Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2536761 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 is a privately owned children’s home. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that it provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. She registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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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 inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 2 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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: 4 February 2020

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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: 2536761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2536761 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live at this home. The children are settled and making progress. They have built good relationships with the staff. The children say that they are happy and speak positively about staff at the home. Inspectors observed warm, nurturing relationships between children and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have recently moved out in a planned way. The children still maintain regular contact with the staff who cared for them. This demonstrates a culture of strong relationships that has been built during their time living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted in the home. The manager and staff support children to be in education. When education placements are not available, the manager has liaised with the virtual school’s team and other professionals. However, one child is engaged in learning but not on a full-time basis. This is limiting their educational opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are not aware of the local offer, which sets out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to therapeutic support. Children and staff also benefit from regular relaxation sessions to promote their health and well-being. Additionally, good-quality direct work helps children to understand and reflect on their lives. As a result, this is supporting children’s emotional health and well-being. Staff have recently purchased sensory toys to help children occupy themselves at times of anxiety. Consequently, incidents have significantly reduced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and promoted. All children have up-to- date health assessments in place, and referrals are made to relevant agencies to provide additional support. As a result, there are robust plans in place and staff understand how best to support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff in pursuing a range of hobbies and interests. Activities such as regular access to skate parks, attending the local scout group and visiting the gym mean children have opportunities to take part in things they enjoy and that also keep them healthy and active. Additionally, these experiences are captured in photos and memory books to help them understand their life story.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, suitably decorated with modern decor. However, inspectors found that there are some communal areas of the home that children cannot access. One child said that they could not use the downstairs toilet as it is for staff only. Staff were also observed walking around the home with bunches of keys. This detracts from the nurturing environment that the manager works hard to achieve. Inspection report for children's home: 2536761 4

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

Children told inspectors they feel safe and are well cared for. Children could name staff that they trust and said that they would talk to staff if they were worried about anything or need support to manage their anxieties.

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

Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques and are effective in preventing incidents from escalating. Children have developed strategies to manage their own emotions. This has led to a reduction in safeguarding incidents. Restraint practice is used to support children during difficult times. This is only used as a last resort to keep children safe. All staff are suitably trained with records that are detailed and contain management evaluation.

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

All staff have a good understanding of children’s needs. Risk assessments and plans are individual to each child. These documents are reviewed and updated as required, and all staff understand the strategies to reduce and minimise risks.

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

Court orders are not always accessible, and staff caring for a child did not have a copy of the final restrictions in place. This did not ensure that staff understood what was expected of them as a team to support and keep a child safe.

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

All the children spoken to told inspectors that they knew how to make a complaint if they were not happy. However, the recording of a complaint does not include a formal response to the child with the outcome. This is a missed opportunity to demonstrate all the hard work completed by the manager to resolve this complaint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and suitably qualified manager. She is supported by a deputy. Staff benefit from strong leadership and say that the management team is approachable and very supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the progress that children are making, and she is a strong advocate for them. The culture of the home is one of high aspirations and nurturing for all. This is evident in the children’s comments and their continued progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a good system for internal and external monitoring. For example, any allegations are well managed and investigated thoroughly. The manager takes effective action when identifying practice issues and supports staff during supervision sessions and team meetings. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on and improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is regular consultation with parents and professionals that consider their views. One parent told the inspector that communication is excellent. A social worker commented that a key strength of the staff team is the support they offer to children. As a result, children are becoming confident in understanding their identity and developing a sense of belonging. Inspection report for children's home: 2536761 5 There is continuous professional development of staff, and the manager ensures that staff receive regular training and development opportunities. All staff have completed mandatory training and recently had training that is specific to the needs of the children. Inspection report for children's home: 2536761 6

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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.

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that a copy of a court order is in place on a child’s file where appropriate. 6 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, communal areas such as the therapy room must not be locked, and children must have full access to all parts of their home. 6 March 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2536761 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer setting out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure they work closely with the placing authority so that the child is able to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to engage in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: 2536761 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

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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

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2536761 9 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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