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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2697142 1 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 home is owned and operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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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: 21 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2697142 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2025 Full Outstanding 03/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2697142 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved into the home, and two children have moved out since the last inspection. Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection and they spoke with the inspector about their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they feel happy, settled and safe. Staff build good relationships with children, enabling them to identify someone who they can share any worries or concerns with. These relationships help children to feel safe and comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they feel listened to by staff, who advocate for them and try their best to act on their views, wishes and feelings. One child said that they feel ‘truly cared for’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, they are well supported. Positive relationships are sustained when children move out of the home, and children enjoy visits to the home. However, staff do not always provide children with well-planned and meaningful introductions when moving into the home. This may impact on children’s sense of stability and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s important relationships are encouraged, and children’s friends and family are welcomed at the home. Staff support family time and build good relationships with family members. This ensures that children can maintain relationships with those who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is well maintained, and their bedrooms are personalised to their taste. Children enjoy caring for pets at the home, which helps to teach them responsibility and empathy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a strong understanding of children’s personalities, including their likes and interests. However, they do not always demonstrate a clear understanding of children’s heritage or cultural background. This is a missed opportunity to support children to develop a positive sense of identity.

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

Children are encouraged to engage and succeed in their education. When children are not attending school regularly, staff work closely with professionals to support them to engage. Children complete learning at the home and staff advocate to ensure that children have the same opportunities for learning as their peers.

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

Children receive regular and good-quality support from the in-house therapist, who they have a positive relationship with. The therapist provides staff with opportunities to reflect on their practice and explore alternative strategies to support children. This resource is well embedded at the home and valued by staff and children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697142 4 When allegations are made, they are managed well and investigated thoroughly. Leaders and managers take swift action to ensure that children are effectively safeguarded and listened to.

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

Risk management strategies are reviewed regularly to ensure that they remain relevant and effective. Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and know how to keep them safe. When children harm themselves, staff respond in an appropriate and sensitive manner. Staff know the children well and identify even small changes in their presentation and behaviour. This means that staff respond to children in an effective and timely way.

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

Security settings on the home’s internet-enabled devices are not robust. Managers took swift action to address this during the inspection so that children are not exposed to content that is not suitable for their age.

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

Incidents at the home are infrequent. However, when physical intervention is used to keep children safe, staff do not always respond consistently. For example, staff have used an unapproved restraint technique during a physical intervention. Furthermore, the duration of physical interventions is not always clearly recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an interim manager and deputy manager. The interim manager has applied to register with Ofsted. The managers have worked at the home for several years prior to undertaking their current roles. This helps to provide consistency for children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good management oversight of all incidents at the home, with thorough evaluation. When shortfalls in practice are identified, these are addressed with staff during supervision sessions and team meetings. This supports the development of continuous improvement in the quality of care provided to children and contributes to children’s overall sense of safety and consistency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel well supported. Supervision and team meetings take place regularly and provide staff with opportunities to reflect on children’s progress. The involvement of the in-house therapist in these sessions enhances staff development and supports their understanding of therapeutic care. This helps to promote children’s emotional well-being and development of positive relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers do not consistently include the views of children and others when monitoring and reviewing the quality of care provided. This is a missed opportunity for managers to act on any unmet need and improve the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697142 5

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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, 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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that security settings are in place on the home’s internet-enabled devices to prevent streaming of content that is not suitable for children. 2 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)) 2 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2697142 6 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s moves in and out of the home are well planned to ensure a safe and smooth transition for each child.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (2))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all physical interventions used are approved and proportionate. 2 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s cultural and identity needs are known and understood by all staff. 2 January 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should actively obtain and consider children’s and relevant other’s views, wishes and feelings regarding the care they receive to help improve the quality of care provided to them at the home. In addition, the registered person should support the independent person to do this. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6) Inspection report for children’s home: 2697142 7

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2697142 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

Danielle Allen, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2697142 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 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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