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

Inspection report for children's home: SC480240 1 SC480240 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care for up to five children. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of learning disabilities. The home specialises in caring for children with autism and additional complex needs. There is a school on the same site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024. She is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke to and spent time observing all children during the inspection.

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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: 10 December 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: SC480240 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2024 Full Good 02/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2019 Full Good 29/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC480240 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from long term placements, which means that they are provided with stability. They have positive and trusting relationships with the staff team and manager. The staff team adopts a nurturing approach and because of this, children are well cared for and comfortable in their home. Children attend fun activities, clubs of their choice and spend quality time with staff. Children’s photos and achievements are displayed around their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress in many areas of their lives, such as self-care skills, educational outcomes and improving emotional regulation. One child has made considerable progress in their independence skills. The child has been supported with budgeting, independent travel, voluntary work and preparing their own meals. Children’s social workers report positively about the progress children make living in the home. They said that the support children receive is amazing and they could not ask for more.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The model of care used in the home is threaded through staff practice. This supports staff to respond to children’s behaviour and trauma appropriately. This is evidenced in staffs’ therapeutic way of working with the children. Staff support children to follow consistent routines which is key to their development and functioning. Staff understand children’s communication needs and how to interact with them. The staff team uses age- appropriate social stories, visual aids and verbal prompts to help children to develop their ability to communicate more effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are child friendly and capture children’s views about their care. One child’s plan reflects their views well, stating that, ‘Staff help me and they keep me safe.’ The staff team works well with health professionals to access specialist services to support children with their diets, mental health and individual health diagnosis. The in- house psychology team provide support and guidance to both children and staff to ensure that children have the support they require to navigate their way through their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s positive experiences in school and college have helped to develop their confidence and their social skills. Family time is promoted and supported by the staff team. Children spend regular time with their family, no matter the distance. The staff team ensures that they communicate regularly with people that are important to children. Families spoken to reported that they are happy with the support and care provided to their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions with children are detailed and meaningful. Children are praised and provided with reassurance from staff, which has supported their willingness to engage in the sessions with staff and to share their views. Children are encouraged to engage with advocates and more recently children’s house meetings have been reintroduced. The meetings are effective. They include a theme, to educate children about risks in the Inspection report for children's home: SC480240 4 community, to share important news or to seek children’s views about their planned holidays and suggestions for the home.

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

Children feel and are kept safe in their home. They are provided with consistent boundaries from the staff team and helped to understand acceptable and safe behaviour. Led by a competent manager, the staff team uses lessons learned to adapt children’s behaviour support plans and to tailor how they respond to children to support their individual and changing needs.

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

Children’s individual risks means that the time children spend together is monitored and managed carefully by the staff team. On one occasion, a child has attempted to instigate inappropriate behaviour with another child living in the home. The staff team has taken prompt action to ensure children’s safety. A multi-agency approach to review children’s safety plans has been effective. Increased monitoring and staff presence at key times of the day has been put in place. Staff have talked with children on topics including healthy relationships, consent and sharing concerns.

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

For one child there has been a significant increase in the use of restraint. This is to prevent them from hurting themselves. The manager attends regular multi-disciplinary team meetings with the child’s social worker, the in-house psychologist and health professionals. They monitor trends and patterns associated with the use of restraint. The manager has sought additional consultation from behaviour management trainers to review the team approach and the use of de-escalation strategies. This has been reviewed with staff in team meetings to promote risk reduction.

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans provide clear guidance for staff. The manager’s monitoring and evaluation of all incidents is thorough. She actively looks for ways to improve staff practice and their understanding of children’s sensory needs. Debriefs with children and staff use a system that promotes reflection and positive reinforcement. Restorative work is also prioritised to help children to learn and improve their behaviours.

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities associated with allegation management. The manager has consulted with the local authority designated officer in relation to managing regular comments about staff practice made by one child. An allegation management safety plan has been implemented and agreed with the child’s social worker. This promotes an open and transparent culture when working with children who are in crisis.

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

Serious incidents have been managed promptly and prevention strategies immediately put in place to mitigate risks. Staff conduct detailed and researched direct work with children to address specific risk behaviours. When required, local community police officers and fire safety professionals have been accessed to talk to children about keeping themselves safe. Children have not been missing from the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC480240 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a positive role model for her staff team. She understands children’s individual additional needs. Her knowledge of children is filtered down the staff team. This ensures that children are provided with the individualised care and support that they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some changes to the staff team. The senior leadership team closely monitor staff practice. They provide new staff with effective support throughout their induction and probationary periods, to ensure that the team remains stable and provides children with continuity of care. Staff reported that they are supported well by the leadership team and because of this, the staff team works positively together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is organised, which helps her to effectively monitor the standard of care that is provided by her team to children. Regular audits are used to evaluate the strengths of the service and any areas to be developed. However, on one occasion the manager’s records have not reflected a full chronology of discussions with a child when they retracted an allegation about a member of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular practice-related supervision to reflect on their relationships with children, their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children and their own well-being. Annual staff appraisals evidence how the manager tracks staff progress and they provide feedback from children about how staff work with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A programme of training ensures that staff have the necessary skills to meet children’s specific needs. This system is monitored closely by the senior leadership team, The manager requests additional bespoke training in relation to any increased behaviour risks for children. A recent team meeting has been used to deliver a workshop focused on self-harm in neurodiverse children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s review of the location of the premises risk assessment would benefit from up-to-date feedback from key professionals and children about their views of the location of the home, specifically from the child who is accessing the community independently. That said, the manager’s review of the quality-of-care report provides a detailed account of children’s experiences in their home. It captures feedback from children, professionals and staff about their views of the quality of care provided. Inspection report for children's home: SC480240 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 4 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulations 12(2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location. Specifically, the review should include feedback from relevant professionals and children living in the home in relation to their intelligence and views of the area the home is situated. (‘Guide to the Children Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children's home: SC480240 7

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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: SC480240 8

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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

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC480240 9 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 who are looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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