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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1212704 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 owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in this home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is pending registration with Ofsted.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1212704 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2024 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good 26/01/2022 Full Good 13/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1212704 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with the manager and staff. Two children said that they feel safe and happy at the home. Children receive individualised care. The children’s plans are understood and followed by staff. Consequently, children make good progress in all aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers work effectively with education services, alongside therapeutic practitioners, to strengthen the support children receive to maintain attendance in education at both external and on-site provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff ensure that children’s views, wishes, and feelings are listened to and are central to their care planning. For example, one child has pets in the home, and the game room is being decorated as a make-up room. Both were requested by children and were actioned. This helps children to feel valued and have a sense of belonging. The quality of support offered to children is not always reflected in documents. This is a missed opportunity for staff to evidence experiences of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and attend routine medical appointments. Additional health needs are understood and responded to by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to keep in touch and see people who are important to them. Staff have formed good relationships with the children’s family members. This helps children to maintain their sense of identity and meaningful relationships with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved on from the home. The home offered the child support during the transition process, through visits to their new setting. Staff maintained contact after the move in line with the child’s wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has taken on board learning from previous placements that ended after short periods of time. This is demonstrated in safer acceptance of referrals for children joining the home, reducing disruption to other children already living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated and furnished to a good standard and is clean and tidy. The children have access to a large garden area. The home is maintained well and free from hazards. Maintenance to the property is planned to further strengthen the quality of the environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager advocates well for children and works closely with placing authorities when shortfalls arise to address and source the correct support to meet children’s emerging needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 1212704 4 One child is developing independence skills and spoke about how staff assist with this. Unfortunately, the efforts made by staff and the child to achieve independence tasks are not clearly documented or planned. This is a missed opportunity to demonstrate how staff support the independence of children and the progress the child is making.

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

The safety and welfare of children are at the centre of staff practice. This helps staff to keep children safe. Children’s risk management and positive support plans address their vulnerabilities, include clear strategies for staff to follow and are reviewed regularly. This is strengthened through input from trained therapists, who advise on the emotional needs of the children. This supports staff to understand the children’s risk- taking behaviours and take effective action to manage incidents.

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

Children share their positive experiences with staff and can identify who they would go to for support. Children know how to make a complaint and have a positive relationship with the manager. Children said they feel safe.

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

Staff receive training in safeguarding. This covers numerous risks faced by the children in their care, such as self-harm, online safety and managing crisis. Staff receive additional training to meet children’s emerging needs. Staff remain experienced and able to support children through challenging experiences. In one example, the manager led staff in learning from a challenging time for one child, leading to an informed and confident approach from staff in managing complex behaviours.

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

On occasions, children have left the home without permission. Staff followed missing- from-home protocols, worked with the police and actively searched for the children to ensure that they returned home safely. The children were offered independent return home interviews. This has resulted in a reduction of missing-from-home episodes.

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

There has been a reduction in the use of restraint in the home. Staff are skilled in de- escalating situations. This is achieved through training and the development of positive relationships with children.

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

Managers have oversight when physical intervention is used. Physical interventions are proportionate and necessary to keep children and staff safe. The manager has debriefed staff following these events and detailed the steps taken to avoid the use of restraint in future.

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

Children have been given consequences in response to their behaviour; however, these are not always restorative or effective in nature. Staff do not always understand the timeframe of their consequence. An example was one child having their phone removed and not being made aware of when it might be returned. This is a missed opportunity for the manager to review the effectiveness of consequences, take action to improve staff practice and to actively involve the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 1212704 5 Incidents are managed well, and all serious incidents are notified to Ofsted. This allows the regulator to have sufficient oversight and scrutiny. A therapist and on-site school head teacher who works with the children shared how staff know and understand the children. They can support children to settle and understand their emotional needs and responses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child centred. Children are familiar with the manager, who previously worked in the home before being promoted, fostering trust and continuity in care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager embraces a therapeutic approach to supporting the children and regularly consults therapeutic practitioners for advice and in the formulation of plans for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

After a period of staffing instability, the home has a stable team, offering continuity of care to children. Staff work well together, and children said they feel that all members of the team are approachable. One staff member said, ‘Staff have been welcoming. I didn’t know what to expect when I started. Staff have been good at sharing their knowledge. Managers have been supportive.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff understand the needs of children and are attuned to therapeutic practices and support to promote the best outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff members receive a thorough induction and training. Managers and staff have regular supervision, which provides strong staff well-being, reflection and support. The relationships and support offered by staff to children are not always reflected in their supervision records. This is a missed opportunity to acknowledge the positive work they complete and to reflect on how they can strengthen the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are trained, and the manager has enrolled those who require relevant qualifications within the required time frames. This promotes the knowledge and skill of the team to achieve the best outcomes and safe care for children. The manager and deputy manager have had their practice appraised. This has included feedback from professionals, staff and children, who all praise and welcome their leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback is gathered from professionals and family members to inform practice and promote the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has good monitoring systems in place. This helps managers to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the service. This means they can plan and take action to address any shortfalls. Inspection report for children’s home: 1212704 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have a clear independence plan and are supported to utilise their environment, such as us of the kitchen and laundry areas. (‘ Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.25)  The registered person should ensure that children are supported to express themselves as individuals and are given an appropriate degree of freedom and choice in relation to day-to-day arrangements for their care. Consequences given that would impede this must be clearly explained to children and be time limited. (‘ Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.21)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that all staff are suitably trained, and this is updated in accordance with their policy and guidance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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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: 1212704 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

Paul McKay-Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1212704 8 regulates and inspects 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 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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