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

Inspection report children's home: SC479650 1 SC479650 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

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for 6 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since June 2025. The manager in post has submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 6 children were living in the home. Five children spoke with the inspectors about their experiences of living in the home.

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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: 14 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: SC479650 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Outstanding 27/02/2024 Full Good 15/03/2023 Full Good 09/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC479650 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home. One child described the home as ‘brilliant’, and another said, ‘I love it here. I get all the support I need.’ Staff provide a high standard of care, and children are making progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the staff and children are overwhelmingly positive. Staff talk about the children with warmth, enthusiasm and pride. Children enjoy spending time with staff both inside and outside of the home. They feel comfortable talking to staff and say they feel heard. Children’s wishes and feelings are sought regularly, and staff promptly respond to any issues or requests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children routinely attend school and college. Regular meetings take place between staff and education to ensure the children’s needs are reviewed and met. One education provider said, ‘Staff are in constant communication and they’re a pleasure to work with.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a variety of fun activities. They are encouraged to try new opportunities, and their interests are nurtured. One child who aspires to be a film maker, regularly goes to the cinema and has access to many age-appropriate films at the home. Another, who is interested in health and fitness, has a pass to attend a local gym. A child who enjoys creating rap music is supported to attend a music studio regularly. Children enjoy trips out with staff, including visits the local park to play football, visits to theme parks and meals out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff have developed positive relationships with family members and communicate with them regularly. One parent said, ‘staff are really good at communicating with me. [Name of child) has settled in really well’ and another said that staff had helped their child to make, ‘massive positive changes.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a spacious home, and they have a strong sense of belonging to it. The home is well furnished and comfortable. Children enjoy spending time in the games room, and they eat their meals together with staff in the dining room. The children’s bedrooms are personalised according to their individual tastes. However, some areas of the home are tired and worn. The manager was addressing this prior to the inspection.

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

Children say they feel safe. Their risk and behaviour management plans are individualised and provide staff with clear information about what to do if risks arise. Plans are updated regularly, and staff help children to understand and contribute to them. Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are identified. However, for a short period, children were able to access the internet without supervision which may have placed them and others at risk of harm. On one occasion, a child has been able to access a staff Inspection report for children's home: SC479650 4 member’s personal belongings, and, on another occasion, they have had unsupervised access to the staff office. Once these issues had been identified, leaders and managers took appropriate action and there have been no further incidents.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted in the home. Staff use creative and fun methods to reward children, which children respond well to. Clear routines, boundaries and expectations are in place; children say that the rules are fair. Staff support children to understand and manage their feelings and emotions. Regular discussions take place with children about topics relevant to them and their age and stage of development.

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

When a child goes missing from the home, staff take appropriate action to ensure they return home quickly and safely. Only one child has gone missing from home since the last inspection, and the frequency of these incidents has decreased. The child say staff have helped them to find alternative and safer ways to manage their emotions, resulting in them feeling safe and secure at the home.

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

Not all serious incidents have been reported to the regulator, and some have not been reported within timescales. This limits the regulator’s oversight of the home.

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

Records of incidents and discussions with children are generally thorough and helpful. However, on occasion, the language used in recordings has not been caring or child friendly.

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

Children are encouraged and supported to take risks appropriate to their age and understanding. Older children are involved in their independence planning and are helped to develop skills to prepare them for adult life.

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

Staff are trained in a therapeutic model and supported by an in-house therapeutic team. Children engage in regular individualised sessions with a therapist. The therapists attend team meetings to discuss the children’s needs and strategies to help support staff’s practice for the benefit of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager is new to the role. She is supported effectively by experienced staff in the team. The manager is caring, child centred and committed to maintaining a stable, nurturing and well-run home. Staff described her as ‘fantastic’ and ‘supportive’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home. They feel valued and supported by the manager and the deputy. There have been several staff changes since the last inspection, however there is sufficient staffing to meet the needs of the children, and the team work well together. One staff member said, ‘The staff team are supportive and inclusive’, and another said that ‘the staff team is great. It’s a proper family environment’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a wide range of training opportunities that equips them with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children in their care. The manager Inspection report for children's home: SC479650 5 regularly checks that all staff members have completed their training and ensures that they are up to date with any new training that is relevant to their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff team meetings and supervision sessions are regular and effective. They provide opportunities to focus on the children’s well-being and progress and reflect on practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided to the children. She knows the strengths and weaknesses of the home and takes action to make improvements. However, the workforce development plan does not contain all the necessary information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff team work proactively and positively with other agencies and professionals. External professionals are complimentary about the collaborative working and communication they receive from staff and the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: SC479650 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, 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;

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are vigilant and take preventative action to minimise risks in relation to online safety. In addition, ensure children cannot access staff's personal items or confidential information and restricted items in the home. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 04 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 04 May 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are well maintained. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan contains all the necessary information ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children's home: SC479650 7  The registered person should ensure that language used in recordings is child friendly and non-stigmatising ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 62, paragraph14.4)

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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: SC479650 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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Inspectors

Zillah Brooks, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC479650 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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