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

Inspection report children’s home: 2580626 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to care for up to three children, irrespective of gender, with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and complex needs, between the age of nine and 17 years.

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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

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2580626 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected. Inspection report children’s home: 2580626 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are enabled to build secure relationships with the adults who are looking after them. The staff group is relatively new in this home, but they have been able to form relationships with the children. Staff are experienced and committed. They listen to the children and promote their welfare. Children feel cared for, which increases their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can participate in decisions about their lives. The children have regular meetings as a group with staff and individually with their key member of staff. They can share their preferences for day-to-day things, such as what meals they want to eat and the activities they would like to participate in. Children say that they feel listened to and that their opinion matters. This will increase their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend school and engage with their education. One child, who has recently moved in to the home, is transported to the school in his hometown. This means he can maintain his friendships with peers and relationships with teachers that he has known for a long time. Staff communicate well with children’s schools. One of the children’s schools remarked on how impressed they were with staff’s communication with them and their commitment to the child. They stated, ‘[Child’s name] is a very good attender, she’s never off. We can’t fault the home. They are protective of her and fight her corner.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to develop independence; staff have supported one of the children with their independence skills and he is now preparing to leave the home. The child spoke warmly about the support he has received and the positive relationships he has built with staff. He remarked, ‘I like the staff and the home, and I’m ready to live on my own now.’ He has developed confidence and feels ready to move on. Staff are supporting him to have a positive ending to his time in care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual well-being is central to the home’s practice. Their achievements are celebrated and rewarded. They have structured and routine lives with appropriate boundaries in place. This supports them to feel secure and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Contact with family and people who are important to the children is encouraged and supported by staff. Staff work positively with parents to promote safe, positive contact. The inspector spoke with a parent who was happy about the support they were receiving to have contact with their child. He said, ‘Communication is good. I feel like I know what’s going on.’ Promoting positive family contact will help children to maintain a sense of self and to keep their family bonds.

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

Inspection report children’s home: 2580626 4 Children have detailed risk assessments and safety plans, which all the staff are aware of. These are updated regularly and cover all the areas of risk that are known about. Children reported that they feel safe in the home.

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

There have been a small number of physical interventions with children. Physical intervention is used appropriately, when necessary, to prevent harm to the child or others around them. When this has happened, all incidents have been reviewed and analysed by the manager. Staff have a debrief with a manager or senior staff member and children’s views are sought. This helps them to understand the event and prevent future occurrences.

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

Children’s behaviour is managed well. Staff take the time to understand what the children need individually and put measures in place to support their positive behaviours. There are clear routines and boundaries in place, and children are encouraged to behave well by receiving both long- and short-term rewards for good behaviour. Children learn that behaving well is beneficial to them and that they will be rewarded for good behaviour.

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

Each child has a key worker or trusted member of staff who they can talk to. Staff working in the home are clear about what constitutes a safeguarding concern and know what procedures to follow if they are worried about a child. This contributes towards children’s feelings of safety.

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

Staff communicate well with each other. There is a very clear handover procedure to new staff on shift and comprehensive safety checks in the home. This ensures that there is continuity of care for the children and that routines and boundaries remain the same.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic and committed to ensuring that the children in the home have good outcomes. She manages the home effectively and efficiently. Children are well supported. The manager knows the children and the staff team well. She is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and uses effective monitoring systems to identify when change or improvement is needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to regular reflective supervision with the manager or senior staff member. Supervision supports them to reflect on the care that they are offering to the children and to identify any learning needs or development opportunities for themselves. Staff speak very positively about their manager. They feel that she is supportive and approachable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are experienced in working with children and have quickly started to work together effectively to support the children. Children receive consistent care and know what to expect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff trust the manager and feel secure in their role and in the quality of care they are offering the children. Children know the staff who are caring for them and are Inspection report children’s home: 2580626 5 aware of who is going to be there for them. The clear staffing arrangements and consistent rota system provide a predictable environment and help children to feel safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good working relationships with partner agencies, schools and family members. This ensures the best possible experience and futures for the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is comfortable and homely. It is well equipped and decorated to a high standard. There is plenty of space for the children to relax in and have fun with staff. Not all children’s rooms are individualised yet.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Clear and relevant records about the children are kept by the home. However, not all relevant documents about the children from partner agencies are up to date.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure the placing authority relevant documents are shared with them in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the views and wishes of the children are taken on board, with regards to how they would like their bedrooms equipped and decorated. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.5)

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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: 2580626 6

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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

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2580626 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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