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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2608195 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 two children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences and subsequent developmental trauma. A large national provider operates this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in November 2020. She holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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

This is the first Ofsted inspection of this home since it was registered in November 2020.

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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 requires improvement to be 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 for children’s home: 2608195 2

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Recent inspection history

This is the home’s first inspection since registration. Inspection report for children’s home: 2608195 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have moved into the home and one child has moved out since the home first opened. The registered manager and staff work well with social workers and family members to ensure that children experience positive moves to and from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to attend education. When there are barriers to a child’s learning, the registered manager and staff work well with teachers to review their education plan and ensure that the child receives education that is individual to their learning styles and considers the child’s views and wishes. As a result, children’s attendance at school has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff register children with local health services and encourage them to attend routine health appointments. This ensures that their oral health and vision are monitored, and treatment is received when required. Staff support children to see a doctor when they feel unwell.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The organisation’s clinician visits the home regularly. An initial assessment and formulation plan is completed. Children are offered weekly direct therapy. Where children do not engage directly with the clinician, staff are provided with consultation. This helps children to receive help with their emotional health and well- being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain contact with people who are important to them. Staff take children to meet family and friends that are known to the child and assessed by the child’s social worker. This practice helps children to sustain positive relationships and promotes their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to access a range of activities that they enjoy. Children are encouraged to try new things to widen their experiences and benefit from opportunities to socialise with children of similar ages.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a positive relationship with the registered manager and some staff who work in the home. Four staff have left. For one child, this has been difficult as she had a good relationship with these staff and told the inspector that she misses them.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager does not ensure that safe recruitment practices are carried out fully. For example, there are unexplained gaps in some staff’s education and employment history. On another occasion, the registered manager has not ensured that a reference for a member of staff where they worked in a caring role has been Inspection report for children’s home: 2608195 4 requested and received. This practice increases the potential for children to be cared for by unsuitable staff.

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improvement to be good

Records specific to reviewing allegations made by children about staff do not capture the rationale for decisions made. On two occasions, there is no record of why children’s concerns about staff were only shared with the child’s social worker and not shared with the local authority designated officer and Ofsted. Records of incidents reviewed by the registered manager do not provide sufficient detail to demonstrate professional curiosity. As a result, records do not show how the outcome decision has been reached.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained to use physical intervention. On the rare occasion that this is used, it is to keep children and staff safe. Incident records do not describe the physical techniques used in detail. This practice does not help the person reading the record to understand the actions taken. Children are offered support and medical treatment after being held. The registered manager ensures that she speaks to children and staff about the incident. This helps to develop effective ways of working with children in the future.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing. When they do, staff respond well. Staff search areas that the child is known to visit. They seek support from the police and contact family and friends to ascertain information about the child’s possible whereabouts. Children are supported to return home, where they are welcomed by staff and provided with an opportunity to speak with a person who is not connected to the home. This provides children with an opportunity to raise any concerns and helps to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager actively supports children to develop their skills in keeping themselves safe. Children’s meetings are held weekly. These meetings provide staff with an opportunity to support children to identify signs of exploitation and explore situations that are occurring around the world, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This practice promotes children’s safety and helps them to understand the world they live in.

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual plans assess what access children can have to electronic devices with internet access. These plans are reviewed regularly with the child and their social worker. Parental settings are in place to reduce the risk of children viewing content that may be harmful to them. To promote good sleep routines, access to the internet is restricted during the night and cannot be accessed by children. This allows children to enjoy the positive benefits of the internet while also reducing risk of online abuse.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote positive behaviours through rewards and incentive systems. Children are supported by the registered manager and staff to reflect on incidents and how their behaviours affect them and others around them. The combination of positive recognition and reflection helps children to develop socially acceptable behaviours that will support them as they enter adulthood. Inspection report for children’s home: 2608195 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to the children and staff. She has a clear vision of the care she wants for children. This vision is shared by staff, who ensure that children receive positive experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of what the service does well. She uses consultation from children, parents, professionals and staff to review the service and inform future plans to help improve the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and team leaders who supervise staff have received training in this area. Staff receive regular supervision, which is of a good standard. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on practice, raise concerns or worries and develop their skills and knowledge. As a result, staff feel valued and supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training that supports them to carry out the expectations of their role and meet the specific needs of children who live in the home. For example, when a child has a diagnosed medical condition, the registered manager has commissioned specialist training. One staff member spoke to the inspector about how this training has helped him to identify behaviour traits associated with their diagnosed condition and how he now considers communicating with the child in a way that will be more effective to their needs. This means that children receive care from staff who are knowledgeable and skilled to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is nicely decorated and furnished. Pictures, accessories and soft furnishing provide a homely feel. Children personalise their bedrooms with photos of people who are important to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring of the home by the manager is inconsistent. There are some good monitoring systems in place to support the manager to have oversight of the care provided to children. However, systems do not always find shortfalls that were highlighted by the inspector and reported under the section titled ‘How well children and young people are helped and protected’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2608195 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that records relating to the review of allegations reviewed include information gathered to evidence decision-making and that there is a clear summary of outcomes and a conclusion. 21 April 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—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that monitoring systems are effective in improving practice. 21 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2608195 7 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, recruitment practice ensures that gaps in staff’s education or employment are identified and explained prior to commencing work in the home and references are obtained from previous employers where the individual has worked in a position of trust. 21 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that the description of restraint techniques is sufficiently detailed to provide a clear explanation to the reader of the record. 21 April 2022

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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, Inspection report for children’s home: 2608195 8 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: 2608195 9

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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

Helen Malanaphy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2608195 10 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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