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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children or young people on a short-term placement through crisis support. There is only one child currently in placement.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC480840 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2020 Full Good 01/05/2018 Full Good 22/08/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC480840 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points as a result of this service. One social worker said, ‘[child’s name] is responsive to staff and I’ve seen no missing’s, which is massive progress.’ The registered manager and staff provide the children with a homely and welcoming environment. This helps the children to form positive relationships with the staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend their routine health appointments. They are encouraged to eat a healthy diet, which supports a healthy lifestyle. Staff support the children’s emotional well-being with one-to-one chats about their thoughts and feelings. If needed, the registered manager has access to the therapeutic team to support the children’s mental health. This ensures that the children are getting the appropriate care they need to support their mental health.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by the staff to have positive experiences while living at the home. They are taken on the activities that they request, such as go karting and going to theme parks. The experience that the children are having engaging in these activities is improving their confidence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are aware that their placement at the home is short term. They leave with a photo album full of pictures of them having fun with staff during activities. This will remind the children of the positive experiences that they had during their stay.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to remain in contact with their family. Staff support the contact between the children and their family when needed. Family time is planned around the best interest of the child and is managed in a supportive environment. One parent said, ‘Staff support the contact very well.’

p.3

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

Risk assessments are well documented and provide staff with clear actions to follow when children are at risk of harm. Staff update the risk assessments following an incident, which is overseen by the registered manager and the deputy. This provides staff with up-to-date information which enables them to determine the severity of the risk.

p.3

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

Missing-from-home incidents receive a multi-agency response. Staff spoken to are aware of the missing-from-home protocol and apply the procedures when the children are missing. Staff have one-to-one sessions with the children following a missing incident to check on their welfare. This reinforces to the children that staff care about them. Inspection report children's home: SC480840 4 There are no known concerns with health and safety in the home. All checks are up to date and are overseen by management through internal audits. This ensures that the children are living in a safe home.

p.3

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

Children are supported to take age-appropriate risks, such as having unsupervised time with friends in the community. The current child is aware of their safety plan because the staff communicate this openly and clearly. There is good engagement between the child and the staff. This is due to the positive relationship the child has formed with staff.

p.4

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

Gaps in employment have not been explored for one member of staff. This does not ensure the suitability of the staff member employed to work with the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is enthusiastic and has high aspirations for the children. His management style is very much hands on, and he leads by example. The established staff team ensures that care is delivered in a consistent way. This helps children to understand their boundaries, resulting in them responding positively to staff.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision records show that staff receive this frequently. This enables the staff to discuss their practice with managers, which promotes their development. Staff receive training, including safeguarding, first-aid and physical intervention training. This supports the delivery of good-quality care for the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Allegations against staff are taken seriously and investigated in consultation with the local authority designated officer. These are discussed in individual supervisions and clarify the next steps. The registered manager ensures that relevant actions are taken to prevent misconduct happening again.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has an effective monitoring system in place. This ensures that all plans for children and staff are up to date and that the home’s health and safety checks are routinely carried out.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from parents and professionals is very positive. One social worker said, ‘The court arena has recognised how positive the placement is.’ One parent said, ‘I have no concerns about the placement. All [child’s name]’s needs are being met.’ Inspection report children's home: SC480840 5

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

p.5

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 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.6

Inspector

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC480840 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7