Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1264333 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for up to three children who may have experienced social, emotional, and mental health difficulties, and children who may have experienced adverse childhood experiences and subsequent developmental delay.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and children, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and children are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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 for children’s home: 1264333 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/08/2019 Full Good 05/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1264333 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Children make good progress in this children’s home. They are happy and settled and form trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. A staff member said, ‘This home is not like others I have worked in. This home is like a family home. We work hard to make sure the children feel like it is their home.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Children are provided with a range of information about the home prior to moving in. This includes an extremely detailed child-friendly children’s guide, photographs of the staff team and a digital 3D virtual tour of the internal and external areas of the home. This provides children with essential information that enables them to feel less anxious about a move to a new placement. Residential care planning is excellent. The staff work closely with the children and the private clinical psychologist to ensure that the children are receiving the right help and support to meet their emotional and developmental needs. Each plan captures the essence of each young person’s life experiences and the impact this has had on their lives. Carefully planned key-work sessions help children to address some of the muddles in their lives and take positive and confident steps forward.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Children are provided with positive and structured daily routines where education is promoted and prioritised. Where appropriate, the staff ensure that children can maintain their previous educational placement. This enables children to maintain relationships and the positive attachments they have developed. Likewise, the staff work hard to assist children in their continued learning by helping with homework, school projects and, where necessary, offering additional learning support. As a result, children enjoy school and make good progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

It is clear that the staff work exceptionally hard to engage families where there have been previous hostile relationships with professionals. In most cases, this has proven successful. Where appropriate, the children enjoy regular contact with their family members. The staff provide suitable support and supervision to ensure that the children have a positive contact experience.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and children: good

Children’s views and opinions about how the home operates are regularly sought and are viewed with a high regard. Likewise, families and professionals give regular feedback on the service and this enables staff to assess the satisfaction of the care provided in the home. A professional said, ‘This is a warm and welcoming home. The staff do everything they can to support the children. Nothing is too much trouble.’ However, children do not review or comment on the work that is being undertaken with them in the home. This detail is important in assessing what is working for the child and what is not. This is an area for further development. A recommendation is made to address this matter. Inspection report for children’s home: 1264333 4

p.3

How well children and children are helped and protected: good

The children’s safety and well-being is prioritised in this home. This is because children’s individual risk management plans are developed in partnership with the children and external professionals. The risk management plans are routinely reviewed and updated to ensure that the most effective strategies are in place should a concern arise.

p.4

How well children and children are helped and protected: good

The staff demonstrate a commitment to ensuring that children are safe and remain safe. This is evidenced in the range of individual and group direct work sessions addressing known areas of risk and potential areas of risk.

p.4

How well children and children are helped and protected: good

The children say they feel safe in this home. Since the home reopened in April 2021, there have been no risk management incidents or concerns.

p.4

How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Behaviour management strategies are effective. The staff work with children using restorative justice. This strategy helps the children to understand the impact that their behaviour has on themselves and others and helps them to put things right. There are no current issues of concern regarding the behaviours of children in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children live in a home that is managed in their best interests. The home meets the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose, and children, social workers and families are clear about the service and support that the home provides.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The team is provided with a consistent annual training package. Mandatory training is regularly refreshed, and additional training based on the framework that supports the therapeutic authoritative parenting model is the foundation for all planned work with the children. Likewise, the team benefits from regular input from the private psychologist employed to the home. These regular sessions help the children to focus on the progress they make and to build on their aspirations for the future.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The team is provided with excellent support. One staff member said, ‘The managers always help and support us. If we are struggling with something, they find ways to help us. We are a very close-knit team who work really well together.’ The staff receive regular supervision including group and key-worker supervision.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and the team demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering excellent child-centred practice that is tailored to the individual and personal needs of children. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the progress children make, particularly in education, self-esteem and positive social integration.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home employs a strong and committed staff team, with the majority of residential staff being qualified at level 3 of the children and children’s workforce Inspection report for children’s home: 1264333 5 diploma. The training at this level ensures that the staff team is suitably qualified in the care and management of children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers work in partnership with the home’s psychologist to ensure that all referrals to the home are suitably assessed for their compatibility. Evidence of impact assessments leading to decisions to place, or not to place, demonstrate a clear commitment to the children already placed. As a result, the needs of the children are placed at the forefront of the home’s practice and this is evidenced in the excellent progress they are making.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Internal monitoring systems provide the home with a clear approach to the overall monitoring of care. Detailed information highlights areas for development, and the manager’s action plan details the methods used to enhance the service. However, reports could be further enhanced by consistently including the views and opinions provided by external professionals, parents and children. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

External monitoring takes place in accordance with regulation. The independent visitor’s report provides a positive insight into the progress children make. However, the external views and opinions of external professionals are not consistently included to provide a holistic analysis of the care provided in the home. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Three recommendations are made at this inspection in order to further develop practice in the home. They refer to the inclusion of the view and opinions of external professionals and parents when undertaking internal and external monitoring reviews of the home, and to encourage children to record their views on the work undertaken with them in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1264333 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are actively encouraged to read the records of work undertaken with them and to add further information to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)  The registered person should ensure that consultation with external professionals and parents is used to inform the monitoring and review of the home’s practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person should ensure that the independent scrutiny under regulation 44 includes feedback from parents, social workers and other external professionals. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

p.6

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and children, 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: 1264333 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Thomas Cappleman

p.7

Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1264333 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and children, 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.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8