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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC480671 1 SC480671 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 operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 8 children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 3 children living at the home at the time of the inspection and all 3 children were spoken with during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: The home received an ‘inadequate’ judgement following a full inspection in March 2026. The home was issued 3 compliance notices. A monitoring visit was completed in April 2026 and concluded the home does not have serious or widespread concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: SC480671 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/03/2026 Full Inadequate 08/10/2024 Full Outstanding 07/09/2023 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC480671 3

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Summary of findings

Children have strong, positive relationships with staff and say this is what makes their home a good place to live. Staff understand each child’s needs and provide consistent, personalised care, helping children to feel safe, valued and able to make progress. Children attend education and are supported to achieve, including moving on to college, while staff also work closely with schools to find solutions when learning is difficult. Health needs are met, and children are encouraged to attend appointments. Staff also support children to keep in touch with family and friends, and give them ways to share their views, which are listened to and acted on.

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Summary of findings

Staff help children understand risks and stay safe through regular support and updated plans. Incidents are managed well, and children are learning more about safeguarding. When children go missing, clear procedures help them return safely. Leadership in the home is strong, with effective management oversight, regular staff supervision and a focus on improvement. Staff are committed, knowledgeable and supported in their roles, creating a nurturing and stable environment. Professionals also speak positively about the care provided and the strong relationships between staff and children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from warm, positive relationships with staff. The children said that staff are what makes their home great. Staff know the children well and respond to their individual needs consistently, which has contributed to children making progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend education and are making progress. Two children have completed their exams and staff have supported them to enrol at college. One child has found education a challenge and staff have worked with the school to provide a suitable timetable while alternative education options are considered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are registered with health services and can access specialist provision where needed. When children are reluctant to engage in health appointments, staff support and encourage them to attend appointments to ensure their health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see those who are most important to them. While there are some challenges linked to family time for all the children, staff are proactive in working with the local authority to promote family time or friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children include a variety of ways to share their views, experiences and wishes. Staff act on these where they can and this makes children feel valued and listened to. Inspection report for children’s home: SC480671 4

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

Staff know the children well and understand them and their individual risks. Staff spend time with children helping them understand risks and how to keep safe. Because of this, incidents are less frequent and children are becoming increasingly safe.

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

Staff understand what action they need to take to reduce known risks to children. They ensure that children’s risk assessments are reviewed and updated regularly. Any new or emerging risks are recorded in children’s plans, to help staff stay alert and respond appropriately.

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

Children do not go missing from the home very often. When children do go missing, staff search for them and take the necessary steps to ensure that they return home quickly. Missing-from-home protocols are up to date, and managers ensure that staff understand how they are expected to respond when children do go missing from the home.

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

The manager has taken clear steps to strengthen safeguarding for children in the home. Additional processes have been introduced to bring together information about patterns of harm, helping to ensure a consistent and well-coordinated response. These measures also support safer recruitment practices and help make sure that staff continue to work safely in their day-to-day roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious and committed to both the children and staff. She creates a nurturing environment for children. Staff and partner agencies speak positively about the leadership and approach of the manager. The manager has a good understanding of the home and staff practice. This is achieved through actively being present in the home. Staff value the manager’s knowledge and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides effective oversight and has addressed the shortfalls from the previous inspection. This has been with the support of a dedicated deputy manager. There is a strong leadership team, which drives progress through regular auditing that informs a workforce development plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that focuses on children’s needs, progress and any barriers to achieving positive outcomes. Supervision also reflects staff learning by revisiting topics such as boundaries and professional expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals provide positive feedback about the home. They highlight the commitment of staff and managers to providing children with good-quality care. Professionals comment on effective relationships between children and staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC480671 5

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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: SC480671 6

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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: First Floor, Harbour House, Portway, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2DW

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Inspector

Paul McKay-Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC480671 7 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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Inspector

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