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

Inspection report for children's home: SC480678 1 SC480678 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 home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to five children.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2016.

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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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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: 10 December 2019

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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: SC480678 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2019 Full Good 18/09/2018 Full Outstanding 19/07/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC480678 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home have made good progress in all aspects of their daily lives. Children are proud of their progress and attribute this to the care and support they receive. One child said, ‘they have helped me every step of the way.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Attendance in education has improved for all children. Motivational staff ensure that children have good routines. Staff are proactive and ensure that children have access to additional support, such as extra tuition, if this is needed. Children are making plans for their futures and are encouraged to have high hopes and aspirations for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and staff are a strength in the home. Children feel that staff care about them. Staff know the children well and hold them in high regard. One professional commented that the child ‘knows he is genuinely cared about’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain good relationships with people that are important to them. Visits with family members are supported and families are kept up to date with their child’s progress. One parent said, ‘I am very proud of the caring person they have become, and it’s all down to you and your team.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported during transitions into and out of the home, and these are managed positively by the staff. The home considers the needs of all children during the transition process; however, they do not consider the location of the home or the skills of the staff team when considering the suitability of an admission to the home. This means that there is the potential for children to move into the home whose needs could not be met. A requirement has been made to support improvement in this area.

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

The staff team responds appropriately to safeguarding concerns and works effectively with external agencies to manage risks.

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

Risks for children are reducing because staff understand the individual risk factors and take action to keep children safe. Staff talk to children about risks and the impact of behaviour, and this is helping children to become increasingly safe.

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

Staff use positive reinforcements and praise to support children’s social, emotional and behavioural development. They are good role models for children and adopt a therapeutic parenting approach. Staff understand the impact of past experiences and encourage children to manage situations in a posiitve way. Inspection report for children's home: SC480678 4 Children feel safe in their home and are confident that their worries or concerns will be addressed.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home but when this does happen, the home respond in line with safeguarding guidance and procedures.

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

Building works are taking place in the home. Assessments are in place which outline areas of risk to children; however, there are hazards in the home environment which could cause children harm. For example, the garden area needs to be improved so that this is a safe area for children to enjoy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and aspirational manager who registered with Ofsted in 2016.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager demonstrate strong values and high ambition for children who live in the home. The manager understands the strengths of the home and works closely with staff to develop good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they work in a supportive environment and receive good levels of training and supervision. A training programme is in place, which helps to ensure that staff have the skills to meet children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager utilises team meetings as informal learning opportunities which further develop staff practice. For example, at one meeting, staff were able to reflect on recent training about therapeutic parenting approaches.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite recent staff turnover, the manager and deputy manager worked hard to ensure that the continuity of care for children was not disrupted. New staff have been recruited in line with safer recruitment guidelines and have followed a robust induction process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed a review of the home and addressed some areas of development but did not identify shortfalls in recording of information and the home environment. This means that there have been missed opportunities to ensure the continuous improvement in the quality of the care provided for children. Inspection report for children's home: SC480678 5

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 27 January 2022

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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)) 27 January 2022

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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— 27 January 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC480678 6 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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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: SC480678 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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Inspectors

Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC480678 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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