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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1236771 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. They spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 29 October 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1236771 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2024 Full Good 20/02/2024 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1236771 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived in the home for nearly four years. They like living there and have a strong sense of belonging. Relationships between staff and the child are positive. The child feels comfortable talking to staff and said that they feel heard.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two of the children who have left the home since the last inspection had incredibly positive experiences of moving on. Staff helped children to prepare to leave and ensured that they had the right support in place. Children visited their new homes with staff beforehand.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child with their education. They advocated for the child to find appropriate education provision to meet their needs. The child had not attended school for some time and is now actively involved in learning and making progress. They have recently passed exams in English and maths and proudly display their certificates in the home. The child’s achievements are celebrated and rewarded.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is in good health. Staff encourage and support the child to attend all health appointments. They promote healthy eating and support the child to learn how to prepare and cook nutritious meals. The child is being supported to learn other life skills to help prepare them for their imminent move into more independent living.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff have developed positive relationships with family members and communicate with them regularly. The child’s parent said, ‘[Name of child] is happy there. The staff support and understand them. They always keep in touch with me.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child takes part in some activities inside and outside of the home, such as gaming and go-karting, which they enjoy. However, the range and frequency of planned activities is limited.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in a spacious home that is welcoming and homely. The home is well maintained and has recently benefited from new furniture in children’s bedrooms and a refurbished shower room. The child’s bedroom is well furnished and personalised according to their tastes.

p.3

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

The child says that they feel safe. Their risks and vulnerabilities are known and understood by staff. Their risk and behaviour management plans are personalised. However, some of the information is out of date and there is not a system in place to monitor the child’s internet and social media usage, which is an area of high risk. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236771 4 Positive behaviour is consistently promoted in the home. The child is clear about the boundaries and expectations in place. They receive help and support to understand and manage their feelings and expectations. Staff appropriately challenge behaviours when needed. Regular discussions take place with the child about topics that are relevant to them and their age and stage of development.

p.3

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

The child does not go missing from the home and staff have not needed to hold the child to keep them or others safe. This indicates that the child feels settled, safe and secure.

p.4

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

The manager has advocated tirelessly to find appropriate specialist support from external agencies to help manage risks for the benefit of the child.

p.4

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

The child is encouraged and supported to take age-appropriate risks to help them develop their independence skills and confidence.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place to ensure that only adults who are safe to work with children are employed in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced, knowledgeable and caring. She promotes a therapeutic and nurturing culture in the home. The manager prioritises the child’s welfare and is a strong advocate for them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively and effectively with other agencies and professionals. One social care professional said that her experience of working with the home is positive and the manager and staff are responsive and reliable.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff team meetings and supervision sessions are regular and effective. They focus on the child’s well-being and progress and provide opportunities to reflect on practice. The management team encourages staff to learn from incidents to develop and improve practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several changes to the staff team since the last inspection. The manager has ensured that sufficient staffing has been in place to meet the needs of the children living in the home. Swift action has been taken to fill any recruitment gaps.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided to the child. She is organised and has systems in place to help track patterns and progress. This enables her to understand the home’s strengths and areas for development. Her oversight of the home ensures that ongoing improvements are made. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236771 5

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that risks in relation to internet and social media usage are monitored and addressed. 16 October 2025

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s risk and behaviour management plans are kept up to date. (Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with structure and routine, which include taking part in regular activities both inside and outside of the home. (Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 1236771 6

p.5

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: 1236771 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Zillah Brooks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1236771 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

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

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8