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

Inspection report children's home: SC480671 1 SC480671 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It provides care for up to eight children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The company have recruited a new manager who is not due to start until September 2021. Ofsted have yet to receive an application.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 18 Mar 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 5 November 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/11/2019 Full Good 09/01/2019 Full Good 08/11/2017 Full Outstanding 02/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC480671 3

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improvement to be good

Three children live at this home. Children are forming positive relationships with staff. For example, a relaxed atmosphere was observed at tea-time, with staff and children sharing information about the day’s events.

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improvement to be good

Children expressed mixed views about their experience of living in the home. For example, they were unanimously frustrated about bedtimes in that they felt it was too early given their ages. Although this had been discussed at children’s meetings, staff demonstrate a lack of flexibility and could not evidence that this had been considered in line with each child’s age.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans are individualised, enabling staff to provide appropriate means of support to meet their needs. However, not all documents, such as care plans and behaviour support plans, are in place for a child who recently moved into the home. This is a significant shortfall that potentially hinders progress and the effective management of risk.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to attend school daily, and the staff have established positive educational routines for them. Some children have recently achieved Level 2 qualifications in maths and English.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the children to spend time with their friends and family. This helps children to feel valued and maintain a sense of belonging to people who are important to them. Children have access to advocacy support that ensures their voices are heard.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in a range of activities such as cooking, pamper nights and walks to the park. They also have access to a dedicated gym area where they can exercise and keep fit. There are incentive schemes in place so that children can earn vouchers for completing tasks such as keeping their bedrooms tidy and getting up to go to school. Children respond well to the incentive schemes and are proud of their achievements.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s response to safeguarding incidents, such as alcohol misuse, are not consistently robust or proactive and increase the risks for vulnerable children. This is despite clear individual risk assessments being in place that provide details of actions for staff to take to protect children.

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improvement to be good

In some instances, there are no records of incidents or actions taken to address concerns about children’s use of social media. There is no missing-from-care profile Inspection report children's home: SC480671 4 in place for one child. This does not demonstrate that the risks are being managed effectively.

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improvement to be good

An allegation against a staff member was not managed effectively due to the failure to follow expected protocol and procedures. Although the police were contacted at the request of a child who made an allegation, there was no liaison with the relevant local authority duty team. This was despite the manager being advised to do so by a senior manager. This lack of rigour leaves children exposed to harm.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home are unclean and poorly maintained. Carpets on the stairs and in bedrooms are dirty and heavily marked. The décor on the walls and the condition of some bedroom doors on the landing area look dated. Therefore, the building lacks a homely feel.

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improvement to be good

Children feel safe living at the home and say they have staff they can talk to about any concerns they may have. Children also have access to specialist mental health services, and staff are proactive in prompting referrals where necessary.

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improvement to be good

Staff actively engage children in support sessions to help them self-regulate their behaviour. Children are beginning to show an awareness of their own and others’ safety. For example, a child wrote a letter of apology to the manager after a serious behavioural incident. This demonstrates that children are learning to take responsibility for their behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Staff also talk to children about the risks associated with going missing from the home, but this is not always done in a timely way. However, incidents of this nature are reducing in frequency, and staff take all actions necessary to prompt a safe return.

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate insight into children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They receive a range of training in safeguarding matters, such as self-harm, to enhance their overall knowledge and understanding of what to do in the event of any incidents.

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good

The acting manager is passionate and child-centred in his approach. He demonstrates a good insight into children’s needs and has high aspirations for them. However, he has not ensured that the necessary documentation is in place for all children living at the home. This does not demonstrate effective care planning and limits staff’s potential to meet children’s needs.

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good

Management oversight of staff practice is not robust. For example, the acting manager was not aware that the staff did not follow the policy in place for seeking medical attention for a child. In addition, incidents of concern arising from complaints have not been thoroughly investigated or recorded. Although the acting manager challenges poor practice, not all actions identified are followed through. For Inspection report children's home: SC480671 5 example, lessons learnt from incidents are not always shared with staff at team meetings.

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good

The records kept at the home vary in quality. For example, the language used in documents such as incident reflection reports is not child-centred, and the quality of care report contains too much unnecessary description. However, the progress children have made is backed up with photographic evidence. This is good practice.

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good

An experienced, settled and committed staff team care for the children. The continuity of staffing is helping children develop positive attachments.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision, giving them the opportunity to reflect on their practice. There are good communication systems in place, including the daily handover records and the use of a communication book for recording important messages and reminders.

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good

Staff share positive feedback about the acting manager. They find him approachable and supportive. Social workers and parents are regularly updated about children’s progress, in the form of weekly reports. One social worker reported that the acting manager and staff are proactive in keeping her informed of events and communicate well. Inspection report children's home: SC480671 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to putting flexible and age- appropriate bedtime routines in place, in line with children’s expressed wishes and feelings. 3 September 2021

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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)) 3 September 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC480671 7 This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff adhere to risk management strategies in place, including the seeking of medical advice where necessary, and that there are missing- from-care profiles in place for all children, that set out the actions for staff to follow in the event of any child going missing from the home.

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring the home is kept in good repair and decoration. This includes the outdoor area and the carpets on the stairs, in bedroom areas and on the landing 3 September 2021

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that, as part of the manager’s monitoring, there are records to account for the actions taken in response to complaints or concerns raised. Also that there is stringent oversight of staff practice in following the home’s strategies, including the completion of key-work sessions with children in a prompt manner, particularly to address risky behaviours. 3 September 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 3 September 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC480671 8 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all documentation to support children’s needs, including care plans and behaviour support plans, are in place and that these are known and followed by staff.

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Requirement Due date

34.—(1) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for liaison and co-operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there are robust procedures for making referrals to the local authority, including the emergency duty team in response to allegations. 3 September 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring, to ensure continuous improvement, in relation to capturing an effective evaluation about the quality of care. This should also include using children’s outcomes in relation to their starting points and their feedback and opinions as part of the process. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that staff are supported to understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording, in a child-centred manner, when capturing information from key-work sessions and children’s meetings. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children's home: SC480671 9

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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: SC480671 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1 Tustin Court, Riversway, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Thomas Cappleman

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Inspectors

Mike Charnley, Social Care Inspector Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC480671 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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