Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2636991 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 by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who have experienced childhood trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024 and is suitably qualified. She has worked in the home for over three years.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2636991 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2024 Full Outstanding 11/01/2023 Full Outstanding 25/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2636991 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The registered manager and the staff team are inspiring. Children are at the heart of everything they do. This starts in the home’s statement of purpose, which begins with a pledge from the manager to all children. Children come first and the manager embeds this in every aspect of care they receive. Children who live in this home feel loved, valued and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One child lives in the home and has recently moved in. The child was spoken to as part of this inspection. In the short time the child has lived here, the team has developed a considerable understanding of the child’s needs. Effective strategies are in place to support the child to feel safe. The child receives exceptional care from a dedicated and resolute team. The child said they like living in the home and described the home ‘good’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home. One of them lives with a complex diagnosis. Staff helped the child to manage this safely, which reduced periods of crisis. The child now lives independently and manages their own health needs. The child said when they lived at the home they felt like a normal teenager. Children who live in this home experience stability and feel loved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff prioritise the child’s physical and emotional health needs. They advocate for specialist support when needed. The company provides psychological support to the child and staff. The psychologist provides staff with purposeful advice and strategies to successfully support the child. This is helping to support the child’s complex social and emotional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff enable the child to participate in every aspect of their day-to-day experiences. Staff recognise the importance of the child’s voice being heard. Consultation with the child is excellent. Staff encourage the child to express their wishes and feelings in a variety of ways. Positive praise and letters to the child are consistently recorded. This will contribute to the child’s understanding of their life story as they grow, helping them to develop a positive sense of their identity. The manager ensures that professionals understand the child’s views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have high aspirations for the child and strongly encourage education. The manager adapts and develops bespoke education plans. This includes a variety of learning environments. Education plans were quickly implemented for the child when they moved into the home. The manager was proactive in ensuring that education was available to them. The child’s engagement in education has increased from their starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage the child to enjoy a variety of activities in the home and the community. Activities include cooking, ice skating, shopping and swimming. Some of these experiences are new to the child. Sharing activities is aiding the child’s relationship with Inspection report for children’s home: 2636991 4 staff and encouraging social interaction. This is improving the child’s self-esteem and allowing them to form positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff assist the child to reconnect with people who are important to them. Staff form positive relationships with family members. They safely support the child to spend time with their family even though this is some distance away. Staff stay in the vicinity so that they are nearby to support if needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is well decorated and maintained. It provides a warm, tranquil and nurturing environment. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed. The manager spoke with the child about their likes and dislikes before they moved into the home. The child was able to personalise their bedroom before they moved in. This helped the child to feel a sense of inclusion and belonging.

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

The registered manager and staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Their behaviour management strategies are cohesive and creative. Incident reports indicate a varied use of de-escalation measures. Staff naturally adapt their practice accordingly to mitigate risk. They identify triggers and are proactive to reduce any distress for the child. This helps the child to build trust in staff and to feel safe.

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

The manager is, without question, committed to the child. She is highly skilled and embeds professional curiosity in her practice. When concerns arise, they are thoroughly explored and used to inform future practice. The manager goes over and above to advocate for the child to gain optimum outcomes. Whether or not understood by the child, their safety is always prioritised.

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

The manager works flexibly. She is motivated to achieve the best possible outcomes for the child. She works collaboratively with other professionals to ensure that the child receives the right care and support. The child’s social worker said that the manager and staff go above and beyond in their support for the child. Other professionals gave unanimous positive feedback.

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

The child receives good help and support. Staff are extremely child focused and have an excellent understanding of the child’s needs. Staff communicate with the child in non- verbal ways, which provides them with reassurance. They also recognise how the child may behave when they are feeling frustrated or upset. Staff respond with empathy and consistency, irrespective of behaviour which may present as a challenge for them.

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

The manager and staff strongly support positive behaviour with consistency. They provide the child with clear and consistent rules and boundaries which reflect the child’s age and understanding. This is helping the child to settle in, and incidents are reducing.

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

Records are meticulous with extremely detailed risk assessments and safety plans. They provide staff with clear guidance to follow to keep the child safe. Plans are updated Inspection report for children’s home: 2636991 5 following each incident so that they remain purposeful. Recently, two serious incidents have occurred. The child’s behaviour escalated and concluded with staff calling the police. Incident reports detail the action taken to keep the child safe. However, one incident report did not contain a significant detail. This did not have an impact on the child’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is an inspiration and an excellent role model. Staff describe her as ‘caring’, ‘compassionate’, ‘knowledgeable’ and ‘supportive’. She is incredibly resilient and dedicated. The manager advocates for the child’s needs relentlessly. She escalates when necessary and to the highest level to ensure that the child’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The child receives care from a stable, cohesive, committed and resilient staff team. Staff are highly motivated and respond effectively to the unexpected. Despite recent unsettlement in the home, staff remain committed. They are child focused and attuned to the child’s needs. They are gentle in their approach to keeping the child safe. They do so with empathy despite the complexity of the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides staff with detailed guidance. They underpin this with research and legislation. This enhances the quality of care the child receives. The manager provides staff with clear expectations about high standards of care and does not settle for anything less.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager pays attention to detail. She understands the child’s needs and models healthy parenting. This helps staff to understand the manager’s expectation of high- quality care. This also supports positive relationships between the child and their family members.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s monitoring systems are excellent. Any shortfalls, of which there are few, the manager rectifies quickly. The manager thrives on constructive feedback, which helps her to strive for continuous improvement. She routinely seeks feedback from children and professionals, including after children leave. This aids reflection and further improves practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager carries out regular supervision sessions with staff. Reflective practice is at the core of what they do. Before a child moves in, the manager uses the home’s model of care to consider with staff what skills are needed to support them, such as providing routine, structure and consistency. They also consider any diagnoses. Staff are expected to keep reflective journals. This helps them to reflect, change and adapt their practice to meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that staff have a thorough and lengthy induction. She prioritises staff investing in their relationships with children. Staff spend quality time getting to know children above all else. This helps staff to form trusting relationships with them. Children view staff as family. This helps them to feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636991 6 No requirements or recommendations have been made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636991 7

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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: 2636991 8

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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: Hexagon Care, 1 Tustin Court, Port Way, Ashton-on- Ribble, Preston PR2 2YQ

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Inspectors

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Latoya Morgan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2636991 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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