Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509367 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 children’s home is run by a private provider. The home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection. One child has moved on since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2509367 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2022 Full Good 01/02/2022 Full Inadequate 23/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509367 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s holistic needs are considered before they move in, even when moving in at short notice. Staff have the skills and training to help children to make progress, and children are provided with a high standard of care as soon as they move in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff, who are attuned to their needs. This promotes a sense of belonging for the children who live here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged and supported to attend school. One child has progressed to attending a mainstream school and achieved 95% attendance in the most-recent term. This has enabled them the opportunity to make friends. Another child has been empowered to be part of decision-making around which school they will attend and is looking forward to starting in September. The third child has been supported to maintain consistency at the school that they were already enrolled at prior to living at the home. Staff at their school have noted a positive difference in them since moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have meaningful and focused conversations with children. Sometimes, these conversations are held through letters to children. This models maintaining relationships, even when times feel difficult.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to pursue their interests. One child volunteers at a local animal sanctuary and attends regular horse riding lessons. Another child has weekly drumming lessons.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from consistent routines. For one child, this has supported an improvement in their emotional well-being and engagement with the world. Their grandparent said, ‘Staff are doing a wonderful job. It’s like we have the old [name of child] back.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are well furnished and personalised. However, the environment shows signs of wear and tear, which detracts from the homely feel. One bedroom was unsafe as the window restrictors had worn away. This was fixed on the second day of the inspection.

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

Children feel safe in the home. Parents and placing authorities agree that children are kept safe.

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

Risk assessments are bespoke and detailed. They contain the rationale for identified risks, helping the reader to understand the context. The information clearly details how staff should use identified strategies. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509367 4 Physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep children safe. The manager has good oversight of incidents and offers a thorough evaluation, including actions. Opportunities to learn are taken and shared with staff. Children are always offered an opportunity to discuss what has happened. This has allowed children to think about how they want staff to manage these scenarios in the future and supports them in being engaged in their own planning.

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

Children who live at the home do not go missing. Their plans are clear and up to date, meaning that if they were to go missing, a coordinated response would take place.

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

Allegations have been managed appropriately. The manager has worked collaboratively with the local authority designated officer to ensure that there are safe and swift responses to allegations. This has ensured that procedures are followed and external oversight is sought, without having an impact on the care offered to children.

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

All staff are employed following a safer recruitment process. New staff work alongside experienced staff to reduce any impact on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She knows the children well and can articulate the progress that they have made and how their life experiences have contributed to how they experience the world.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has robust systems in place to ensure oversight. This includes the evaluation of staff practice throughout written documents. This enables her to ensure that there are consistent responses to children and embed therapeutic parenting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a full staff team, who work well together, and agency staff are not required. This supports consistency for children and enables them to feel safe in their relationships with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the manager. Regular, reflective team meetings are a priority for the team. Staff utilise these to discuss practical issues as well as reflect on any challenges faced. Monthly consultations with the therapeutic team support staff to think about how to manage their own emotions to avoid emotional fatigue. This is further enhanced by regular supervision that supports them in their development, particularly around therapeutic parenting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s safety is prioritised when allegations are made about staff. Allegations are thoroughly investigated and show a clear rationale for the decisions made during and after the investigation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509367 5 Leaders and managers deal with complaints sensitively. They ensure that there is a multi-agency response when this is needed. They are open to learning from complaints, even when they are not upheld. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509367 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home environment is nurturing and welcoming. This refers specifically to the registered manager ensuring that the kitchen, bathroom and children’s bedrooms are in a good state of repair. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2509367 7

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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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Inspector

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509367 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 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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