Children's Home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 1 SC480678 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 home is owned by a private provider and provides care for up to five children of the same gender who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were five children living in the home. Four children living in the home spoke to the inspectors about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 12 September 2016.

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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 outstanding

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2024

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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: SC480678 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2024 Full Good 04/01/2023 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Good 10/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This children’s home provides an effective safe and supportive environment, where children make good progress. The team’s nurturing approach provides stability and structure that allows children to develop their confidence and build positive routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff members build positive and respectful relationships with children. The dedication of staff to creating a positive rapport contributes significantly to the children’s overall experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive personalised care that is tailored to meet their individual needs and promote their well-being. This person-centred approach helps children with their specific needs and ensures consistency in children’s lives. This leads to positive outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is recognised as a key priority for children, and they are supported to attend school, college, or other learning environments full time. Staff work closely with educational providers to ensure that children have access to appropriate learning opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are actively listened to and considered in decisions that affect their lives. This commitment to children’s participation was demonstrated well when one child was clear about who they wanted to attend their meetings. This approach shows how children can have ownership over decisions that affect their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Records for one child who has left the home were not kept in a good order. There were limited records of decision-making, and the work undertaken to support the child’s transition into and out of the home made it difficult to understand the child’s journey.

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

Staff and the management team demonstrate an outstanding safeguarding culture, ensuring that children feel exceptionally safe and secure. Proactive risk management strategies create an environment where children believe they are safe and can excel. Children express a sense of security, knowing that their well-being is at the centre of the staff and management team.

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

Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of safeguarding procedures and respond appropriately to any concerns raised. This ensures that children are protected from harm. The staff have clear communication with each other, which enables effective responses to potential safeguarding issues.

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

Children are empowered to make positive choices, which has led to a reduction in missing-from-care episodes and times when children need to be physically held to keep Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 4 themselves safe. Staff equip children with the knowledge and skills they need to process potential risks through well-thought-out discussions. This helps children to develop in their independence and resilience as they move towards adulthood.

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

Staff receive highly effective training to identify and respond to risks. This means that children receive the appropriate support they need to stay safe. This commitment to continuous professional development equips staff with the expertise to recognise and address complex safeguarding issues, ensuring children’s well-being is prioritised.

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

Staff use research effectively in order to inform their work and identify innovative ways of working with children. This evidence-based approach ensures that safeguarding strategies are continuously refined and tailored to meet the individual needs of each child. This research is embedded throughout the records.

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

Children feel they are given the right advice to help them succeed in life and to feel safe. Staff empower children to make choices, providing them with the guidance and support they need to build a positive future and achieve their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers demonstrate a strong commitment to providing excellent care which enriches the lives of children. Their dedication is reflected in their proactive approach to problem- solving and their focus on achieving positive outcomes for each child. They set high standards and work diligently to ensure they are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular targeted training that helps them meet the needs of children. This enhances their skills and confidence, which leads to improved care and a more stable environment for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A culture of continuous improvement is evident throughout the home. Leaders actively seek and respond to feedback from all stakeholders, including staff, children, and external agencies. This ensures that the home remains adaptable and implements best practices, consistently striving to enhance the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems for monitoring progress and outcomes. This systematic approach ensures that children’s progress is tracked. However, some of the children’s records on restraint were missing some key details and on another occasion a child was spoken to by a member of staff who witnessed the hold. This does not provide an independent layer of scrutiny or assurance to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported and listened to. However, supervision is not always used effectively by the manager. This means that not all staff are receiving support and guidance to review and reflect on their practice. The manager is currently undertaking all supervision sessions and has a plan to delegate to other staff imminently. Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.2).  The registered person should ensure that children are actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.6).  The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is given

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Recommendations

the opportunity express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60).

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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: SC480678 6

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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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Inspectors

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC480678 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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