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

Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 1 SC480840 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 eight children or young people. A new manager is in post who has applied for registration with Ofsted.

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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 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: SC480840 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2018 Full Good 22/08/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/12/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are placed at this home in an emergency. They are often in crisis and living a distance from their home, which can also be difficult for them. The children and young people experience short-term stays at the home while important decisions are made about their future. The children and young people benefit from good support and guidance that the staff provide. They settle in quickly after receiving a warm welcome and are informed about how they will be cared for. The friendly and caring staff show a keen interest in the children and young people and want them to have an enjoyable, yet productive, time. This approach helps to put the children and young people at ease, sets out the routines and boundaries and cultivates positive relationships. Consequently, the children and young people have positive experiences and they are achieving the desired outcomes which have helped them to move on progressively

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

from their starting points. A professional said about a young person’s stay, ‘He really enjoyed his time there. The staff made sure he was settled.’ The children and young people’s involvement in their plans engages them in a range of fun and interesting pursuits. This provides them with alternative learning opportunities that provide enrichment in the absence of formal education during their stay. Memory books capture the children and young people’s experiences and provide a reminder about the highlights of their stay. This includes the staff supporting a child to pursue their wish to buy and share food with a homeless person. The children and young people’s positive health outcomes improve significantly due to their positive engagement. The staff talk to the children and young people about a range of health matters, including healthy eating to ensure that they utilise the knowledge and influence from the staff to choose healthier lifestyles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people know how to complain. Their wishes and feelings are integral to their care during their stay. Their time spent with important people in their lives is facilitated by the staff team to maintain positive family relationships.

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

The children and young people’s risks dramatically reduce during their stay. The children and young people’s time away from negative and risky influences is replaced by their positive engagement with the staff. This enables the children and young people to talk about and reflect on their risky behaviours and make safer choices. No children and young people have gone missing, which reduces the risks of their becoming subject to exploitation or radicalisation. The children and young people trust the staff sufficiently to talk to them about their behaviours, such as drug and substance misuse. This enables the staff to provide sound advice and protection. Staff deal decisively and sensitively with children to ensure their safety and welfare. The children and young people understand the clear routines, boundaries and daily Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 4 structure and have regular conversations with the staff. This helps them to

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

understand the expectations of the home, learn to self-regulate and promote socially acceptable behaviours. The success of these interventions is typified by the minimal use of physical intervention, which has been resorted to as a protective measure on two occasions since the home re-opened. The manager is re-establishing the links with the designated officer in the local authority and other professionals to improve the safeguarding networks. However, the designated officer was not notified about a recent safeguarding concern. On receipt of the concern, the manager had implemented the relevant internal procedures, which provides some mitigation.

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good

The home has been closed for several months and re-opened in January this year. It’s statement of purpose has been amended to provide short-term accommodation to children and young people under a crisis intervention model of care. An application to vary the current registration is currently lodged with Ofsted. The provider has five other homes linked to these premises where they provide care and accommodation to children and young people. These additional premises were not visited as part of this inspection. A new, qualified and experienced manager has been appointed to the home and their application to register with Ofsted has been received. Both the manager and deputy combined are highly ambitious for the service to succeed and they have an unwavering desire to improve children and young people’s experiences and progress. The home currently does not have a written development plan to prioritise key

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good

actions and progress the service within timescales. Although higher staffing ratios exist to meet the complex needs of the children and young people, the staffing structure is not clearly identified in the statement of purpose. This does not show who the children and young people will be cared for by during their stay at the home. Training and team meetings keep the staff updated and their practice up to date. Not all supervisions include specific discussions about the children and young people, which would enable them to reflect on their practice. Not all the records used by the staff to record individual engagement with the children and young people have been signed in line with the home’s own guidance. This makes it unclear if the child or young person agrees with the contents and does not enable the staff to take ownership of their work. Not all risks assessments include the agreed strategies to counter the identified

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good

risks. Furthermore, the provider has not notified Ofsted about one safeguarding incident that is currently under investigation, although they have acted appropriately in line with their policy. This omission prevents Ofsted from reviewing how the provider manages safeguarding matters. Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 5 The premises have been refurbished to a tasteful and homely standard, which makes for a very pleasant and calming environment for the children and young people. The provider is in the process of including in the statement of purpose the rationale for having locks on the communal doors. Overall, the comments from professionals and parents about the service delivery are generally positive. Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(v)(vi)(vii)) In particular, that the provider notifies the designated officer in the local authority of relevant safeguarding concerns without delay. 31/03/20

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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— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation (13) (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(h)) In particular:  Quality assure all records that ensure that contain sufficient content and signed off by children and young people and staff in accordance with the expectations.  Quality assure all written risk assessments to ensure that the strategies to mitigate risk are clearly recorded. 31/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 7  Implement a written development plan for the home. The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where

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Requirement Due date

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)) In particular, provide an up-to-date staffing list for the home. 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 31/03/2020

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Recommendations

 13.2 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) In particular, that the needs of the children and young people are discussed during supervision as appropriate. Inspection report children’s home: SC480840 8

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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: SC480840 9

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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: SC480840 10 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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