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

Inspection report for children's home: SC480681 1 SC480681 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

This children’s home is one of a number owned and managed by the same private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has managed this home since January 2015.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 15 September 2020 to carry out an assurance 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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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

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC480681 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2018 Full Good 28/11/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC480681 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children living at this home are making good progress in all aspects of their lives. They benefit from well-planned care from a consistent and experienced staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and prioritise children’s school attendance. As a result, children’s attendance and engagement in education has increased since living in this home. All children attend full-time education and are making good progress. Children have aspirations for future careers and understand the steps they need to take to achieve them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff and enjoy spending time with them. Staff are eager to engage children in activities outside of the home, such as attending football matches and going to the skate park. Children are having fun and learning new skills. Consequently, improvements in their confidence and self-esteem are evident. One social worker commented, ‘They supported [child’s name]’s ambitions and interests and gave him experiences that a ‘good parent’ would. He has had excellent life experiences.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to become more independent and to learn the skills they will need in adult life. One young person has successfully moved to a semi- independent placement and has been able to maintain a full-time college course during this move. Staff were proactive in planning this move and helping the young person to prepare. Staff remain in contact with the young person, who told the inspector that he values this light-touch support. The young person commented, ‘It felt like a family home. I didn’t want to move out, but I just got too old to stay!’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Contact with families is actively promoted. For some children, careful and sensitive planning has meant that they have been able to increase the amount of time they are able to spend with their families in a safe and planned way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that children are offered an independent advocate. This is particularly important as independent advocacy supports children to have their voice heard in the care planning process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s placement plans are updated regularly. However, they do not always contain enough details about children’s additional needs and how staff should support them. In addition, one child’s plan is not aligned with the targets set out in their education, health and care plan (EHCP). A recommendation has been made to improve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large and communal areas are spacious. Children are supported to personalise their bedrooms. However, some improvements are required to the physical condition of the home to ensure it is a homely and welcoming environment Inspection report for children's home: SC480681 4 for children to live in. For example, some furniture in the communal areas is tired and requires replacing and there are no hand towels available in the upstairs bathrooms. A recommendation has been made for the registered person to address this.

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

Most children are settled and benefit from positive and trusting relationships with staff. One child said, ‘I feel safe and I like the staff. There is always someone to talk to if I am worried about anything.’

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

Staff know the children well and are knowledgeable about children’s histories. As a result, staff are quick to spot and respond to changes in children’s behaviours. Staff escalate their concerns to managers and relevant professionals appropriately. One member of staff said, ‘At [name of children’s home] the children are our priority and their safety is our top priority.’

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

The manager responds quickly to emerging risks and collaborates on a multi-agency basis to safeguard children. For example, when one child started to put himself at risk by going missing from the home, the manager was proactive in taking steps to minimise the risks. He alerted relevant professionals to concerns about the child’s welfare. The manager was tenacious in pursuing a multi-agency safeguarding response.

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

Staff are skilled and experienced in direct work with children. They use individual key-work sessions as informal educational opportunities. This helps to support children to understand the risks and potential consequences of their continued engagement in risky activities and/or behaviours.

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

Staff are skilled in establishing good routines and boundaries which support children to feel secure. Some children do test these boundaries, but staff manage these situations well. The use of physical interventions is very rare at this home and staff only use this as a last resort to manage children’s behaviours. Children receive lots of individualised rewards that reinforce positive behaviours.

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

For some children, risks have reduced since living at the home. For example, children who frequently went missing from home now rarely do so. The registered manager has ensured that there are robust procedures in place for staff to follow if a child does go missing and this enables staff to respond consistently and effectively.

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

Children’s risk management plans contain detailed information which supports staff to keep children safe. These plans are updated after significant events to ensure that they remain relevant. However, some risk management plans need greater clarity about the control measures in place. For example, instructions to staff on the frequency of some safety checks are generalised. This does not support consistent practice. A recommendation has been made to address this. Inspection report for children's home: SC480681 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He is well supported by the deputy manager and his senior manager in the organisation. The manager is a visible presence in the home and is accessible to both children and staff when they need support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager demonstrates a commitment to ensuring that children in his care are happy and safe and are given the right support to fulfil their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works closely with other agencies to safeguard children. He is proactive in engaging professionals, alerting them to emerging risks and keeping them updated following significant incidents. In addition, professionals and parents value a high level of communication with the home and describe it as ‘excellent’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that there are sufficient staff available to meet children’s needs. The staff team is stable and there is a high level of staff retention. This means that children receive continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are enthusiastic and demonstrate a strong understanding of the children’s needs and how best to support them. Staff are positive about their roles and the support they receive from their managers and the wider team. One member of staff said, ‘I feel so supported here, there is never a day when I am not happy. I love it here.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. Most members of the staff team hold nationally recognised childcare qualifications and the company provides regular additional training. Staff told the inspector that they value the training provided and it has helped them to reflect on and shape their practice. However, training has not always been aligned to the needs of children living at the home. For example, staff have not received training on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A recommendation has been made to improve this. Inspection report for children's home: SC480681 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make improvements to the home to ensure it is a clean, comfortable and homely environment for children to live in. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children’s risk management plans contain specific instructions to staff about the frequency of checks they should undertake on technology used by children living at the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  The registered person should ensure that children’s care plans reflect their individual additional needs and detail how staff should best support them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff receive training on ADHD and also raise awareness among the staff about EHCPs for children with additional needs.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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 for children's home: SC480681 7

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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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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC480681 8 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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