Children's home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited

Inspection report for the children’s home: 2536761 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

The home is owned by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, 1 child has moved out of the home. There were 3 children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 11 July 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 requires improvement to be 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: 26 February 2025

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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 the children’s home: 2536761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2025 Full Good 28/02/2024 Full Good 01/03/2023 Full Good 25/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for the children’s home: 2536761 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a spacious home that is decorated and furnished to a high standard. Children have areas where they can enjoy some time alone or play games together. This kitchen is a space where the children naturally gravitate to spend time with staff chatting and preparing food.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise building trusting and positive relationships with children. When one child received birthday gifts that did not reflect their interests, staff listened to their wishes and ensured that their Christmas gifts were personalised to their specific tastes. As a result, the child felt heard and the gifts brought them a huge amount of joy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff work collaboratively with education professionals. When children experience emotional barriers to attending formal education, managers identify alternative providers or support children to learn at home. Children are increasing in confidence and beginning to enjoy learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop their independence skills. They support children to clean and tidy their bedrooms and to prepare home cooked meals, which helps children feel guided and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not always model expected behaviours themselves meaning children are unclear about the rules relating to the use of electronic cigarettes. As a result, children do not always receive clear and consistent messages about risks to their health. Additionally, when a child uses discriminatory language towards staff, this is not challenged effectively to support the child’s learning.

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

Staff know how to keep children safe. When children go missing from the home, staff search for them and ensure that they return home safely. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in the number of missing from home incidents for 2 children.

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

Staff have the knowledge and skills required to identify and respond to children’s individual risks effectively. Leaders and managers provide regular opportunities for staff to attend safeguarding training in person or online.

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

Several new staff members have started working at the home since the last inspection. Leaders and managers ensure that robust safer recruitment checks are in place. As a result, the staff caring for the children are safe and trusted adults.

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

Incidents involving the use of physical intervention are rare. When a physical intervention does occur, managers ensure that children have the opportunity to talk about what happened afterwards. However, children are not always provided with the Inspection report for the children’s home: 2536761 4 opportunity to speak with someone independent of the incident. This is a missed opportunity to provide them with a safe space to share their views openly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say that the registered manager is supportive and approachable. She has taken a period of absence since the last inspection during which the deputy manager assumed management responsibilities. There have also been several changes in the senior residential roles which required the registered manager and deputy manager to carry out additional duties. The staff team has now stabilised, and the registered manager and deputy manager are working to address the shortfalls identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff always follow the provider’s policies and procedures, specifically in relation to the home’s smoking policy. During the inspection, the inspector observed several used cigarettes outside which the registered manager confirmed belonged to staff. The manager was unaware of this issue until the inspection. This demonstrates that management oversight of staff’s day to day practice is not consistently effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers provide staff with regular, child centred supervision. They support staff to reflect on their practice and identify areas for development. Staff are also offered time to reflect on their emotional well-being with the therapist employed by the home. This ensures that staff have a safe and supportive environment in which to continue improving their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Management oversight of incidents is inconsistent. During a period of staff shortages, the registered manager and deputy manager worked shifts. This compromised their capacity to evaluate incidents effectively and identify shortfalls in staff practice. They acknowledge this shortfall and are taking steps to address it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the use of alarms on children’s bedroom doors is reviewed regularly or used proportionately. The alarms are placed on each child’s bedroom door and always activated, even when the risks are minimal. On one occasion, a child went missing from the home despite the bedroom door alarm being in place. This practice creates an unnecessary restriction on children’s movement and undermines the homely environment the home aims to provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and manager do not always challenge professionals involved in the children’s care when necessary. One child did not have a personal advisor for several months. Another child is allowed unsupervised time in a city a significant distance away from their home which increases their risks. Managers have not challenged or escalated these concerns to ensure that children’s care consistently reflects their assessed needs. Inspection report for the children’s home: 2536761 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 registered person must ensure that— the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that door alarms used on children’s bedrooms are only used when necessary and kept under regular review to ensure their effectiveness.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 9 April 2026

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 9 April 2026 Inspection report for the children’s home: 2536761 6 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are sufficient managers in the home to provide the appropriate support and oversight for staff, specifically for new staff members. This includes ensuring that staff follow the providers policies for smoking and personal mobile phone use.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that management oversight of incidents is consistent and effective in identifying shortfalls in staff practice.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; 9 April 2026 Inspection report for the children’s home: 2536761 7 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(v)(viii)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff communicate the expectations of behaviour clearly and consistently with children, this includes the rules on the use of electronic cigarettes and challenging discriminatory language used by children. Leaders and managers must ensure that staff set positive examples of the behaviours expected.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they professionally challenge any decisions that are made that are not in the best interests of the child. This includes ensuring that children’s time out of the home is structured and safe, children are allocated a personal advisor when required and that the use of door alarms is challenged when required. 9 April 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been subject to physical intervention is given the opportunity to share their views and express their feelings about the incident. This should be with a person independent of the incident to enable Inspection report for the children’s home: 2536761 8 to the child to speak openly. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector 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 the children’s home: 2536761 9

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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

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for the children’s home: 2536761 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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