Children's Home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited in Staffordshire

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people live in a safe environment and become increasingly safe. Staff are skilled in understanding the risks associated with child sexual exploitation and substance misuse and ensure that young people are protected from harm.  Staff provide highly individualised care which recognises young people’s specific experiences. They work effectively with families and professional stakeholders to provide consistent and safe care.  Young people develop trusting and secure relationships with staff which allows them to have a sense of belonging and to invest in the home. Young people say that staff care about them. One young person said, ‘All the staff are good, you can tell they care – I feel they genuinely care about us.’  Young people develop insight into the risks associated with their behaviour and develop new strategies to manage it. Staff are skilled in engaging with young people and also in supporting them to engage with specialist

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The children's home provision is good because:

services.  Staff develop excellent relationships with the police. This promotes a well- coordinated approach when young people are missing and also prevents their unnecessary criminalisation.  Staff are effective in ensuring positive transitions into and out of the home. They quickly learn about new young people and respond to their needs. They support young people to move on from the home and remain in contact with them for as long as needed, continuing to provide them with stability.  The registered manager is extremely passionate and committed to the young people and staff. She strives to provide the best possible care, however, this is thwarted by insufficient permanent staff working in the home. She is covering shifts on a regular basis which takes her energies away from managing the home. Several shortfalls have occurred in the maintenance of staff and young people’s records as a result.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered provider must-

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Requirement Due date

(2) (d) ensure the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 13/11/2015

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home forms part of a large social care company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

29/01/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

Staff encourage young people to build trusted and secure relationships with them. They are interested in them and their experiences. This results in young people feeling a sense of belonging. A young person said: ‘I know this isn’t my home but it is homely and when you give to staff they give back.’ Young people invest in the home, not just in relationships, but in the environment and the running of the home. For example, they keep the home clean and tidy and help the registered manager to develop the statement of purpose and the children’s guide.

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good

Staff ensure that young people’s views influence the care they receive. Staff use key work sessions, informal conversations, young people’s meetings and consultations to feed into activities, menus, choices of bedrooms and key workers. As a result young people feel valued and at the centre of staff’s practice. One young person said, ‘I always feel important and that what I think and say matters.’

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good

Young people attend school and college and make good progress from their starting points. Staff are robust in their challenge to placing authorities and use their positive relationships with professionals, such as the virtual school head teacher, to push for appropriate educational provision for young people. Staff are ambitious for young people and value education. They ensure young people engage in purposeful education in the home, while they wait for a new school place. For example, appointing tutors to come to the home and supporting young people to complete set work. As a result of this support, one young person’s predicted grade for maths GCSE has increased from unclassified to a C.

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good

Young people’s health improves. Staff support them to engage with specialist health services for mental health, substance misuse and sexual health. Young people’s health needs are re-assessed and unnecessary medication stopped. They learn about the risks associated with their behaviour and develop insight. Their behaviour changes and their risk taking decreases. This is recognised by families and professionals alike. One parent said: ’My child has made great progress, she looks healthy and it is a pleasure to see her look so well.’ A school nurse said: ‘The young person’s improvement is brilliant – I cannot believe it is the same person.’

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good

Staff support young people to develop emotional resilience and practical skills to manage their lives as adults. Young people develop skills in cooking, cleaning and managing a budget. They learn how to manage their behaviour and recognise damaging relationships. Staff support young people’s relationships with families and friends where that is safe and in their best interests, including where young people are placed a long way from home. Young people value that their identities and culture are promoted. One young person said: ‘I’m very grateful for staff supporting me to be my mum’s birthing partner.’ Families also value staff support for young people. One parent said: ‘I really appreciate the work staff are doing to help my child untangle their difficulties.’

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outstanding

Staff are exceptionally well-skilled in understanding the risks associated with sexual exploitation and drug misuse. They ensure they are consistently available to young people so that trusting relationships develop. They support young people to engage with specialist resources to develop their understanding and reduce their risk-taking behaviour. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘Massive progress has been made. No missing from home or sexual exploitation – what a turnaround!’

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outstanding

Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding issues. They respond robustly to any allegations of harm, either within the home or in the community. They follow local policy and procedures effectively but also think creatively to tackle safeguarding issues which occur in the community. As a result, young people’s welfare and safety is promoted.

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outstanding

Staff develop good relationships with the police. Young people benefit from this as their relationships with the police improve in turn. For example, one young person went to the police station and asked for their local police officer when they were missing. This well-coordinated network minimises the time young people are exposed to harm.

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outstanding

Staff always look for young people who go missing and, because they have detailed knowledge of them, they know where to look and who to alert when they are missing. Young people become increasingly safe; the progress they make is exceptional. For example, young people who have been constantly missing prior to coming to the home, stop going missing within a short period.

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outstanding

Young people feel safe living in the home and are safe. They know who to talk to when they have difficulties and are confident in the response they receive. Staff ensure all complaints are taken seriously and investigated.

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outstanding

Staff provide clear boundaries and understand triggers to young people’s behaviour. Consequently, they are able to promote positive behaviour and use effective de-escalation techniques to manage behaviour. Young people value staff support in helping them develop new strategies. One young person said: ‘Staff have helped me with my anger. I would smash the house up but they sat me down and spoke to me. Said it’s not helping me and I should remove myself and calm down – it works! I do that now.’

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good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager who obtained her level 5 qualification in leadership and management in residential childcare earlier this year. She has been in post since July 2013. She is passionate about her role and always puts the needs of each young person first.

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good

The registered manager ensures that the home operates in line with the statement of purpose in providing: ‘a warm, homely, nurturing environment promoting positive role modelling…in a therapeutic manner.’ Staff demonstrate a good understanding of this. They are supported by a therapist in meeting young people’s therapeutic needs, both indirectly through team meetings and consultation, but also through individual therapeutic interventions with the young people. This promotes their consistency and quality of care.

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good

The registered manager is proactive in developing relationships with professional stakeholders and local services. They all describe the manager as being effective in partnership working and this is reflected in all staff practice. A social worker said: ‘The manager is brilliant! She always keeps in touch with me, but it is not just her, if I ring up any member of staff knows what is going on.’ The registered manager challenges any shortfalls in services to young people ensuring their needs are promoted. She understands young people’s plans and helps to achieve them. When young people are in disagreement with their plans, staff support them to represent their views at reviews through careful preparation.

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good

The registered manager effectively inducts staff to the home and supports them through supervision and training. She understands the emotional impact of the work and is always available for formal and informal supervision. She provides supervision to the core group of agency staff that support the staff team on a frequent basis. This promotes their common good care practice. The registered manager identifies bespoke training to ensure staff are able to meet the needs of young people. Recently training has focused on sexual exploitation, attachment difficulties and substance misuse. Young people benefit from being cared for by highly skilled and well-trained staff as a result.

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good

The registered manager ensures that the staff team provide consistent care for young people. Due to staffing shortages, the registered manager is achieving this by working several shifts a week herself, and by using a small group of agency staff. This has ensured that young people experience stability, but is not sustainable for the manager. It has led to several shortfalls in practice which are the direct result of lack of managerial overview. For example, notifications being sent to Ofsted late, overlooking changes in company policy in relation to responsibility for renewing disclosure and barring service checks and failing to ensure children’s records are complete.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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