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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC482683 1 SC482683

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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 home is owned by a private company. The home provides care for four young people aged 11 to 17 years who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is appropriately qualified and experienced.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place following a review of the safeguarding notifications sent to Ofsted by the provider. This setting was last inspected by Ofsted in July 2019.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector conducted the monitoring visit remotely, in line with national COVID- 19 (coronavirus) guidance to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

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This monitoring visit

Since June 2020, four children have been living at the home. The registered manager’s planning for children moving in to the home is well considered. Children are settled and making good progress. Children have built supportive and valued relationships with each other and with staff.

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This monitoring visit

Children participate in regular house meetings and have lots of opportunities to talk to staff. This means that children can contribute to the decision-making about the care they receive.

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This monitoring visit

Staff encourage children to openly discuss issues and ask questions. Children feel able to ask staff for support and help when needed. As a result, historical behaviours, including gang involvement, drug use, missing from care, poor school attendance and heightened risk of child sexual exploitation, have reduced or stopped. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC482683 2 Staff are successful in managing children’s behaviour. This means that there has only been one incident in which a child’s behaviour has led to staff needing to restrain a child. In response to this one incident, the manager made changes to the staff team to strengthen support for all the children. The manager also arranged for additional focused training for staff.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager and staff typically work in close partnership with other professionals. For example, safeguarding concerns and increased risks to children are promptly shared with children’s local authorities and other relevant services. Despite this, in one example, safeguarding information gathered by staff in relation to a child who has now moved out of the home, has not been formally shared with the agencies who continue to support that child. This has the potential to increase the risk of harm for this child.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has worked closely with staff to improve record-keeping. In some cases, reports written by staff contain judgemental and stigmatising language. This is not helpful to the child and does not mirror the ethos and values of the service.

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This monitoring visit

Children are supported by a stable staff team who feel well supported by the registered manager. There are currently two staff vacancies. Both posts have been appointed, subject to clear vetting checks. Vacant shifts are being covered by the existing staff team or the organisation’s bank staff. This has ensured stability for the children.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has ensured all requirements and recommendations from the last full Ofsted inspection have been met.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/07/2019 Full Good 16/10/2018 Full Good 03/10/2017 Full Good 09/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC482683 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to working with partner agencies to agree actions required when there are safeguarding concerns related to children. 31 March 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that 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, option 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)

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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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC482683 4 Unique reference number: SC482683

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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 PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Dawn Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC482683 5 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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