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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2663174 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates this home, which provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. Both children were spoken with.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2663174 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2024 Full Good 14/11/2023 Full Good 04/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2663174 3

p.2

outstanding

Children have made substantial progress since they moved to the home. This has been achieved through consistent staff practice and by ensuring that strong structure and boundaries are in place. Staff are highly skilled at relational and child-focused practice, and they are patient, empathetic and caring towards the children. Staff make children feel seen, valued and loved.

p.3

outstanding

Staff are committed to building and maintaining positive relationships with the children. They use therapeutic practice to cement their understanding of the children’s needs, which is then embedded into the children’s care. Staff collaborate closely with an in-house therapeutic practitioner to develop excellent practice, share information and support children to progress according to their care plans.

p.3

outstanding

Education for children is a priority of all staff, and children are making progress in education. When there are identified concerns at school, the manager strives to understand the reasons behind them and consults with educational professionals to best support the needs of each child. The manager promotes and maintains regular communication with education providers. This ensures that the children remain in the right settings that meet their needs and that they are well understood and supported. Staff bridge any gaps in education with in-house tuition and vocational input to ensure that children remain in a consistent routine and have positive experiences of learning.

p.3

outstanding

Since the last inspection, children have moved out of the home. These moves have all been extremely well planned and were successful in meeting the wishes and needs of each child. Staff have ensured that each child has had a positive ending, creating lasting memories and keepsakes from their time in the home. Children stay in touch after they move on, with one child saying, ‘The home was a dream, I really enjoyed it. Staff were great.’

p.3

outstanding

Professionals and parents speak highly and positively about the care each child receives. They highlighted the prominent levels of staff support and the staff’s deep understanding of the children’s emotional needs. One professional said, ‘It is the best children’s home that I have ever worked with. The level of support each member of staff provides to us, and the children, is unparalleled.’

p.3

outstanding

The home is warm and welcoming. Staff have worked hard to create a nurturing and homely environment that prioritises the children’s needs. However, the back garden was unkempt and in need of maintenance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2663174 4

p.3

outstanding

The way staff approach safeguarding the children is exceptional. Children’s emotional and behavioural needs are pivotal to the way that staff respond. Staff have a forensic understanding of the required responses to keep children safe, and these are in line with children’s individual care plans and assessments. Policies and procedures are also applied effectively, and staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities.

p.4

outstanding

Models of practice and approaches are deeply embedded within staff practice. There is a shared understanding and ethos among the staff that is articulated and evidenced in recordings. Staff’s approaches with children are child focused, consistent and cohesive. The recording of incidents is thorough and detailed. Any incidents are thoroughly triangulated, with the views of children and staff providing additional depth and understanding. The oversight and scrutiny from managers add further reflections and assurances into staff practice. These overviews also identify any learning or areas of practice for development.

p.4

outstanding

Children sometimes go missing from the home, although not very often. When this happens, staff take swift action to locate them and involve appropriate agencies when necessary. Staff follow children’s individual missing-from-home protocols and engage children in reflective discussions when they return home. This is to try and understand why the child went missing and support them to reduce the risk of this happening again. Children are offered independent return home interviews every time they go missing.

p.4

outstanding

Children are making excellent progress in the home. Staff talk about children with warmth and regard, and by using a trauma-informed response, they can recognise why children are presenting with challenging or increased risk-taking behaviours. Unconditional positive regard, ongoing assurances and positive encouragement ensure that children feel valued and loved.

p.4

outstanding

There have been no allegations or complaints made by children since the last inspection Recordings and conversations with children clearly identify that they are aware of how to make a complaint, and this is regularly revisited with each child following any incident. This ensures that each child’s voice is represented and ensures they are taken seriously and listened to.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is tenacious, committed and devoted to the staff and children at the home. The manager has the children’s best interests at the centre of their practice. The manager regularly spends time with the children; they know them well and the children know the manager. This gives the manager strong oversight of the progress being made by each child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2663174 5 The manager has identified the potential impact of recent changes to the staff team on the children. Established staff have left the home, and this has created some issues around staff sufficiency. To ensure safe staffing levels for the children, leaders and managers have ensured that a child will not move into the home until the staff team is at full capacity.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works hard to give children a voice and for them to have a say in their care. The manager advocates emphatically on behalf of the children and ensures that the correct services are in place for them. Staff also support and advise other professionals on how they can best meet the needs of each child.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions and appraisals are effective. Supervision sessions focus on staff development, include practice reflection and prioritise the children in discussions. They provide staff with the opportunity to improve their practice so they can achieve the best care, support and outcomes for the children. Team meetings are also reflective, child focused and meaningful. The manager uses meetings as an opportunity to enhance staff’s knowledge and ensure consistent practice is in place.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s audits and monitoring systems are highly effective. The manager has created their own systems that work in conjunction with the provider’s standard system. This has ensured that there are no gaps in care planning and that leaders and managers have strong oversight of the progress of the children and staff practice. Staff quickly address any needs or concerns identified by the manager’s monitoring. Inspection report for children’s home: 2663174 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should provide a nurturing environment that is homely. In particular, they should ensure that the inside and outside of the property are well maintained and tidy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.6

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: 2663174 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Tustin Court, Port Way, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 2YQ

p.7

Inspectors

Deirdre Silkstone, Social Care Inspector (lead) Rachel Fairhurst, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2663174 8 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8