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

Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 1 SC480671 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 is one of several children’s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care for up to eight young people, aged 11 to 17 years, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2018.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2019 Full Good 08/11/2017 Full Outstanding 02/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 3

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular, interior paintwork should be refreshed when it becomes marked, carpets should be kept clean and windows should be replaced when the double glazing fails.  Children’s care plans should reflect that they are receiving care which meets their needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the

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Recommendations

arrangements in place to protect them (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5). Specifically, risk assessments should be kept under review and should detail the strategies and control measures in place.  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38). Specifically, sanctions should be proportionate in nature.  Regulation 40(4) requires the registered person to notify Ofsted if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63,

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Recommendations

paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care from the child’s perspective. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15) Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people living at this home are making good progress from their individual starting points. They have built positive and trusting relationships with staff and as a result they feel more secure. One young person said, ‘I am so happy here, I can’t tell you. The staff are amazing and are always there for me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people are making good progress with their education. When young people arrive at the home, many have not been in school for long periods of time. Staff understand the importance of education to young people’s development and are successful in supporting them to re-engage with education. Staff at the school and staff at the home work closely together. This means that young people benefit from a consistent approach. One parent said, ‘She never used to go to school and now it’s amazing, she goes every day and I am so proud of her.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are growing in confidence as they learn new skills and become more independent. Staff encourage them to take part in daily routines such as tidying their rooms and helping to prepare meals. One young person is starting to learn to travel independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are cared for by staff who know and understand them well. One social worker commented, ‘The staff treat [young person’s name] as an individual and have a great understanding of her needs. They have developed and adapted many strategies in order to support her.’ However, young people’s care plans do not always reflect this knowledge. They do not always contain sufficiently detailed information about young people’s care needs and routines. A recommendation has been made to improve practice in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people access a wide range of activities, both in the home and in the local community. Staff support them to try new activities and hobbies, for example all young people have started to go horse riding regularly. Young people enjoyed planning activities for the summer, such as a beach holiday, pamper days and picnics. Staff have helped them to create memory books which capture these special experiences. Young people also take part in fundraising initiatives. One young person is the charity champion and takes responsibility for researching and organising projects.

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

Young people feel safe and know that staff care about them. Young people benefit from regular key work that is focused on their individual needs and vulnerabilities. This gives them an opportunity to reflect on their behaviours and talk about their feelings and emotions with an adult that they trust. Staff have also introduced group-work sessions on key areas such as sexual health and online safety. This has helped to boost young people’s understanding and will enable them to make more informed choices. Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 5 There are effective arrangements in place to protect young people and keep them safe. All staff are provided with safeguarding training at the start of their employment and this is refreshed to ensure that they retain their knowledge. The home has developed, and continues to maintain, good relationships with the external agencies that are charged with keeping young people safe. This ensures that there is a multi-agency response when a

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

Staff have introduced clear boundaries and routines and young people know what is expected of them. Young people receive support to take responsibility for their behaviour. However, some young people have struggled to live in a group setting and have demonstrated unsettled behaviours. Staff have sought advice and guidance, both from external professionals and the therapist employed by the organisation, so that they can better support young people. For example, the introduction of a pictorial timetable has been successful in establishing a bedtime routine for one young person.

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

Staff use praise and incentives to reinforce positive behaviours. Incentives are individualised and kept under review to maximise their impact. The manager has recently introduced a more restorative approach to the application of sanctions. A recommendation has been made to ensure that sanctions are proportional in nature.

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

There are effective missing-from-care procedures in place for all young people. These contain clear guidance for staff to follow, which means that they can respond swiftly so as to locate and safely return young people. Staff are proactive and work closely with the police and other agencies to safeguard young people. Some young people are engaging in fewer risk-taking behaviours. One social worker said, ‘I have seen a massive change in [young person’s name]. She is much more confident and there has been a big reduction in her going missing from home.’

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

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s individual behaviours, triggers and risks. However, some young people’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans do not detail all the strategies and control measures that are in place. This means that staff do not always respond in a consistent way when incidents arise. Furthermore, risk assessments are not always updated to reflect young people’s changing needs. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified for the role. She has been in post since the home reopened in September 2018. The manager and deputy are a visible presence in the home and together they form an effective leadership team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a thorough understanding of the young people’s needs and is ambitious for them to fulfil their potential. She is child centred, and listens to and acts on what young people say. She encourages young people to play an active role in the running of the home and to be involved in decisions about their lives. Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 6 The manager understands the importance of multi-agency working in securing positive outcomes for young people. She is proactive in building positive relationships with external professionals and using their expertise to shape working practices. One professional said, ‘There is really good communication and partnership work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been difficulties with staff recruitment and retention, but the management team has addressed this effectively. The staff team has worked hard to minimise the potential impact of this on young people and ensure that they have received consistency of care. However, there have been occasions when the manager has not ensured that there were enough sufficiently trained staff available on shift. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When new staff start, they have a thorough induction and undertake a mandatory training programme. All staff benefit from regular supervision, team meetings and access to training opportunities. Staff reported that they value this and said that it equips them with the skills they need to undertake their roles effectively. One member of staff said, ‘I love my job. I am always learning and developing, improving myself as a professional.’

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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: SC480671 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: 1 Tustin Court, Port Way, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC480671 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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