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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC479647 1 SC479647 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 owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were being cared for in this home at the start of the inspection. One child moved out during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and has been in post and registered since 8 February 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 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: SC479647 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/08/2022 Full Good 29/06/2021 Full Good 14/05/2019 Full Good 25/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC479647 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel happy and safe in the home. The staff team is stable, and this enables the children to build relationships of trust with the adults who care for them. Children say they have good relationships with all staff members and can identify trusted staff they would approach with any concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with each other. Children spend time together and engage in shared interests. When there has been a minor disagreement between the children, staff have reacted swiftly and explored this with the individual children. This has enabled the children to resolve any issues and continue having positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well decorated. Staff support children to personalise their bedrooms in line with their individual interests and tastes. Staff enable and support children to have pets, such as a hamster. Communal areas are changed according to the wishes of the children, such as the addition of a pool table to the games room. A social worker said the home was well decorated for festivities, such as Halloween and Christmas. Children feel relaxed and comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have a school or college place and attend regularly. Staff advocate for children who do not have a school place and ensure that a suitable place is identified. As a result, one child has returned to mainstream schooling after a considerable time without education. Staff consult with school staff regularly and support the children’s individual needs. A school professional said that without the support of the staff in creating a bespoke timetable, the child would have been unable to maintain their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are known and supported by the staff. Staff register children with the relevant medical professionals and help them attend their appointments. Staff ensure that children have access to specialist professionals who can help them to be healthier, such as mental health services and substance misuse workers. One child moved into the home without the correct support for a lifelong injury. Staff quickly raised the issue with medical professionals and ensured that the child was given medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to learn skills for adulthood. Staff understand the skills and capabilities of individual children and adapt their plans in line with their needs. Staff use visual tools to motivate the children and demonstrate their progress to them. As a result, children gain confidence in their skills and are prepared for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences moving out of the home. Staff ensure that children have celebrations before they move, and children keep in touch with the home. Staff promote the children’s dignity and well-being when they move out, such as providing suitcases and practical help. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479647 4 Staff work hard to support the children’s relationships with people who are important to them. Staff know the children’s friends and the adults who care about them, and they are welcome in the home. Staff build strong relationships with the children’s families and support the relationships between them and their children. Staff take children to and from their visits with family, even when they are a long distance away.

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

Children feel safe in the home and in the community. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe when they are not with staff. Staff make plans with the children in response to risks that may arise. They ensure that children understand and follow the plans to keep them safe.

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

Staff understand the risks to the children and how to manage them. Risk assessments are clear and updated regularly. They contain clear strategies to use to prevent and respond to risk. Staff make detailed records of incidents and the manager evaluates the incidents promptly.

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

Staff understand the missing-from-home plans for each individual child and use these when children are missing. Staff usually contact all key people to try and locate children. However, on one occasion, staff did not contact a child’s peers for a significant period after the child went missing. Their plans did not include contacting children’s peers. The manager amended them to reflect staff practice and expectations.

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

Staff conduct room searches when they suspect a child may be at risk. Room searches are proportionate to the risk to the child. Staff ensure that children are aware of room searches before they are carried out and are present if they wish. When it is not possible to tell the child before the search, staff inform the child at the first opportunity, promoting the children’s dignity and right to privacy.

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

Consequences are proportionate to the children’s behaviour. The manager evaluates the consequences to ensure they are fair. However, the manager does not evaluate the effectiveness of the consequence. Therefore, it is unclear whether the consequences promote positive behaviour. A requirement has been made in relation to this.

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

The manager investigates allegations thoroughly. They inform relevant professionals of allegations and ensure that information is shared promptly. The manager conducts investigations sensitively and minimises any negative impact on the children and staff.

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

Staff rarely hold children. Staff complete training to hold children safely. On the one occasion a child needed to be held, it was to prevent harm to the child and the staff members supporting them. Staff responded warmly and sensitively to the child following the incident. The manager evaluated the hold and explored the causes of the incident. The manager sought further evaluation from a professional in the Inspection report for children’s home: SC479647 5 organisation to ensure that any learning for staff was explored. The child was spoken to by someone not involved in the incident and given the opportunity to discuss their feelings about it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager have excellent relationships with the children. Children seek the managers out to speak about their day and identify them as people they trust. The managers ensure they are involved in key moments for the children, such as being present when children are moving out.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have positive relationships with external professionals involved in the care of the children. Professionals report that the managers are communicative and professional. Managers advocate strongly for children to ensure their needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the needs of children and the progress they are making. They have good oversight of the home and use this to ensure that the children’s plans are supporting their individual needs. The manager adapts processes in the home, such as children’s plans for independence, to ensure that children are making the best possible progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers support staff well. Staff said that managers are approachable and care about their personal lives and professional development. Staff feel valued and motivated to provide high-quality care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision. Supervision is reflective and considers the needs of the individual children in the home. The manager ensures that all staff have an appraisal annually and they create a plan in line with staff’s individual learning needs. The manager ensures that staff are prepared for future roles, such as enrolling one staff member on a course for aspiring leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager encourages staff to share good practice. They hold team meetings regularly to ensure that staff can discuss and reflect on their work. The manager recently changed the rota in the home to ensure that staff could work with different staff members and learn from each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have completed all mandatory training. They have also completed training to meet the specific needs of children, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The manager has identified where staff skills could improve to allow them to care for children with other needs. They sourced training for staff in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, which led to successful support for a child in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479647 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)) 12 March 2024

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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: SC479647 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 PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC479647 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 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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