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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 1 SC480678 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 is owned by a private provider and provides care for up to five children of the same gender who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were five children living in the home. Four of the children living in the home, and one child who has recently moved out, spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 12 September 2016.

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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: SC480678 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/01/2023 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Good 10/12/2019 Full Good 18/09/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress in all areas of their lives. They said that they are happy living in the home and feel safe. Children are supported to develop positive, trusting relationships with staff and with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show consistency and unconditional acceptance towards the children. Children are helped to develop a sense of belonging and know that staff care about them. When one child was struggling with frequent episodes of going missing from the home, the staff persisted in finding ways to support them. The child said, ‘I know they are always here for me. It’s a good place to be.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the children have time with the people who are important to them. Staff are inclusive and communicate well with parents and carers. One parent said, ‘They make us feel a part of what is going on there.’ This helps the children to maintain vital connections, and supports parents and carers to build relationships with their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy new activities and are encouraged to pursue their own interests. Staff respect the individuality that each child has in the home, as well as supporting them to enjoy shared experiences. There are photos around the home of the children making shared memories in various locations. This helps the children to gain confidence and improve their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is well supported. Staff are child-centred and ensure that children are supported to access education that meets their needs. As a result, all children make progress in education, and children who were previously not in education are now attending college or school, with exciting options for their careers. This enables children to develop the skills they need to achieve their future ambitions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a home with unique features and significant historical heritage. The home has ample space for children to relax and enjoy activities, including pool and table tennis. This space provides opportunities for staff to build relationships and hold key conversations with children in an informal way. However, some areas of the home, including the carpets on the stairs and in the dining room, decoration in the lounge and fixtures in the bathroom, appear tired and detract from the otherwise homely environment.

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

Children feel safe in this home. They are able to talk to staff about what is going on for them. This enables staff to identify and respond to risks and to support children to become more aware of the risks both in the community and online. Although there are no identified occasions when staff have not responded effectively, children’s risk plans do not always reflect children’s current and emerging risks. This Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 4 is a missed opportunity to ensure that staff have access to relevant information to keep children safe.

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

When children go missing, staff work successfully to return them home as soon as possible.

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

Staff training is tailored to the risks and needs of the children. Managers understand the value of a competent staff team and ensure that staff training is prioritised. Children benefit from the care provided by confident and experienced staff who have the skills to keep them safe.

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

Staff use a trauma-informed model to care for the children. This means that the use of physical restraint is kept to a minimum. Staff have worked hard to reflect on what is being communicated through a child’s actions. This helps them to attune to the child’s needs and support their well-being.

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

Professionals are complimentary about the communication they receive from the team. Staff have developed successful professional relationships with external agencies and are able to appropriately challenge others to ensure that children’s needs are being met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager. He is supported by a deputy manager and together they have established a culture of high nurture and clear expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are ambitious in their vision and goals for the service. They are united in their commitment to embedding a therapeutic model. Managers provide staff with clear guidance, while encouraging them to support each other. Staff are clear about their responsibilities and roles and work as a cohesive team to provide stability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are proactive in developing their own learning, and this is modelled to the team. During team meetings, staff consistently discuss the therapeutic model and how they have applied this in practice. Managers support staff in their development through regular, individual supervisions. However, supervisions are not consistently reflective. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that staff are developing their skills to meet the needs of the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has implemented effective systems to monitor and evaluate the care provided to children. Regular audits take place and there are monthly visits by an independent person. Consequently, the registered manager is able to identify opportunities to further develop the service. Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home is decorated, furnished and maintained to a good standard throughout and that carpets on the stairs and in the dining room are replaced, the living room is decorated to a high standard and fixtures in the bathrooms are replaced. 19 April 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that behaviour-management strategies are understood and applied by staff at all times and kept under review and revised as appropriate. This includes ensuring that risk-management plans reflect the current risk status of behaviours, and strategies used by staff to reduce these risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 6 experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: SC480678 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

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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

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 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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