taking behaviours on their health and safety. Young people are Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 5 enabled to understand risks better and to keep themselves safe. Staff see the use of physical intervention as a last resort measure to safeguard young people. However, the recording of this is poor and needs to improve as it lacks sufficient

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

details such as dates of debriefs to young people and staff and the duration of individual holds used. Staff use sanctions that are restorative in nature and help young people to understand and improve their behaviour. When young people go missing from the home, staff make efforts to contact young people and follow them to try to get them to return safely. Young people also have return home interviews, with an independent person, to talk about why they went missing and what happened when they were away. Information gathered is used to inform young people’s risk assessments which enables staff to keep young people safe. Safe recruitment practice of permanent and agency staff prevents unsuitable people from working with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly motivational, innovative, passionate and inspirational and is respected by staff, young people and partner agencies. She knows the children and staff team well and wants to achieve the best possible outcomes for young people. The manager has worked at the home since May 2018. She has made some significant improvements at the home during the short period she has worked there. The manager is extremely clear about the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She has an aspirational action plan to address areas of development within the home. This work will be done to improve outcomes for young people and for further development of the home. The manager has recruited a full staff team, which is now stable. This follows an unstable period when some staff left. Staff feel supported by the manager and speak positively of her. Staff receive high-quality supervision, which is focused on their well-

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

being, development and practice and which enables them to provide good-quality care to young people.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 6 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: SC482668 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, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

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Inspector:

Rumbi Mangoma, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482668 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:

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

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