Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2614506 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Ltd

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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 2 children with social and emotional needs and/or learning disabilities. The home may also provide care for children with sensory needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 4 June 2025.

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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: 24 September 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: 2614506 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2024 Full Good 27/09/2023 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Good 18/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2614506 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and one child has moved in. Children live at this home for a long time. This provides children with a strong sense of stability and security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive and stable relationships with the staff, who know them well. They say that the staff are fun, help them see people who are important to them and give good advice. One external professionals said, ‘Staff have amazing relationships with children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager carefully considers the needs of a child moving into the home, alongside those of the child already living there, and the skills and abilities of the staff team. They engage the child’s network and meet with the child before they move into the home. Activities and meetings are arranged to enable children to get to know staff and the other child before moving in. This helps children feel valued and welcomed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff advocate for children, ensuring their views and wishes are heard and acted on. This approach supported a child in making a planned move back home. The manager worked closely with the child, parents and professionals to coordinate the move, while staff provided outreach support during and after the move. This gave the child and parents consistent help from trusted adults at a critical time of adjustment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are not in formal education, the manager and staff work proactively with education professionals. This has led to part-time education timetables for children, home tutoring, alternative work experience provisions and measures to find suitable placements. As a result, one child has a structured transition plan in place to return to formal education. Staff also provide home-based education to supplement part-time timetables and enhance children’s learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff recognise the importance of family for children and actively support them to maintain these connections. Staff facilitate regular family time for both children, even when this involves travelling long distances. The staff ensure that parents are updated regularly and any documents are translated into their first language. This ensures that parents feel included in their children’s care and that children are supported by those people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop life skills, such as budgeting, cooking, travelling and carrying out household tasks, with plans in place for independence. They enjoy activities like sports, trips to theme parks and holidays, which build confidence and talents. Staff create memory books to capture children’s time in the home and they understand the importance of friendships, supporting children to spend time with friends in the community. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614506 4 Staff create a warm, homely environment that feels like a family home. Children are relaxed and comfortable in their home. The home is well maintained and well furnished, with photos of children and staff proudly displayed, adding to the welcoming atmosphere.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s individual risks and the strategies to support them. The children’s risks are documented in risk assessments and management plans that guide staff in preventing and reducing harm. However, risk assessments and management plans are not always accurate or up to date. This means they do not consistently reflect children’s current risks and vulnerabilities, which could lead to inconsistent practice.

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

Incidents of substance misuse are managed well, and staff respond appropriately. However, there are no detailed protocols to guide staff if children are under the influence of substances. This means staff responses may not always be consistent or informed. Staff do seek support from specialist substance misuse agencies and encourage children to engage with their services, ensuring children have access to the help they need.

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

Significant incidents are managed well, with staff responding appropriately and sensitively to the children. The manager provides a detailed overview of each incident and works with children’s networks to implement plans that reduce risk. Follow-up work is carried out sensitively, helping children to identify risks and explore safer alternatives. As a result, one child is now able to enjoy time in the community independently with friends.

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

Staff only hold children as a last resort to keep everyone safe. Staff have received appropriate physical restraint training. When physical intervention has been used, children are offered debriefs afterwards and staff try to understand the reasons for the behaviour to prevent reoccurrence. Managers also provide debriefs for staff after difficult incidents.

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

Staff carry out direct work with children on internet safety, child exploitation, substance misuse, anti-social behaviour, relationships, smoking and vaping. This enables children to recognise risks and consequences. This is helping them make informed choices about friendships, staying safe online, their health and how they spend their free time.

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

Staff help children to manage their health needs. Children are registered with a doctor and dentist and access support from specialist healthcare services when needed. Staff support children to attend these appointments and understand why they are important. This means that children’s routine appointments and checks are up to date.

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

Children’s complaints are taken seriously, and the manager thoroughly investigates concerns raised. Appropriate action is taken to address practice concerns and children are made aware of the outcome of their complaint. This reassures children that they are Inspection report for children’s home: 2614506 5 being listened to. Social workers and lead professionals are updated, however, there are sometimes significant delays in sharing this information. This prevents key professionals from having timely oversight.

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

Children’s statutory care plans have not consistently been signed by relevant professionals on admission; this limits the authority of the manager and staff to act on behalf of the local authority in delivering day-to-day care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a new manager who is suitably experienced and has a good understanding of the organisation’s policies, procedures and recording systems. The manager worked alongside the previous manager for two weeks, and the former team leader was promoted to deputy manager, ensuring a structured transition for children, staff and professionals. This new team works well together and demonstrates good knowledge of both staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have good oversight of the home. Reports and plans evidence the manager’s oversight. The managers use monthly independent visitor reports as a monitoring tool and they carry out monthly audits. In addition, the responsible individual also undertakes quarterly quality assurance checks. This helps the manager ensure that staff are delivering good care and that the home is operating in line with regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers follow safer recruitment processes. This ensures that they are fully assured of a staff member’s integrity and character before they are entrusted to provide care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff report that induction programmes are detailed and ensure that they have the essential information to carry out their roles. Staff are supported throughout their probation period with regular supervision to identify any further learning or development needs. This ensures that staff are prepared to support the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision from the manager and deputy. Supervisions focus on role expectations, relationships with children, the home’s therapeutic model of care and support for children. Annual appraisals review staff progress and include feedback from managers and colleagues, with a clear focus on staff development and personal progress. Staff say they feel fully supported in their roles and enjoy working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings are well attended and keep staff informed about children’s therapeutic plans, their views and wishes, and the home’s recording systems. The managers also use these meetings to develop staff’s understanding of the home’s model of care and how to implement it in their practice. Work booklets have been introduced to help staff link the model of care to their day-to-day practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614506 6 Managers and staff have built positive relationships with all professionals involved in the care of the children. One social worker stated, ‘The staff are excellent to work with. Communication from the manager is excellent. Communication is always clear and timely, and the staff are committed to achieving the best outcomes for [name of child].’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2614506 7

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that risk assessments provide an accurate and up-to-date reflection of children’s current risks and vulnerabilities, as well as the strategies in place to support them. Staff must understand what they need to do to keep children safe. 28 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that statutory care plans are in place for all children living in the home which contain relevant information and are signed and dated by relevant professionals on date of admission. 28 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2614506 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2614506 9

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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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Inspector

Renée Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2614506 10 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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