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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 1 SC480086

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Hexagon Care Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to six children who have social and/or emotional difficulties. The manager has been registered since 2014.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted served a notice restricting accommodation at this home on 19 June 2019 because of serious concerns that were identified at the monitoring visit on 14 June 2019. At the monitoring visit on 14 June 2019, the inspector found that:  The staffing levels were consistently low, despite the likelihood of children going missing.  Despite children being at significant risk of harm due to going missing and child exploitation, there was a serious failure in the home’s management oversight of staff who do not possess the necessary skills and experience to provide safe and effective care for children.  Staff ceased to make contact with children and safeguarding professionals when children were missing from the home during the night.  The number of incidents of children going missing from the home had increased since the last child, who had a significant history of going missing, was placed at the home. During these incidents, children were exposed to

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This monitoring visit

serious risks to their safety and well-being.  Despite police advice to take measures to reduce the risk of harm when children go missing from the home, the provider had not taken appropriate action. In addition to the notice restricting accommodation at the home, Ofsted served a compliance notice under Regulation 13, relating to the leadership and management of the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 2 The purpose of this visit was to monitor compliance with the restriction notice and to monitor the provider’s progress against the steps set out in the compliance notice. The monitoring visit found that the provider has not met the compliance notice, and that the grounds for the restriction of accommodation remain. The provider has complied with the restriction of accommodation. Three children have moved on. One child remains in placement. No new children have moved into

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This monitoring visit

the home. The reduction in the number of children living at the home has enabled improvement in the balance of experienced and inexperienced staff. However, since the last monitoring visit, there have been occasions when inexperienced staff have been left to manage high-risk situations alone. As a result, appropriate action was not always taken when children went missing from the home. In one instance, a lack of prompt action meant that the staff failed to safeguard a child effectively. There are significant shortfalls in staff training. Staff who have not been trained in physical interventions have been left to work alone with children who may need physical intervention. Staff have not felt able to physically intervene to keep children safe because they have been on shift with staff who are not suitably trained. There have been at least six occasions since the last monitoring visit when there have been

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This monitoring visit

no staff with up-to-date first aid training on shift. This means that the staffing arrangements do not meet the regulatory requirements and do not protect children sufficiently. The service continues to use agency staff. The information held by the home on agency staff does not provide assurance that all necessary checks have been undertaken in line with safe recruitment processes. A lack of rigorous recruitment checks for agency staff means that there is potential for unsuitable adults to work with the children. Incidents that have occurred since the last monitoring visit have resulted in exhausted staff failing to continue to try to contact children who have gone missing from the home overnight. This repeated shortfall means that children are not safeguarded effectively. The responsible individual gave assurance about future plans for managing incidents of children going missing from the home at night.

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This monitoring visit

However, these plans have not yet been implemented. Management monitoring of records remains poor. Issues with the clarity and quality of records have not been identified. Evaluations of records of missing-from-home incidents do not include reflection on the clear safeguarding shortfalls that have arisen from poor decision-making and delayed reporting to the police. Consequently, practice issues have not been sufficiently addressed. This does not safeguard children or provide good enough oversight of practice. The management team has made some progress towards reducing the risk posed by the environment. Bushes in the garden have been trimmed, and the provider has given agreement in principle for the external use of closed-circuit television to monitor people coming to the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 3 Since the last monitoring visit, the manager has failed to deal appropriately with a

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This monitoring visit

safeguarding disclosure. The manager did not immediately inform a senior manager within the organisation of the incident, nor did she inform the designated officer within 24 hours. The manager did not follow safeguarding processes to ensure that children were safeguarded effectively while the disclosure was investigated. This monitoring visit did not follow up responses to the requirements or recommendations made at the full inspection on 15 May 2019. Therefore, these are restated.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/09/2018 Full Good 15/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 4

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) In particular, ensure that the location area risk assessment mitigates risks in the local area and that incidents trigger a review of children’s individual risk assessments. 14/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(vii)) 26/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 02/09/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 5 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development

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Requirement Due date

of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(h))* The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 14/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) In particular, ensure that fire doors are not propped open and that fire drills are undertaken in line with the home’s procedures. 26/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. The registered person must ensure that— at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31(1)(2)(a)) 26/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or 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, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 26/07/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 6 The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the

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Requirement Due date

individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out— the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. 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 date, time and location of the use 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’)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and 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

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Requirement Due date

confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(1)(b)(3)(a)(iii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 26/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) This is with particular regard to ensuring that full records of missing incidents and associated plans and risk assessments are updated when incidents occur. 14/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. In particular, a record in the form of a register showing in respect of each child the child’s address 14/08/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 7 immediately before being accommodated in the home, the child’s address on leaving the home and the statutory provision (if any) under which the child is accommodated. (Regulation 37(1) Schedule 4(1)(c)(d)(f)) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 26/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44(7)(a)) In particular, ensure that the submission of reports to HMCI is timely. 14/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’). The registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(1)(3)(4)(a)) 14/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Staff should provide a nurturing and supportive environment that is homely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that the grounds of the property are clear of rubbish and debris.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 8

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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

Ashley Hinson, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC480086 9 to 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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