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

Inspection report children’s home: SC484247 1 SC484247 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children or young people irrespective of gender with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 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: SC484247 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/05/2018 Full Good 23/05/2017 Full Good 17/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC484247 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The current group of children and young people are very happy and settled. They have a strong sense of belonging within very pleasant family-style surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people feel genuinely cared about by the registered manager and staff, who understand them very well. The children and young people see the role of the staff as beyond it being ‘just a job’. The quality time that staff spend with the children and young people helps to keep them on track with their plans. Consequently, most of the children and young people are making measurable progress. One young person said, ‘This is the best home that I have lived in by far.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Living at the home is making a significant difference to most children and young people’s future prospects. Testimonials from the children and young people confirm that the best thing about life at the home is the staff. The relationships are exceptionally good, very nurturing and respectful. The children and young people feel valued and listened to. Some children and young people say that staff will go above and beyond to help them to achieve their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people know how to complain. They can identify trusted adults to talk to. Staff influence change by being positive role models when talking to the children and young people about their risky and challenging behaviours. Key- work sessions help the children and young people to reflect on their behaviour and how it can affect other people’s feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children and young people attend school or college and they are engaged in their learning and development. The registered manager works closely with the virtual school and other professionals. This ensures that any threats to the children and young people’s educational progress are resolved without any unnecessary delays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The range of activities available to the children and young people helps them to grow in confidence and self-esteem and provides fond memories of the good times. Photographs around the home and individual memory books show how the children and young people have enjoyed holidays abroad and trips, joined clubs, and engage in sporting pursuits.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people’s willingness to engage in most primary and specialist health services supports their specific needs. The staff are skilled at advising children and young people about any risk-taking behaviours. The health implications of smoking and substances misuse are discussed with the children and young people and reinforced by useful publications and access to services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people preparing to leave the home are fully consulted. They have been supported with work placements and have spent time in taster flats, which informs Inspection report children’s home: SC484247 4 their readiness for independence. Children and young people’s time with family and friends connects them with the important people in their lives.

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

The children and young people rate their safety highly, such as ‘10 out of 10’ and ‘100 out of 10’. This affirms their strong sense of safety. The clear boundaries and expectations provide a secure home that places the children and young people at the centre. Professionals consider the children and young people to be safe at this home.

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

The staff know how to manage the children and young people’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. The risk management and safety plans are regularly updated. The staff talk to the children and young people about their risks and keeping themselves safe. One young person said that staff talk to them about their safety ‘all of the time’. Opportunities for children and young people to have a short break away from the community have followed incidents of concern.

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

Children and young people who are deemed to be at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE) or other risks get wraparound support in conjunction with other safeguarding professionals and agencies. The children and young people’s engagement in CSE workshops with an external visitor has helped them to have a better appreciation of the grooming process. Other risks are managed effectively to ensure that they are minimised. One young person said that since moving into the home, they no longer self-harm.

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

Missing-from-home incidents receive a multi-agency response. Return home interviews and direct work with children and young people around their missing behaviour reinforces the safety messages. Similarly, incidents involving the children and young people in the community have been escalated with the relevant professionals to ensure that children and young people are protected yet enabled to take calculated risks. More recently, the dynamics between two children and young people have resulted in one of them being moved because the risk can no longer be managed safely.

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

Physical interventions are very rare. This demonstrates the positive behaviour management strategies and emphasis on de-escalation and enabling children and young people to regulate their emotions in more constructive ways. Restorative practice is promoted, and good behaviour and achievements are recognised and rewarded both in the home and the wider organisation. The staff are very skilled at understanding the reasons why a child or young person’s behaviour may start to decline, and they act decisively to address the concern. This includes notifying Ofsted about incidents of concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and has several years of experience caring for children and young people with emotional and behavioural needs. The management style at the home is proactive, creative and aspirational for all children and young Inspection report children’s home: SC484247 5 people. The registered manager is ably supported by the deputy manager. They work seamlessly together and have a firm grasp of the children and young people’s needs and work collaboratively with other professionals to maximise positive outcomes for them all.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is good. The strong and motivated staff team feels that the management is very supportive and approachable. The staff understand their roles and responsibilities and carry them out with confidence. The comprehensive range of training opportunities support the staff’s care of the children and young people. Team meetings are stimulating and child-focused. Regular topics and quizzes during the meetings provide fun learning that challenges and keeps the staff’s knowledge current.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Allegations against staff are taken seriously and investigated in consultation with the designated officer in the local authority. They are followed up with identified training and increased supervisions. The lessons learned enable staff to move on from the situation and demonstrate their continued suitability. However, not all of the supervision records make explicit the reflective discussions in relation to the specific learning and development issue. Not all supervision records are filed appropriately. This was a filing error that does not impact on children and young people. Similarly, the duplication of individual work from one child’s file to another shows no evidence of scrutiny to confirm its authenticity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a robust understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She has the capacity to continuously improve. She takes the learning from placement breakdowns and will only accept new children and young people into the home if their needs are compatible with the existing group.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous requirement in relation to risk assessments and the recommendation about staff supervision are met. The registered manager understands the action needed to ensure that the relevant feedback is included in the review report. This will be tested on receipt of the forthcoming report to Ofsted. The independent visitor reinforces the positive impact of the care practices in the home and considers the children and young people to be safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The locking devices on the internal doors to communal areas are not included in the home’s statement of purpose to ensure full and transparent practice. Furthermore, the use of the locks has not been reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The exceptionally good multi-agency practices involving the home with other agencies make this children’s home highly regarded by a range of professionals. That said, the registered manager is not averse to challenging other professionals when they fall short of their duties. Inspection report children’s home: SC484247 6

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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

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))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, include details about the practice of having locks on the doors of communal rooms in the home within the statement of purpose. 31/03/20

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, record and identify if/when locks are used to manage children’s behaviour. 31/03/20

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Recommendations

 It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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Recommendations

Specifically, ensure that supervision records give details of the continuous learning and development and reflection following allegations against staff and to ensure that the supervision records are filed appropriately according to the person they relate to.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC484247 7 Specifically, that quotes made by young people during individual work show clear evidence of management scrutiny to ensure that the quality of the records is

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC484247 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: 1 Tustin Court, Port Way, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC484247 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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