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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2674686 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

The home was registered with Ofsted on 3 May 2022 and is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 24 January 2023

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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: 2674686 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2674686 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home receive a good standard of care from staff who are kind and consistent. Staff talk fondly about the children and their qualities and ensure that they have a good understanding of their individual needs. Children quickly develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress with their health and emotional well-being. The home’s in-house therapist works closely with staff and children. Children’s experiences are better understood, and their care adapted as their needs change. Children are supported to engage in routine health appointments, including the dentist and opticians, and staff ensure that children follow any advice given. For example, children who need to wear glasses to improve their vision do so without hesitation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to live in harmony. Staff provide activities that support children to develop their relationships and have fun together, such as walks in the countryside and trips to theme parks. Children routinely eat their evening meal together with staff at the dining table. Observations of the children during the inspection showed that children have fun and play together well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consult with children on a regular basis, both individually and together. A monthly visit to a restaurant provides an opportunity for children and staff to discuss the past month’s successes and things they would like to work on. Children are encouraged to share ideas, which are then planned for and realised. In addition, children are given the chance to talk with senior leaders about their experiences living at the home. This enables children to have a say in how the home is run.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to ensuring that children spend quality time with those who are important to them. One parent described how the support they received from staff has helped them to understand themselves and their child better and has improved their relationship. Another parent said the support received from staff and the therapist has enabled them to have a closer relationship with their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s independence is promoted in line with their ability and their wishes. Children are learning to cook and look after themselves and their environment. One child who struggles socially has developed the confidence to use public transport and spend time with a friend away from the home.

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

Children develop trust in staff and say they would be happy to share any worries and concerns with them. Children know how to complain and are supported to talk with the independent person who visits the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2674686 4 The home feels calm and settled. Staff have consistent expectations of children’s behaviour and help children to understand how to communicate their feelings effectively. Children’s behaviour is improving, and incidents are decreasing.

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

The need for children to be held is rare because staff understand what each child needs for them to calm quickly. All staff are trained in the model of intervention used in the home, and refresher training is provided to ensure that their knowledge remains relevant.

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

Staff recognise when children are at risk and take proportionate action. For example, when one child was not using their electronic devices safely, additional checks and a written agreement were put in place to ensure the child’s safety. This helped the child to understand how to be safer and be clear about what staff would do to keep them safe if the situation was repeated.

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

The staff have established relationships with the local police and community support officers. The officers attend the home and talk to children about their actions and how these could lead to serious consequences. One child who saw the police in a negative light has learned that the police are there to help them and keep them safe.

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

Children have not gone missing from the home since the last inspection. However, should a child go missing staff know what to do. Children’s missing-from-home plans are personalised and kept up to date. This will help those looking for the child to find them quickly.

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good

The manager has remained in post since the last inspection and a deputy manager has recently been recruited. While plans were identified for the deputy to share the out-of-hours cover for the home, this plan has not yet materialised. In addition, a lack of staff has led the manager to cover shifts to ensure that children are cared for by people they know. The manager has tried to balance the two roles and put the immediate needs of the children first. However, this has contributed to the shortfalls in their oversight from a management perspective.

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good

The manager advocates for children and has challenged when services for children fall short. However, when progress was not made, the manager did not escalate their concerns quickly enough. Furthermore, the manager did not ensure that the child’s independent reviewing officer was kept informed. This does not help to prevent drift and delay for the child.

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good

Systems to monitor children’s individual progress and the running of the home are not always put to effective use. Records, such as chronologies that could help the staff and manager understand children’s experiences better, are not consistently used. In addition, the manager is not using monitoring systems to ensure that Inspection report for children’s home: 2674686 5 health and safety checks, including the testing of electrical and gas appliances, remain in date.

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good

Children’s records are generally kept up to date and are child-friendly. However, they are not always well organised, safely stored or accessible. One child’s memory book that was kept electronically has been lost. In addition, some records of staff supervision were not available during the inspection.

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good

In general, the home is well maintained. However, one child’s bedroom had doors missing off furniture and a damaged window blind. Action has not been taken to repair or replace the damaged items.

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good

The manager ensures that when there are safeguarding incidents, they notify the appropriate people. However, they do not ensure that Ofsted is notified in a timely manner. This does not help the regulator to have effective oversight.

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good

Staff say they feel well supported. Supervision and team meetings are regular, and staff spoke positively about how these forums are used to help them improve their practice and work well as a team. Managers deal sensitively with staff’s personal issues. This reduces the likelihood of these issues impacting on the care children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2674686 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, The 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 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 23 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that furniture and fixtures are repaired or replaced in a timely manner. 23 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. (Regulation 36 (2)(c)) 23 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 23 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2674686 7 if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that safeguarding notifications are made to Ofsted without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2674686 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

Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2674686 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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