Children's Home run by Horizon Care Limited in Staffordshire

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 Staff do not ensure that young people benefit from well-planned care particularly in relation to arriving and moving on. Staff challenge placing authorities with limited effect. Young people experience unnecessary moves as a result of poor admissions processes. Their outcomes do not improve.

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because:

 Staff do not ensure that young people become increasingly safe. Staff strive to ensure that young people understand their vulnerability when they are missing with limited success and some continue to be pulled away from the home.

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because:

 Staff endeavour to ensure that young people engage with education and training. Some young people do not receive education promptly from admission and valuable weeks are wasted when they receive no or very limited support through home tutoring.

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because:

 The registered manager has admitted to the home young people who his staff do not have the experience, qualifications or skills to care for. This adversely impacts on the care that all young people receive in the home.

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because:

 Staff struggle to manage behaviour through promotion of positive behaviour and use measures of control without agreed strategies on a daily basis. As a consequence there is no recording or evaluation of their effectiveness to improve the quality of care provided and young people’s self-regulation.

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because:

 The registered manager does not ensure that young people have access, without recourse to staff, of a telephone or that young people can use the telephone in private. This does not promote young people’s emotional well- being or privacy.

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because:

 There are shortfalls in staffing. The registered manager does not ensure that the rotas reflect who has worked in the home and has insufficient staff to meet young people’s needs resulting in inconsistent staff covering shifts. Temporary staff are not provided with an induction which enables them to safely meet the needs of the young people in their care.  The registered manager has not notified Ofsted regarding allegations against a member of staff or about serious incidents involving a child.

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because:

 The registered manager has not developed an effective system to monitor, review and evaluate the quality of care provided.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff are skilled in developing positive relationships with young people. Young people develop a strong sense of security and are able to discuss things which are difficult for them. This promotes their identity and sense of belonging.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to ensure a co-ordinated response to young people who are at risk of sexual exploitation. Their detailed knowledge helps develop individualised plans which ensure there is a co-ordinated response when young people go missing. 

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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

In order to meet the education standard the registered provider must ensure that:- (viii) staff help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 14/12/2015

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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 ensure that: -

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Requirement Due date

2. (c) the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(e) the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experience of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 14/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to ensure the care planning standard is met the 14/12/2015 registered provider must ensure:- 1(a) children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 2(a) that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose:

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the children are provided at all reasonable times with access to a telephone on which to make and receive calla in private which they may use without reference to persons working in the home. (Regulation 22(3)(a)) 14/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person prepare and implement a policy which sets out – (a) how behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and (b) the measure of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. (Regulation 35 (1)) 14/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)-(b)) 14/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must notify HMCI without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there and any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(c & e)) 14/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating – (a) the quality of care provided for children:

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Requirement Due date

(b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, it’s facilities and the quality of care they receive in 14/12/2015 it: and

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Requirement Due date

(c) any actions that the registered provider considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45(2))

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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

30/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement

Several young people have arrived at the home in unplanned ways with inadequate matching to the existing young people living in the home or a lack of clarity about their plans. As a result their stays have been short and they have moved on to alternative placements quickly as their needs could not be met. Staff do not take into account the needs and feelings of young people already living in the home when young people arrive at short notice or in the middle of the night. This does not promote young people’s stability and security in order to make progress.

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requires improvement

The registered manager admits some young people who staff do not have the training, experience or skills to care for. Staff are unclear about young people’s needs and are not able to develop individualised care for them which reflects their developmental and mental health needs. This does not promote young people’s welfare or progress.

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requires improvement

Staff encourage young people to attend school and college, resulting in some them engaging and having good outcomes. Others do not attend or have an educational placement. There is significant delay in the provision of meaningful alternatives. The registered manager engages with the virtual school head to limited effect. As a result young people miss valuable weeks of schooling and struggle to develop routines.

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requires improvement

Staff identify young people’s health needs however progress is not made in addressing these for all young people. As a consequence young people’s self- esteem is affected as they struggle to manage their personal care. The home attempts to engage young people with appropriate specialist support, including child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), to no avail. Staff do not manage complex medication. As a result, some young people’s emotions are not well regulated with detrimental effects on their behaviour and progress.

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requires improvement

Staff are skilled at developing positive relationships with young people. They treat them with dignity and respect regardless of the challenges they may present. Young people feel that staff care about them and describe most staff as ‘sound’. They seek them out to share their experiences with them and are able to discuss sensitive issues with them. One young person said:’ The staff always listen! There’s not a member of staff that doesn’t fail to make me smile when I’m at my lowest and they're always there when you need a chat or shoulder to cry on.’

