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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509366 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 privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have social or emotional difficulties. It registered with Ofsted in March 2019.The current manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2509366 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/06/2022 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509366 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home receive good-quality care from staff who hold them in high regard. Staff take time to get to know children as individuals and understand what they need to thrive. Children develop secure relationships because staff provide them with consistent and predictable care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving into the home experience well-planned moves and are warmly welcomed by staff and other children. Where possible, children visit the home and meet staff and other children before moving in. Children are well informed about what to expect because they are provided with a welcome guide that paints a realistic picture of the home and what it is like to live there. Children are supported quickly to decorate their rooms, which helps them feel at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. One child who previously had poor school attendance has been helped to re-engage in education and now attends every day. The child said they now ‘love school’. Another child who struggles socially has now made friends, which is supporting them to develop their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be individuals and their identity is promoted. Culture nights allow children to explore other cultures and faiths through fun activities and different foods. When children display discriminatory behaviour, this is quickly and sensitively challenged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A therapeutic model of care is currently being established in the home. The manager has made good progress in ensuring that staff understand the model and why this will be beneficial to children. Furthermore, staff are supported each month through meetings with qualified therapists to consider children’s needs through a trauma lens.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are reviewed regularly. However, one child’s plan did not contain important information about their dental health. Advice from the child’s dentist was not fully understood and, therefore, it is unclear if the advice is being followed as intended.

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

Children who go missing receive a coordinated response from staff. Staff follow children’s individual safety plans. Staff actively search for children, making effective use of their knowledge of children’s friendship circles to find children and return them home safely. Children have individualised missing-from-care protocols that clearly identify any potential risks and vulnerabilities.

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

Staff have not used physical intervention to manage children’s behaviour since the last inspection. When unwanted behaviours arise, staff use their relationships and Inspection report for children’s home: 2509366 4 knowledge of what works with individual children to defuse situations before they escalate. Children are consulted following incidents and encouraged to reflect on their experiences. Children are living in a calm and nurturing environment.

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

Risks to children are well understood and children have detailed risk assessments in place that are reviewed and updated regularly. One child who was at risk from gang involvement was kept safer because the manager worked effectively with other professionals, including the police. In addition, staff received specific training on gang culture and knife crime, which has increased their understanding.

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

When children make allegations about staff, the manager takes these allegations seriously. Children and staff receive good levels of support while investigations take place. One child regularly made allegations that were unfounded. Staff worked openly with the child and gained their trust. The child learned new ways of communicating their distress and stopped making allegations.

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

Children have been introduced to ‘worry monsters’, which help them to share difficult thoughts or information through letters. One child has really engaged in this and has written to the monster. The child said that writing the letters has really helped them. However, staff have not placed enough value on the importance of these letters, and they have been discarded. The child will not be able hold or read the letters in the future should they want to.

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good

The manager has not ensured that all staff are appointed in line with safer recruitment practice. Satisfactory references had not been sought for one member of staff before they were allowed to work in the home.

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good

The general monitoring systems support the manager to maintain oversight of the quality of care in the home and children’s progress. However, children’s plans do not comprehensively capture their needs. One child’s health needs were not recorded. In addition, this child had not been supported effectively to understand the health advice they had been given.

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good

Staff have gained awareness of the power of language and its impact on children. This is leading to more child-friendly records. However, some records were not available during the inspection. Staff said that some records were missing and raised concerns about the electronic recording system. Additionally, some records including daily records and discussions between staff and children do not always identify the date or author.

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good

The manager has completed a detailed profile on each staff member to help him understand their individual needs and gaps in knowledge across the team. He is using these profiles to improve the quality of practice through focused discussions during staff supervision and team meetings. Staff say they feel well supported and valued. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509366 5 The manager has developed positive relationships with the key people involved with each child and consults with them on a regular basis. Professionals and parents gave positive accounts of the care that children receive. They described feeling involved and that communication with the manager and staff is effective.

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good

The manager takes appropriate action when there are serious incidents that impact on children’s welfare. He ensures that appropriate notifications are made that detail what actions they have taken in response to the child’s safety and well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509366 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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 child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when professional advice relating to children's health needs is given, that this is fully understood and followed. 16 February 2024

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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)) 16 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2509366 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s plans remain up to date.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only—

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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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 16 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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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 (1)(b)(c)(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that electronic systems used to record children’s information are safe and secure. In addition, that children’s records are signed and dated by the author, including when there has been a management review or evaluation of the record. 16 February 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff recognise the importance of memorabilia that supports a child to understand their experiences, and that such Inspection report for children’s home: 2509366 8 memorabilia is kept safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 2509366 9

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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: Hexagon Care, 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: 2509366 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 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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