Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2613627 1 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 run by a private provider. The home is registered to provide care for up to one child who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 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 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: not previously inspected

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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 for children’s home: 2613627 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2613627 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s admission to the home was well planned. Staff invested time to understand his needs and interests. This helped the child to settle in and develop meaningful relationships with those that care for him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Structure and routine have supported the child to make progress. Consequently, the child is now more confident and independent. Supporting professionals recognise his progress. One professional said, ‘The improvements he has made are immeasurable.’ The manager tracks the child’s outcomes and a ‘Journey book’ highlights his positive experiences and memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are clear procedures in place for managing complaints. Key work and ‘weekly chats’ allow for frequent discussions and for the child to share his views. Staff listen and respond to his requests. The child speaks positively about his home and feels listened to and respected by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s move to the home did not affect the stability of his school placement. The staff liaise effectively with the school and support his travel arrangements. Since living at the home, attendance at school and education attainment have increased. At the end of the summer term, the child earned an award for the ‘Most Improved Student’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child completes a range of recreational activities both in his home and in the local community. He enjoys hobbies and has new experiences. For example, he goes on regular fishing trips, he has been on holiday, and he went on a trip to watch England play football at Wembley stadium. The child has future aspirations, and he now attends Army Cadets. This has helped him to forge new friendships and learn new skills. Staff are proud of the child’s efforts and the achievements he has earned as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child spends carefully assessed time with people who are significant to him. Staff accommodate lengthy travel arrangements, and they understand and uphold their responsibilities with regard to promoting family time. Consequently, the child has been able to maintain meaningful relationships as a result of well-planned family visits.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child leads a healthy lifestyle. He attends routine health appointments, completes physical exercise, and eats a varied diet. Safe practices have developed to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and the child’s well-being has been supported throughout periods of isolation. This helps to ensure that the child enjoys good health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all health assessments for the child have taken place. Furthermore, records do not show proactive challenge from the manager when the time delays for these Inspection report for children’s home: 2613627 4 span over a number of months. Reassurance that progress is being made is therefore not achieved and the child’s needs remain unassessed.

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

The child is better protected as a result of staff action. Staff are alert to the signs of danger and take immediate action to reduce the risk to the child. As a result, the child’s risk-taking behaviour has reduced.

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

Staff understand how to respond should a child go missing from home. Clear procedures are in place and the manager regularly discusses safeguarding with staff. This helps to keep the child protected from harm.

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

Incidents are rare and restrictive physical intervention is not used. Skilled staff de- escalate the child’s emotions and behaviour before they reach a point of crisis. This has resulted in the child making positive choices when he becomes upset.

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

Good post-incident support is available for the child and staff as discussions take place to reflect and to help improve their well-being. Preventative work takes place as external agencies become involved, which provides the child with a further understanding of risk. The manager evaluates patterns of behaviours and updates the child’s risk assessments. This helps to ensure that information is up to date and understood by all.

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

Sanctions are not used. Restorative approaches are championed by staff. Incentives and rewards promote positive choices and celebrate the child’s success. The staff are clearly proud of the child, and this helps to build the child’s self-esteem.

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

Education takes place around online safety to support age-appropriate development. Risks are balanced and understood. The child is now able to play online games with his friends and have video calls with his mother on his mobile phone. This represents an area of progress for the child.

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

Placement and risk management plans are therapeutically informed. A child-friendly care plan provides the child with an understanding of how staff will look after and protect him. However, guidance for staff on how to manage self-harm or if a child is found to be in possession of a weapon in not clearly recorded. Consequently, the child may not receive a consistent or effective response to his behaviour should an incident of this nature re-occur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is inspirational. He has high expectations for the staff and how care is delivered. The whole team has high aspirations for the child and shows commitment to achieving these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy provide strong leadership. The staff feel well supported and enjoy their work. The staff have built bonds through their induction programme Inspection report for children’s home: 2613627 5 and are regularly supervised and appraised. The staff benefit from regular team meetings and consultation with the clinical psychologist. As such, the staff team is happy, consistent and able to provide good childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records of interviews undertaken do not show thorough exploration of candidates’ skills to work in the home. The accountability and timings of reference verifications and staff risk assessments are unclear. Current procedures do not show best practice in evidencing safer recruitment and staff suitability to work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems ensure the home’s continued development. The manager completes a quality of care review and sets annual targets. Routine audits occur inclusive of quality assurance checks by senior managers. The manager values the scrutiny that the monthly independent visits also provide. This keeps the quality of care under rigorous review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Amendments to the home’s statement of purpose are not always shared with the regulator. This limits an understanding of who has responsibilities in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Assessments consider the suitability of the home’s location, and the premises are maintained to a high standard. The child has developed a sense of belonging as a result of having a positive and personalised place to live. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613627 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5 (b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager evidencing a proactive challenge regarding the time delay for a child’s unassessed health needs. 2 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that support and risk management plans provide clear, consistent information on the mental health support staff are to consider should self-injurious behaviour occur and how the child has been known to present with a weapon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.15)  The registered person should ensure that updated information recorded in the statement of purpose is provided to the regulator. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)  The registered person should ensure that safer recruitment processes evidence that interview questions thoroughly explore candidates’ skills to work in the home, that reference verification checks and risk assessments are authorised with a valid management signature which confirms that all information included is

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Recommendations

correct and provides clarity as to how and when reference verification discussions have taken place. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2613627 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

Alex Howitt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2613627 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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