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 provides care for two children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties. A 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.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2608195 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2608195 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive high-quality individualised care that meets their needs. Staff have the ability and skills to build genuine and constructive relationships with children. The strength of these relationships is making a difference to children’s lives and influencing their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are interested in children’s lives. They spend time with them and get to know them well. They find out children’s interests and what is important to them. Staff recognise and respond effectively to cultural needs. Staff find out from children what their culture and faith mean to them and what staff can do to meet these needs. They support children to take part in faith-based activities if they wish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff meet the needs of children living far from their homes. They make sure that children have access to local education, health and leisure services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand that seeing their families is extremely important to both children. They take the children to see their families and make sure that it is a positive and safe experience. Staff build positive relationships with children’s families. This is helping families to engage positively with the plans for their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek children’s views. They respond appropriately to children’s wishes and feelings. When children’s wishes may not be in their best interests, staff make sure that children understand the reasons why their wishes cannot be followed. Staff help children to reflect on their experiences and feelings. They support children to attend meetings, share their views and take part in the decisions affecting their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s learning and development. They understand the impact that trauma may have on children’s ability to take part in formal education. Managers and staff collaborate with schools and the virtual school’s headteacher to provide children with the right support to help children achieve their learning objectives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children struggle to go to school, staff provide them with opportunities to learn informally and develop their skills and knowledge. For example, a child has completed a recognised award in animal care by finding out about looking after their rabbit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported a child to return successfully to formal education. They are building on the child’s progress and working towards them being in school on a full- time basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and monitor children’s individual health and emotional well-being. They make sure that children receive safe and effective advice, support and treatment that meet their needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2608195 4

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

Children feel safe and staff protect them from the risk of harm. Children see staff as trusted adults and tell them when they are worried or upset.

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

Staff know their responsibilities for safeguarding children. They respond to concerns about children’s safety promptly, in accordance with statutory guidance.

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

Staff understand each child’s vulnerabilities. They protect children from the risk of bullying, sexual harm and exploitation and from the risks of using social media and the internet. Children do not go missing from this home. Staff help children to recognise risks, to know how to ask for help and to keep themselves safe from harm.

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

Staff’s trauma-informed approach provides children with emotional warmth and clear boundaries and expectations. Children know that staff are on their side and are there to help them. They are confident that staff can keep them safe from harm. Consequently, children develop a sense of emotional security.

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

Staff have the skills and confidence to safely manage unwanted behaviour and difficult situations. They communicate with children easily and use their positive relationships to help children manage their feelings constructively. They recognise when children are upset and talk to the children to find out what is wrong. Staff are skilled at helping children to explore their feelings and develop coping strategies to manage their emotions. Staff listen to children’s views about what upsets them and the best ways to help them.

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

On occasions, staff have used physical interventions when children have struggled to manage their emotions safely. Staff use of physical intervention is appropriate and proportionate to the risk of harm.

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

Staff keep detailed records of physical interventions. Both the staff and children involved get the opportunity to reflect on what happened. The manager and psychologist thoroughly review the use of physical intervention. They use their findings to improve the quality of care and protection children receive.

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

The manager follows safer recruitment procedures to make sure that staff are safe and suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced, qualified and permanent manager runs the home. The manager provides clear, child-centred and effective leadership. They have high expectations for staff to provide children with high-quality care and protection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes sure that the home’s model of therapeutic parenting is embedded in every aspect of children’s care and the running of the home. They Inspection report for children's home: 2608195 5 make sure that children benefit from living in a nurturing, consistent and enriching environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes sure that staff receive the right support, training and guidance to understand their responsibilities and meet children’s needs effectively. Staff are suitably trained and supported to deliver this model of care. The home’s forensic psychologist oversees staff’s practice and provides them with ongoing support and training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a detailed understanding of each child’s needs and plans. They work together as a team to provide children with a high standard of consistent care and support. The manager, psychologist and staff use monthly team meetings productively to consider children’s needs and progress, and for staff to share and develop their skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision focused on children and their needs. This includes reflecting on their work with the children in their care. The manager and psychologist help staff to consider the emotional impact of their work and understand and manage their own feelings constructively. However, staff do not have opportunities in supervision to evaluate the impact of training and learning on children’s experiences and quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes sure that children receive continuity of care from staff that they know and who know how to care for them safely. This is helping children to build trusting relationships with staff and develop a sense of emotional security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the arrangements for children’s care are planned carefully. Children only come to live at the home once the manager is satisfied that staff can respond effectively to their needs. The home’s psychologist contributes to the assessment of the home’s ability to meet the child’s needs. However, the manager does not always record their assessment of the compatibility of a new child with the child already living at the home, including consideration of the potential risks for both children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses monitoring systems effectively. They have an accurate picture of the quality of care and protection children receive and its impact on their lives. They make the necessary improvements to make sure that children receive the best possible support. They consult with children about the quality of care. Children have their own development plans setting out how the manager and staff will make the improvements that they have identified, including the decoration of children’s bedrooms and improving the garden.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

However, the home’s last review of the quality of care did not consider the opinions of children, their parents, social workers or staff. 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 registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5)) 30 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the manager keeps a record to show that they have considered the impact that a new child may have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that supervision meetings provide staff with opportunities to reflect critically on their learning from training and its impact on their work with children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children's home: 2608195 7

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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: 2608195 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: 1 Tustin Court, Port Way, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2608195 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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