Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited in Preston

Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 1 SC482569 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

The home provides care for four children with a range of needs. Its statement of purpose says that these include social, emotional and behavioural needs, including autistic spectrum disorders. The home cares for children who require a medium- to long-term placement.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted for several years.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

In this home, care staff are known as carers and this term is used throughout the report.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 2 Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/06/2021 Full Good 11/02/2020 Full Outstanding 05/02/2019 Full Outstanding 07/11/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 4

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outstanding

There is a strong sense of family in the home. Children and adults eat together every day. They arrange fun events at the home that children’s families attend. Children grow vegetables in the garden, bake cakes and cook meals to share. Children’s achievements and activities are displayed in wonderful photos on the walls.

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outstanding

Carers consistently seek and listen to children’s views. Leaders and managers act on children’s suggestions. Children choose colour schemes and furniture for the home. Children have created a children’s guide that is a wonderful example of a child- friendly introduction to the home. Inside the front door of the home are guides to visitors, written by children, detailing how they would like them to behave during their visit.

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outstanding

Children make excellent progress in all areas of their life, including their emotional well-being, development of relationships, education and optimism for the future. Children told the inspector that due to the care they receive, they now have positive plans and look forward to their future.

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outstanding

Carers are skilled in building trusting and loving relationships with children. This is a strength of this home. Adults demonstrate warmth and compassion in their relationships, and this helps children understand what healthy relationships look like. It also helps to enable them to develop meaningful and lasting connections to others.

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outstanding

Children are supported to develop and learn skills that help them live independently as they approach adulthood. Individual plans work at the child’s pace. Children are encouraged to take measured risks and more responsibility to gently widen their skills and confidence. The home has facilities for children to experience taking care of their own bedsit. This helps to prepare them for moving to their own homes when the time comes.

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outstanding

All children go to school or college and their attendance is excellent. Reluctant learners are supported back into education by introducing them to quality home learning and tutors. The home has excellent links with schools to ensure that children are given appropriate places, and educators know how children learn. This has led to children achieving and gaining qualifications and valuing education.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged to be active and lead healthy lifestyles. The team supports them in a range of wonderful activities, including horse riding, rock climbing, adventure parks and rugby. Carers help children who fear or are reluctant to try new things. One carer told the inspector that she was frightened of rock climbing but did Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 5 it anyway to help a scared child try and succeed. Children told the inspector that they do things they would never have done anywhere else.

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outstanding

Carers value and support children’s relationships with their families. They understand that these are often complex relationships. They help children to make sense of their experiences while recognising that their family is important to them.

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outstanding

Plans for children are detailed and individualised. They provide clear and useful strategies for carers to help them respond effectively to each child. However, sometimes plans include complicated language that is not helpful in fully understanding a child’s behaviour.

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outstanding

The well-being of the children and carers is supported by having access to good- quality clinical psychological therapy. This helps children to make sense of their behaviours and to explore the reasons why they feel the way they do. Carers encourage children to understand that they are not responsible for their trauma experiences. Children develop skills through their sessions with the psychologist that enable them to develop resilience, confidence and understanding.

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outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that they understand the needs of each child well before they come to the home. They are confident that they have the skills to be able to support them effectively. This is underpinned by thorough assessments and robust enquiries. Children living at the home are always consulted before new children come to the home.

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outstanding

Carers keep children safe in the home. They are knowledgeable about the risks of children being exploited. The home has detailed and useful risk assessments to help carers to understand and reduce risk. Carers access good-quality training so that they are up to date with emerging research. They complete good-quality direct work that helps children to better understand risks and will help them to keep themselves safer in the future.

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outstanding

Restraint is only used when children would otherwise hurt themselves or others. Recordings of restraint are detailed, and there is good use of reflection with adults and children to fully understand why it happened and to help reduce the likelihood of further incidents.

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outstanding

When children go missing, carers go above and beyond to locate them and return them home safely. Leaders and managers seek the assistance of other professionals when this is needed. Carers travel long distances at unsociable hours to try to find children, particularly when they are at risk of exploitation. As carers know children well, they use information about their lives to locate them.

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outstanding

When children raise concerns about a carer’s conduct, this is investigated swiftly and the safety and well-being of children is prioritised. Both children and carers feel Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 6 confident about raising concerns and know that they will be responded to effectively. Managers give carers good levels of support to resolve any difficulties that may undermine their practice. However, the children’s well-being is always of paramount importance.

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outstanding

Moves to and out of the home are planned and managed extremely well. When children move out in emergency situations, they are well supported by the team. Carers s make sure that children are accompanied when the local authority do not have staff available. The team keeps in touch with children who have moved out.

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outstanding

The home has very effective procedures in place to make sure that medication is stored, administered and recorded safely. There are checks in place to ensure that carers are competent and that procedures are followed precisely. One child has a complex medication plan whose correct administration is necessary to ensure their wellbeing. This is managed highly effectively and with an impressive attention to detail.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager sets high expectations for the care team and children. The ethos of the home is that every child can succeed. All children, carers and external professionals spoke highly of the registered manager. They told us that the manager consistently drives improvements and raises the standards of the care children receive. Everyone that the inspector spoke to said that the care children receive is outstanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Carers receive very good quality supervision. This is completed regularly and gives opportunities for reflective discussion about practice and how to improve children’s experiences. Carers told the inspector that they value these sessions as they enhance their well-being and make sure that they are always working to the best of their ability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers provide a range of excellent training opportunities to the care team. All carers have completed mandatory training and have undertaken specialist training that ensures they can meet the individual needs of each child well. When training highlights the need for additional equipment, this is purchased so it is available throughout the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has excellent communication with other professionals supporting children. The social workers told the inspector that they are always kept up to date and that the home’s staff know the children’s needs well and advocate for them effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have strong relationships with the community. They draw on these resources to support children. Children’s views of community provisions are enhanced by the positive interactions that the home has with services. Children know the community that they live in. Some children have made plans to continue living in the area when they reach adulthood. Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 7 The registered manager understands where improvements are needed and how the care children receive could be further enhanced. The whole team works together to ensure that children are supported to have every opportunity to succeed despite their past trauma. Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that staff record information about a child that is clear, objective and will be helpful to the child. This relates to avoiding using jargon and words and phrases that are not helpful in understanding the child’s needs or behaviours. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC482569 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

Penelope Kutz, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC482569 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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