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

Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 1 SC482517 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately run home provides care for up to four children aged between 11 and 17 years old with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since 1 July 2024 and has not yet applied to register with Ofsted. They are suitably experienced and hold the relevant qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/12/2021 Full Good 11/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 3

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improvement to be good

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. They were all spoken to during the inspection. Children say they are happy and that they feel safe. One child has recently returned to live in the home. They said they missed the staff and that the home is ‘much better now’.

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improvement to be good

The home environment continues to require improvement. It does not provide a comfortable home for children. There is a maintenance plan in place, however, repair and improvement are slow. The atmosphere is not inviting or welcoming for children. For example, there is a skip outside at the front of the home overloaded with old furniture. This looks unsightly and is directly outside one child’s bedroom. The back garden is also very overgrown and untidy.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not support children to attend important health appointments. One child missed an appointment in relation to their emotional well-being. The appointment had been arranged after an incident online. A member of staff supported the child to report this to the police. However, the staff member was not known to the child. This did not provide the child with reassurance and comfort at a difficult time.

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improvement to be good

Staff make efforts to engage children in education, but this is ineffective. Only one child is currently receiving formal education. Other children frequently spend unauthorised time away from the home. One of them frequently goes missing. This is having an impact on their education. The other child has had three employments since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff form positive relationships with children. Children confide in them about their worries for the future. Children said that they trust staff ‘to do what they say they will do’. Overall, children feel listened to. One social worker said, ‘They [staff] have been able to capture their [the child’s] voice, when I have not been able to.’ As a result, children are able to contribute to decision-making about their future.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children stay in touch with people who are important to them. One child’s sibling has started to visit them in the home. This has contributed to a very recent reduction in incidents of the child going missing.

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improvement to be good

Children have positive relationships with one another. They share with staff any worries they have about each other. This helps staff to take action quickly to ensure that children are safe. Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 4

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improvement to be good

Overall, risk assessments outline children’s risks and needs. However, they are not updated after incidents and some risks are not relevant. This means that staff are not provided with the most up-to-date information to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff occasionally lone work, which is not always adequately risk assessed. Sometimes staff make decisions in isolation which are not safe. They do not always seek advice and guidance from a manager when incidents occur out of hours. In one incident, staff found that a child appeared to be intoxicated. They did not seek advice from a manager and left the child alone. This led to a delay in the child receiving medical attention. Managers have now implemented new guidance for staff in using the on-call system.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not implement consistent boundaries. This has led to children feeling upset and frustrated. During one incident, staff were threatening in their approach towards a child. The child then went missing. When they returned, staff spoke to the child, who felt frustrated and not listened to. This was due to staff changing the boundaries about their gaming time.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not record children’s incidents accurately. In one serious incident, a child accessed the keys to the home’s car and drove it. The record of this incident contains some discrepancies. This had the potential to compromise the manager’s oversight of the incident. Managers took action, albeit delayed, to prevent the incident reoccurring.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not notified Ofsted of all serious events. When they have done so, notification has, at times, been late. This compromises the external oversight of safeguarding practice in the home.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, managers and staff do all they can to locate them. They search the places children are known to go and contact their family and friends. When children are missing through the night, staff attempt to maintain contact. Staff also liaise with external agencies such as the police and the local authority. This helps to locate children as soon as possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes of manager. Since the registered manager left, there have been two new managers. The home’s current manager started in July 2024. Children, staff and external professionals are positive about the recent changes in the home. Professionals already describe a marked improvement, particularly in communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

New staff are not trained in the home’s model of care. As a result, they do not have the skills to respond to children’s needs, because they do not understand them. This exacerbates children’s feelings of frustration. Managers have a plan in place to prioritise this training. Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 5 The staff team is stabilising. There is an experienced deputy manager. Professionals say that some staff are excellent and go over and above in their care for children. This has helped professionals to maintain their relationships with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers are aware of the areas for development in the home. They have started to implement an action plan to address them. There is a focus on reviewing systems and processes, staff development and training. This remains a work in progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers, including the responsible individual, are good advocates for children. They escalate any delay in children’s care plans progressing, or when there are concerns about the performance of placing authorities in general. This ensures that decision-making is in children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have effective monitoring systems in place. They identify shortfalls, including in the management of the home and staff practice, and take swift action to rectify them. Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 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 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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;

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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)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that improvements to the home environment are completed in a timely manner. This includes the external areas as well internal areas of the home. 28 September 2024 Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 7 The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the effectiveness of children’s education plans is frequently reviewed. Alternative measures must be considered and implemented, to work towards children receiving an education. 28 September 2024

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are supported to attend all health appointments, particularly in relation to their emotional and mental well-being. 28 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— 28 September 2024 Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 8 mutual respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children understand the expectations of behaviour in the home and that managers and staff implement appropriate and consistent boundaries. This includes when children are online gaming and when they are interacting with one another.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that staff— 28 September 2024 Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 9 assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s risk assessments contain accurate and up-to-date information. Managers must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities when keeping children safe. Managers must also ensure that staff are consistently following the out-of-hours procedure.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they consistently inform Ofsted promptly of notifiable incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that training in relation to the home’s model of care is prioritised for new staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC482517 10

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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, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC482517 11 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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