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

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

This home was judged Requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has Declined in effectiveness .

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Leadership and Management arrangements have been unstable since the last inspection in July 2015. A key shortfall in this inspection is that there has been no registered manager in charge of the home since April 2015. The interim manager at the time of the last inspection no longer works for this organisation. Interim management arrangements have been put in place by the provider, however, the rate of change has led to staff feeling frustrated at times by the different management styles and expectations.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The lack of a permanent manager, changes in interim management arrangements and numerous other staff changes across the care team has resulted in weaknesses in service delivery. New staff, in an already exposed team, have not had the opportunities they need to hone their knowledge and skills. There have been occasions when it is apparent that staff have not understood their roles and responsibilities, or have not had the skills to work effectively with young people. For example, poor internal communication has resulted in key information not shared between staff in the team. Additionally, staff have failed to respond appropriately to incidents and negative behaviours. As a result, young people have been left in potentially unsafe situations.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Young people are not reaching their potential in relation to educational attainment. The culture in the home has been too accepting when external arrangements for education do not currently meet young people’s educational needs. While staff have escalated concerns about a lack of satisfactory arrangements, staff have failed to ensure that young people spend their time constructively during the hours of a typical school day. As a result, young people have often remained in bed late and some spend extended periods playing computer games.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The registered person has failed to ensure that serious events are always notified to Ofsted immediately, as required by regulation. This means that the regulator has been unaware of serious incidents until several weeks later.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Following the last inspection regional managers took action to strengthen their oversight of the home and to issue updated guidance to staff in response to the requirement set at that time. Improvements have not been fully effective and further requirements has been set in order that the care young people receive is of a good quality. The provider has successfully recruited a new permanent manager who has very recently commenced work in the home. This individual is enthusiastic and has plans in place to drive forward service improvements. This new manager is in the process of completing an application to Ofsted for the registered manager position. Very recent recruitment means that a full team of permanent care staff will be in place by the end of February. A few members of staff have been in post since the home opened and together have worked hard to maintain elements of consistency in young people’s care. It is apparent that the permanent manager has

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

brought a sense of stability and clear direction.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Comments from young people show that they feel safe living here and that they are able to raise concerns and to talk to staff if they needed to. Involved professionals confirm that communication and joint working is good. Also, that staff strive to engage young people who are known to be extremely resistant on many levels to working with professionals.

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Information about this children's home

This section should outline: The home is operated by a large private organisation and is registered to provide care and accommodation for three children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home was first registered in February 2015.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

28/07/2015 CH - Full Requires improvement

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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 person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (v) staff promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. 05/02/2016

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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 person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 05/02/2015 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay when an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4) (b)) 14/01/2016

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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