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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482683 1 SC482683 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties as a result of experiencing childhood trauma. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home, and inspectors spoke with both.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an experienced manager in post.

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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

Date of last inspection: 15 October 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC482683 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC482683 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a home that is warm, welcoming and decorated to a high standard. The environment is clean and tidy, with personalised touches throughout, including photos of the children and staff and a variety of games and activities that promote enjoyment and engagement. Children’s bedrooms are highly individualised, reflecting their interests, achievements and important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about their experiences in the home. Both children rated the home 10 out of 10 and described staff as ‘amazing’. One child said, ‘It is hard being a kid in care. But I feel like the staff here treat you as your own family. I feel like all the staff, they are all brilliant, I haven’t got anything negative to say about the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care of children is well informed because staff are guided by clear plans. Staff regularly have conversations with children on important topics. These conversations support children to be healthier and safer and promote their education and important relationships. Because of this, children are making good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build trusting relationships with children’s families, which helps children to feel safe and settled in the home. Staff and managers actively promote and maintain children’s relationships with their families. Where appropriate, family members visit the home and take part in events, such as barbeques. One family member said, ‘I am thankful for the home for looking after him. He gets on well with the staff and the kids. And for me to say stuff like that, because I can’t have him home with me, it takes a lot. I have admiration for the staff there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective partnership working underpins children’s progress. Professionals identify the staff’s understanding of children, their strong communication and advocacy as particular strengths. They speak about the home providing children with stability, which allows children to flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is prioritised. Staff collaborate closely with schools, resulting in improved attendance, engagement and achievement. Both children, who at the last inspection were not in full-time education, now are.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff have demonstrated persistence and sensitivity in supporting one child to engage with immunisations, which are now up to date, when previously they had not been for some time. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482683 4

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

Children are kept safe by staff who understand the risks they face and how to manage them. Risks external to the home are well assessed. Effective partnership working and information-sharing help protect children from harm.

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

Children rarely go missing because they like living in the home and enjoy positive relationships with staff. Since the last inspection, there have been two incidents of unauthorised absence. On both occasions, staff maintained contact with the child, visited them and worked with other adults to ensure their safe return.

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

Behaviour is managed through restorative and proportionate approaches. Children are supported to repair relationships and reflect on their actions. Their achievements and positive behaviour are celebrated, contributing to a calm and settled environment.

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

Children rarely make allegations, but when they do, managers take them seriously. Since the last inspection, there has been one allegation made against a member of staff. The manager took prompt, appropriate action to ensure that both children and staff were safe.

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

Because of the positive relationships children share with staff, and because staff are skilled in de-escalation, incidents of children having to be held are rare. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident of a child being held to keep them safe. The use of the intervention was necessary and proportionate. Management oversight was evident, but some learning from the incident was not recorded or reflected in the child’s plans. This undermines the staff’s ability to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are committed to providing good care for children. They have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development and a clear vision of how to improve care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is robust and supports a learning culture. Staff receive training relevant to children’s needs, ensuring they are well equipped to provide high- quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report high levels of satisfaction and support. They describe managers as approachable, invested and emotionally supportive. One staff member said, ‘The manager and deputy are invested in the home, the staff and both boys. This has led to a warm, caring environment that has been beneficial to all.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Because staff enjoy working in the home and feel supported, children benefit from a stable staff team. When staff have left the home, managers have ensured that children have been well supported. Staff have sat with children and explained their Inspection report for children’s home: SC482683 5 reasons for leaving, and children have had opportunities to celebrate staff’s endings in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482683 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC482683 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

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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

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Sharonpreet Kaur, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC482683 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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