Children's Home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509365 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with both children during the inspection.

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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 outstanding

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2023

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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: 2509365 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 05/01/2022 Full Good 11/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2509365 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and stable home environment. They receive a warm welcome when they come to live in the home, and staff enable them to give personal touches to their bedrooms. Staff support children to have a say in how they celebrate important events in the home. Children also help with shopping and planning meals. This helps them to develop a good sense of belonging and it strengthens independence skills for the older children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have warm and close relationships with staff. They talk about them being like family. Staff have worked hard to gain the children’s trust and they model good relationships. This friendly and nurturing environment enables children to live in the home for a long length of time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff receive bespoke training to help them meet children’s individual care plans. They work with the home’s therapy team, which provides valuable insights into the therapeutic model of parenting the home uses. As a result, children are enabled to overcome health- related issues with confidence that staff will remain sensitive and compassionate. Children receive good quality of care and attention to their emotional and physical health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is a strong focus for staff. Staff provide robust assistance for one child who now attends college and has a part-time job. In addition, staff work closely with schools to ensure that children with additional needs receive the help and support they need. Staff help children to participate with their independence plan to ensure a successful experience when they move out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to attend social activities. Staff celebrate and promote the children’s interests. Staff take photos of children’s activities and achievements and share these with their parents. This has created positive relationships with parents, who speak highly of the staff’s commitment to providing good care to the children and supporting family time. Neighbours speak positively about the interactions they see between children and staff.

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

Children say that they feel safe and happy. They know how to make complaints, but they have not had to because they have strong and positive relationships with staff, which enables them to share their feelings and views. One child who moved on from the home wrote very positive feedback about the time that they spent living in the home and the strategies they have taken with them. This makes children feel valued and supported.

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

When children move into the home, the manager carries out a thorough risk assessment to ensure that children can live safely together. However, the manager did not fully Inspection report for children’s home: 2509365 4 update one child’s risk assessment nor was it fully reflected in the children’s safety plans. In addition, the manager did not record one specific issue in a way that would be helpful to the child. Furthermore, staff were not clear about the details of the risk assessment. This lack of clarity does not help staff to provide clear and consistent risk management of that specific issue.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. Staff maintain up-to-date missing-from-care protocols which provide helpful information about the children if they go missing. Staff have a plan to support one child to enjoy free time. Risk assessments of the environment and personal safety are carried out with the child, which helps to keep the child safe.

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

Children are rarely held or guided. Staff are skilled and are well trained to use the home’s model of therapeutic parenting, which means that staff are constantly promoting positive behaviours. As a result, children do not receive consequences, and staff give rewards through praise and going out for meals. This approach helps the children to talk about their feelings and reflect on their actions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a good understanding of the children and their individual needs. The manager understands the strengths of his staff and he is inspirational about the areas of development for the home. The manager promotes children’s participation through direct work, children’s meetings, and one-to-one discussions. This ensures that staff consider the views of the children in everything they do, including in staff team meetings, which are held regularly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager shares an ambitious vision for the home and is very enthusiastic that staff promote the best interests of the children. He creates a culture of positivity and high aspiration for staff to improve the lives of the children. The manager has been proactive in developing tools for children and staff. He leads by example. For example, he has developed an equality and diversity tool. This ensures that the diversity needs of the children are known and met. In addition, the manager has developed a new children’s guide that includes a link to a virtual tour of the home. This helps children moving into the home to get a good picture of what the home looks like.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring and reviewing systems are robust and effective. The manager seeks independent scrutiny of the home and makes good use of recommendations made by the independent visitor. Leaders and managers advocate for the children and rigorously escalate shortfalls to external professionals. The manager enables staff to express their opinions about new children moving to the home, and staff give contributions to the running of the home. This helps to maintain a stable and happy workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals speak highly of the good care that children receive from staff. One professional said that the child can describe every member of staff, which shows that the child knows who cares for them. Professionals say that staff provide consistent parenting, they listen to children and allow them to process what staff teach them. The manager has developed good working relationships with professional agencies and Inspection report for children’s home: 2509365 5 schools to ensure the best possible care and experiences for children. Professionals and staff say that this is like a family home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager recruits safely to the home and there are no vacant posts. Staff say that they receive an intensive induction and training package. Staff receive regular supervision where they reflect on their practice and the progress children make. Staff say that they are happy with the support from their leaders and managers. The manager is enthusiastic about staff’s well-being, and it is a strong focus of supervision. The manager ensures that leaders who carry out supervision have received sufficient training. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509365 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. This relates to the registered manager ensuring that children’s records are updated and that staff have full knowledge of children’s risk assessments and safety plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

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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: 2509365 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

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509365 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 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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