Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2765128 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024. This is the home’s first full inspection since registration.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. All three children spoke to the inspector about their experiences living in the home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2765128 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like living in this home. Since the home registered, three children have moved into the home and are settled. Children have been helped to move into the home in a planned way. One child moved to the home with the whole staff team from another of the provider’s homes, and this has provided them with consistent care.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well furnished and beautifully decorated throughout. Children have decorated and personalised their bedrooms to reflect their own tastes.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand each child’s health and well-being needs well. Children can access specialist therapeutic support to meet their needs. Therapists help with assessments and risk management plans and provide individual sessions when needed. They also attend team meetings to ensure staff understand how to help children.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is important to staff and children. Two children have finished high school and are about to start college. One child who was unable to attend mainstream school received tutoring and took their GCSEs, with daily educational activities included in their routine.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to experience a range of social opportunities. This includes going to the gym, swimming and shopping. One child is interested in trains and staff take them train spotting. Taking part in a wide range of activities helps children to build their self-esteem and confidence.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from actively taking part in and contributing to regular key-work sessions and consultations with staff. These sessions provide opportunities for children to reflect on their behaviour and discuss any concerns or worries they may have. This process helps them to engage meaningfully with their care and promotes their emotional well-being and personal development.

p.2

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

All three children say that they feel safe living in the home. Staff have been able to develop positive relationships with children through using the home’s therapeutic approach. This approach was developed with the staff team before their move across from another home in the provider group.

p.2

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

Staff have a comprehensive understanding of each child and develop detailed plans that identify children’s strengths and vulnerabilities. The organisation’s therapeutic team contribute to these plans so that a thorough understanding of children can be developed and tailored support offered. Children have three key workers, which means one key worker will be on every shift. This enables children and staff to Inspection report for children’s home: 2765128 3 develop a good understanding of each other and staff to offer good personalised care and support.

p.2

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

Children feel confident to raise concerns and complaints. The manager listens and acts in accordance with the procedures in place. A complaint from one child about another was acted on and taken seriously. Mediation was used to resolve the issue.

p.3

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

Children do not go missing from this home and physical restraint is not used. However, staff understand the procedures to follow if these issues arise. Staff use their therapeutic skills to build relationships and help children understand their emotions. This means children feel that they are in a safe space to explore their feelings.

p.3

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

Health and safety in the home is well maintained, particularly with the implementation of a new system for food storage. This system ensures that all food items are properly labelled and stored. The children have been involved in organising this and it will help them as they move to semi-independence.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have completed mandatory training in line with their roles. One child moved into the home despite their primary needs being outside the provider’s conditions of registration. This is something that the provider has taken swift action to address, and staff have completed relevant training to be able to look after the child, which means they can meet the child’s needs.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated, child-focused manager and deputy. The managers both hold a level 5 diploma. They have good oversight of the home and a good understanding of children’s needs.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the management team. They receive regular reflective and informative supervision. Additionally, they can access the therapeutic team, allowing them to explore their feelings and reflect further on the work with children. Annual appraisals include contributions from children, staff and external professionals.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and are a place for staff to share practice and identify ideas and areas for improvement and an opportunity to consider the needs of the children. Team meeting minutes need to be clear on when the therapeutic team attend and their input, as this is outlined in the statement of purpose.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses internal and external monitoring of the home effectively. This is supported by audits from the responsible individual. The management team has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. There was an oversight relating to the register of children not meeting regulation. This was rectified during the inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2765128 4 Social workers, education professionals and other professionals said that the management team provides effective and regular updates. This keeps all professionals involved with children fully informed about their children’s progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2765128 5

p.3

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the certificate of registration reflects the needs of children who live in the home. 27 August 2024

p.5

Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure the register of children is kept in line with regulation. 27 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2765128 6

p.5

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: 2765128 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1 Tustin Court, Riversway, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

p.7

Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2765128 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8