Children's Home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home: 1269215 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 three children who experience a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1269215 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/08/2022 Full Good 26/05/2021 Full Good 14/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1269215 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at this home and benefit from nurturing, trusting relationships with staff. The individual needs, risks and vulnerabilities of the children are known and understood by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children contribute to the decor of the home in the general living areas and their own bedrooms. The result is a warm, welcoming home that helps to build children’s sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is supported and progress can be seen for the children who attend the in- house school and mainstream education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered in-house therapy to meet their individual needs. While the level of engagement in sessions is varied, the therapists also work with the staff team to provide children with an integrated, holistic approach. This helps and supports children’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions offer guidance and learning to children in specific areas, such as managing their own stresses or anxieties and peer pressure. This offers children a safe environment in which to explore their thoughts and feelings while learning new and effective ways of dealing with issues. A parent described how their child has made ‘amazing progress’ since coming to live at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite the rural location of the home, staff offer a wide range of activities on an ad hoc basis and as weekly hobbies and interests. There are lots of photos around the home that show children enjoying their time in the community. This helps children to build self-esteem and develop friendship with others their own age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have meaningful relationships with their family and the people who are important to them. When these relationships have been disrupted, the staff work hard to help children repair these relationships, recognising their importance in the children’s lives.

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

Children’s care plans and risk management plans are updated regularly with clear guidance for staff on how best to support children.

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

Children say that they feel safe and protected. They have developed trust in the staff who care for them. Children describe staff as ‘approachable’ and can identify a person on the team who they feel they can confide in. This enables children to share any worries or fears they may have. Inspection report for children’s home: 1269215 4 Behaviour is well managed in the home. The model of practice has helped staff to take a rewards and incentives approach to managing behaviour rather than a punitive consequences approach. This has resulted in a reduction of incidents of self-injurious behaviour and episodes of children going missing from the home.

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

Incidents are well recorded and monitored by the management team. However, some records are disjointed as they do not state how staff respond to concerns. This response can be found in other records, but there is little or no information, or signposting, to assist staff in knowing what has happened as a result. At times, the language used in records is jargonistic.

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

Children do not often go missing from the home. However, when they do, staff are aware of the protocols to follow and make great efforts to look for children and return them home as quickly as possible. Room searches are carried out during these times, as well as other times of concern, to monitor for the presence of any self-injurious behaviour. Records state if children are present. However, they do not indicate who has informed the child that the search has taken place if they are not present.

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

Records show that when children have been reported as missing from the home, these periods have not been for any great length of time. On their return, discussions have taken place with children to try and find out why they went missing and to offer different strategies to deal with the emotions felt at the time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is knowledgeable and child focused in her approach. She is supported by an equally effective deputy. Together, they provide a strong management team and understand the strengths and areas for development in the home. They have high aspirations to provide consistency to children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the management team. They are encouraged to reflect on their own behaviour, as well as that of others in the team, and children, to help ensure a consistent level of care. Whistle-blowing procedures are well understood by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are suitably qualified or are working towards relevant qualifications. There is a culture of positivity in relation to training, where staff talk of its value in enabling them to carry out their role. There is a training programme in place that uses face-to-face and online training opportunities to meet the complex needs of the children. However, for some staff, their training in key behaviours of the children has not taken place for some time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff receive regular and effective supervision. This is supported by regular team meetings that also involve the in-house therapeutic team. This helps with the consistency of practice by staff in managing the complex needs of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1269215 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 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have up-to-date training in managing self-injurious behaviour. 1 November 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

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records include follow-up actions, where relevant, and that the language used in records is not jargonistic. 1 September 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff record who has spoken to the child following a room search if the child is not present or is unaware that the search is taking place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20) Inspection report for children’s home: 1269215 6

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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: 1269215 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, Lancashire PR2 2YQ

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Inspector

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1269215 8 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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