Children's Home run by Hexagon Care Services Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2509365 1 Registered provider: Hexagon Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2026.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children were spoken with during the inspection.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2509365 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/06/2025 Full Good 22/10/2024 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2509365 3

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Summary of findings

Children settle quickly when they move into the home due to the warm welcome and thoughtful support provided by staff. As a result, children feel valued and develop a sense of belonging.

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Summary of findings

Children learn valuable skills that help them to become more independent and prepare them for the future.

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Summary of findings

Children are cared for by staff who understand their individual needs and associated risks.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers create a safe environment for staff to reflect on their practice. However, the complaints procedures are not easily accessible to children.

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Summary of findings

Staff benefit from receiving relevant training supported by the organisation's clinical team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress because of the care they receive and benefit from being looked after by a committed and nurturing staff team. Children settle quickly when they move into the home due to the warm welcome and thoughtful support provided by staff. Staff make every effort to get to know all the children well and learn about what matters to them the most. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop valuable life skills while living in the home. Staff encourage children to build their independence through activities such as cooking, shopping and completing household tasks. This equips children with the knowledge, confidence and practical skills they need for adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's emotional and physical health needs are well met. They benefit from regular therapy sessions with the clinical team, which help them to understand and process their past experiences. In addition, staff actively encourage and support children to attend health appointments and promote healthy eating. As a result, children enjoy a balanced diet and are supported to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of enjoyable and enriching activities that create positive experiences and lasting memories. Staff also support children to spend time with their friends and families, helping them to maintain important relationships and connections. As a result, children do not feel isolated from the people who matter most to them. Inspection report for children's home: 2509365 4 Children have trusted adults they can turn to for support and guidance. However, complaints procedures are not easily accessible to children. As a result, children are not consistently reminded that their views, wishes and feelings are valued or that they can raise concerns with confidence.

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

Staff understand children's risks and needs. They recognise how children's past experiences may affect their behaviours and wellbeing. Staff ensure that risk assessments and care plans are regularly reviewed and updated. Incidents are appropriately managed, reported and recorded. This helps staff to safeguard children effectively and reduce the risk of harm.

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

Children are supported to understand boundaries and develop positive behaviours. Staff only use physical restraint as a last resort to keep children and others safe. There is effective management oversight of all incidents, alongside opportunities for reflection with children and staff. This helps to ensure that any use of physical restraint is necessary, proportionate and in the best interests of children.

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

When children leave the home without permission, staff follow the home's missing-from- home procedures and relevant safeguarding protocols. They take prompt and appropriate action to locate children, promote their safe return and reduce the risk of harm.

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

Leaders and managers respond appropriately to allegations against staff and other safeguarding concerns. They follow safeguarding procedures, promptly taking action, including notifying the local authority designated officer when required. This helps to ensure that children are better protected from harm.

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

Staff use positive incentives and restorative approaches to promote socially acceptable behaviour. However, the recording and rationale for the use of financial penalties for children are not sufficiently clear. As a result, it is difficult to determine whether these measures have been fair and proportionate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change of registered manager since the last full inspection. He is supported by the responsible individual, deputy manager and a team of staff who are committed to helping children. Together, they strive to improve children's life chances by helping them to have the opportunities to achieve their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the strengths and areas for development of the home. He is driving forward the home's development plan and uses a range of monitoring quality assurance tools to evaluate the standard of care provided. Independent visitor reports provide an Inspection report for children's home: 2509365 5 additional level of scrutiny and oversight. The manager uses any learning from the independent visitor's reports to improve practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, staff report that they feel well supported by the management team. They benefit from regular reflective supervision and access to a range of relevant training opportunities. Training is tailored to meet the specific needs of the children and includes bespoke sessions delivered by the clinical team. Regular team meetings provide valuable opportunities for staff to share information, reflect on practice and learn from one another. This helps staff to develop their skills, strengthen their understanding of children's needs and provide consistent care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works effectively in partnership with children's families and other professionals. Social workers and family members spoke positively about the quality of communication and the commitment shown by staff. These strong and collaborative relationships help to ensure that children receive coordinated support that meets their needs and promotes positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the children's records are well documented. However, there are some entries that used stigmatising language. This way of recording is not helpful to children should they wish to view their records in the future. Inspection report for children's home: 2509365 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child's arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(d)(ii)) 28 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(f)) 28 August 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2509365 7 ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2509365 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: First Floor, Harbour House, Portway, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2DW

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Holly Illingworth

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Inspector

Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2509365 9 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspector

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