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

Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 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 provides care for up to 4 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, there were 3 children being cared for at the home. The inspector spoke to all children during the inspection. Three children have moved out since the last inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 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: 16 September 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/01/2025 Full Good 26/07/2023 Full Good 12/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 3

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Summary of findings

Three children live at the home. They feel safe and happy. They enjoy positive experiences and are making good progress. They have respectful relationships with one another and staff. Children's needs are understood and there is appropriate response to changing risks, which ensures that children are protected from harm. An experienced and suitably qualified manager leads the home.

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Summary of findings

Some shortfalls were identified. Children's plans are not consistently maintained to ensure clarity. The manager's oversight of quality of care is not always reflective of staff practice. Not all staff have received specialist training to meet the specific needs of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and settled in the home and are making good progress from their starting points, including improvements in education and emotional wellbeing. Children enjoy positive and affectionate relationships with staff, who treat them with dignity and respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to move into the home with the best possible planning under the circumstances and timeframes available. When children move on from the home, these moves are well supported by staff, who help children to settle into their new home for as long as is necessary to enable them to build new relationships. However, the steps taken by staff to prepare children for their moves are not consistently recorded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's health needs are well met. Staff ensure that children attend routine health appointments and engage well with specialist services where needed. This coordinated approach supports improved health outcomes. However, health records are not always clearly maintained, which limits oversight of the most up-to-date information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children's education. One child has successfully completed their GCSEs following a significant period out of school. When there have been difficulties with attendance, staff have advocated for children to find ways to help them engage. When children are not in education, staff provide structured activities for informal learning, such as educational visits and physical activity to promote continued development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel confident sharing their views and trust that staff will listen and respond to what is important to them. Staff prioritise meaningful conversations with children about what is happening in their lives. Some conversations are planned, while others take place following significant events, ensuring that children receive timely and relevant support. Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 4 Staff help children to maintain relationships with their families and friends. They advocate for children when the arrangements do not feel comfortable for them. As a result, children enjoy positive and meaningful time with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children's independence and help them to build confidence and self- esteem. Children take part in a variety of activities that reflect their interests, and staff encourage them to try new experiences, such as swimming, climbing and visits to theme parks. All children have enjoyed a short holiday, some for the first time in their lives. At home, they enjoy themed events and successfully raise money for charity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is maintained to a high standard and is warm and welcoming. Children have their own personal space, which is designed to reflect their individuality. Shared areas provide ample space for children to relax and engage in their preferred activities, including the use of facilities such as the gym and games room.

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

Children feel safe in the home and are generally settled. Children's risk management plans are individualised and they identify known vulnerabilities. They are updated following significant incidents and children are kept safe from harm. However, the plans are not always kept up to date as risks reduce.

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

When children go missing, staff take appropriate action and complete follow-up work to reduce risks. Staff work well with external agencies to manage exploitation risks and work together to create robust safety plans.

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

Staff swiftly respond to disclosures from children, including substance misuse. Room searches are carried out sensitively. Children are informed and give their consent where possible. Communication with social workers and professionals is effective. However, while staff understand when medical attention is required, this is not applied consistently, and welfare checks are not always recorded. Management oversight and risk reviews are evident, but do not consistently evaluate or reflect on staff practice.

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

Any suspicion of harm is reported swiftly to the appropriate agency. Investigations are thorough and there are effective links with local safeguarding agencies. Children's welfare is a priority throughout, and they are informed of the outcome.

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

Staff treat children with respect and regular praise. There is a positive and therapeutic approach to their care. There have been few incidents and physical intervention has not been necessary.

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

When children achieve something or display positive behaviour, this is suitably celebrated and rewarded either through verbal praise or through treats. Children also have incentives in place when it is deemed to be effective, such as leisure passes or gaming equipment. Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 5 The use of consequences is rare. Where these have been applied, the manager provides oversight to ensure that children understand the consequences of their behaviour and agree a fair outcome. Although these are always restorative in nature, the manager does not always record that they are necessary and proportionate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an experienced registered manager in post, who has a clear vision for the children and the development of the staff team. She is a strong advocate for improving children's experiences and speaks positively about their progress. Positive professional relationships are established, supporting children effectively across all areas of their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to monitor the home, identifying strengths and addressing shortfalls. Incidents and key work are summarised, and the child's voice is considered. However, oversight is largely descriptive and does not consistently evaluate the quality of care. Children's plans have been updated but are not always clear and contain some errors.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team who work well together. Children are cared for by staff who know them well and promote their safety, emotional wellbeing and stability. Staff complete a wide range of training. However, not all staff have completed additional, specialist training to fully understand the children's individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports staff through regular, practice ‑ related supervision and appraisal. Staff value the manager's support for their development and wellbeing. Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended, providing opportunities to share information about children. Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 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

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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff seek medical advice when children are suspected to be under the influence of substances. They must ensure that welfare checks are recorded. 14 August 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

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff have access to additional training that relates to the needs of the children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all significant incidents and direct work with children are evaluated with scrutiny, taking into consideration any possible learning outcomes that can be implemented within children's risk management plans, or to support the development of staff.

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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

are kept up to date (Regulation 36 (1)(b)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children's records are kept up to date and adequately detailed to reflect the actions of the staff team. This includes ensuring that children's health needs and transition plans are clearly documented.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 14 August 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children's risk management plans reflect the current level of assessed risk and the arrangements in place to protect them. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 8

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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: 1221357 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: First Floor, Harbour House, Portway, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2DW

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Inspector

Samantha Cooper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1221357 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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