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requires improvement

Young people know how to make a complaint and have been encouraged to have an advocate to support them. Young people know how the home works and this provides them with security. One young person said: ‘…I don’t want to change a thing. I know the rules.’

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requires improvement

Staff support young people to develop practical independence skills in line with their age and development. This includes completing laundry and cooking. Some young people embrace this and enjoy learning how to cook meals which reflect their ethnic background. Staff support young people’s contact with their families and friends where this is safe and in their best interests. They are proactive in ensuring that young people are able to maintain important relationships even when young people’s homes are considerable distances away. This promotes their identity.

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requires improvement

Staff understand the risks associated with young people going missing of sexual exploitation, drug and alcohol misuse and offending. They work with the police and local sexual exploitation services to provide a co-ordinated review of risks and agreed response. Staff support does not result in young people becoming increasingly safe as some young people continue to engage in high risk behaviours including going missing, returning to the home under the influence of drink and drugs and engaging in further offending. Some young people do not make progress from their starting point and their outcomes deteriorate.

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requires improvement

Staff respond quickly when young people are missing or away from the home without authorisation. They always look for young people in the locality and in places which they know they frequent. They are proactive in recording details of cars in order to assist the police in locating young people. Staff ensure that placing authorities are aware that return interviews are required and take appropriate steps to escalate concerns where there is a delay in them taking place. Staff ensure the feedback from these informs young people’s risk assessments.

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requires improvement

Staff are skilled in de-escalation techniques and as a result physical intervention is rarely used. Staff do attempt to promote positive behaviour, for example, in offering a spa break for a young person to encourage their attendance at college, with limited effect. Staff use negative measures of control on a daily basis without appropriate assessment, recording or reviewing as to effectiveness. This does not promote positive behaviour or support young people to develop improved strategies to regulate their behaviour. The registered manager ensures that staff are appropriately vetted before they work in the home. This includes temporary staff who cover shifts at short notice. The registered manager does not ensure that temporary staff are adequately prepared to work in the home so as to promote the safety and welfare of young people and meet their needs. For example, staff arrive at the home and take

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requires improvement

young people out within minutes of arriving and before they have had an opportunity to read risk assessments or become familiar with young people’s needs.

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requires improvement

Staff and the registered manager respond swiftly to allegations of harm and refer appropriately to the designated officer. They do not notify Ofsted of such allegations. This prevents Ofsted from being able to review patterns and trends within the home and to have the necessary oversight of the management of these issues.

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requires improvement

Staff struggle to ensure young people respond to these boundaries positively and young people continue to push them. For example, staff are clear that young people should not light cigarettes from the hob however young people continue to do this.

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requires improvement

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager who holds the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. He has been in post for 2 years. He ensures the statement of purpose is reviewed and updated. Staff endeavour to be warm, caring and nurturing to young people in line with the ethos of the home.

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requires improvement

The registered manager does regularly monitor the care that is provided but has not been efficient in evaluating and improving practice. He does not have sufficient oversight of the significant issues such as admissions, discharges and incidents to ensure that the quality of care is improved. He has not made child centred decisions about children coming to live in the home which give priority to the safety and stability of the group environment. Some young people who are admitted to the home have needs which are outside the experience and skills of staff, some young people are admitted without an educational placement and some young people are admitted in an emergency without basic plans agreed. Consequently staff struggle to develop appropriate individual plans to safely manage young people’s behaviour. Staff do not always notify Ofsted of serious incidents involving young people. This prevents the oversight of management of behaviour and processes in the home of

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requires improvement

significant events in young people’s lives. This reflects the registered manager’s lack of evaluation of incidents to improve the quality of care.

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requires improvement

The registered manager has not ensured that he has sufficient staff in his team to meet the needs of young people. Consequently temporary staff work in the home frequently which does not promote stability and consistency for young people. When temporary staff are not available staff are unable to ensure that young people take part in planned activities or go out. This does promote young people’s welfare.

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requires improvement

Staff do not receive effective training which ensures they can meet young people’s needs. Staff receive all training online, other than restraint training, and there is no evaluation by the registered manager that it leads to effective practice. Where there are specific training needs arising from young people’s needs the registered manager does not ensure this is sourced to improve staff’s capacity to meet their needs.

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requires improvement

The registered manager advocates on young people’s behalf to access services although has had limited effect. He has escalated concerns within placing authorities and has been proactive in seeking reviews for young people when they are not making progress or cannot be kept safe to consider the best next steps. He has worked effectively with police and sexual exploitation services to provide individualised information to provide a co-ordinated and agreed response. This demonstrates that he has the capacity to take the necessary action to improve the monitoring, reviewing and evaluation of the quality of care to drive forward the necessary improvements.

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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

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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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