Children's Home run by New Horizons (Stockport) Limited in Manchester

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The Registered Provider has continued to demonstrate a commitment to improving the care and safeguarding arrangements in the home. This includes addressing a large majority of the requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection. They have clearly learned from their past experiences and have made a concerted effort to address the shortfalls that resulted in a concerning decline in the home’s overall performance. There is strong evidence that the actions taken by the home have resulted in a significantly improved service, which is now consistently providing a good quality of care and support to young people. This is confirmed by the young people who all speak very positively about living at this home and recognise the progress they are making. One young person said: ‘This place has helped me a lot. This is the first time I have been in a children’s home and it is much better than I thought it would be. Staff make me feel safe and there

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are making every effort to engage young people in some form of education. For the majority this is delivered in-house by a suitably qualified teacher. This is viewed as a temporary arrangement until staff can find a suitable placement for them. At the time of the inspection not all young people were registered with a school or college. However, staff are being proactive in their efforts to achieve this and have been particularly successful at enabling one young person to attend a registered specialist provision after a significant period of absence.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A great deal of effort has gone into developing a suitably inducted, qualified and experienced staff team. This was done prior to young people being admitted to the home and has successfully promoted the right start to each placement. There are now a sufficient number of staff which means continuity of care is being achieved. This consistency means that young people have been given the opportunity to develop positive relationships with staff, which are notably strong for the majority. A small number of staff have still to complete some aspects of mandatory training including safeguarding.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A permanent manager is now in place. He is suitably qualified and has a good amount of childcare and management experience. Registration with Ofsted is imminent. He is well supported by a dedicated and enthusiastic deputy manager who has worked hard to establish good foundations on which to make further improvements. The new manager has been in post since October 2015. Collectively they have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and demonstrate a commitment to further improving young people’s care experiences. One young person said: ‘The manager is all about the kids. He is one of them people who wants the best for us. All staff are like that. They are really good.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people living at the home currently have been admitted since the last inspection. Some element of matching has been applied when considering these placements, all of which have been emergency admissions. The manager is clear that the level of analysis when considering future placements must improve and is developing processes for this purpose. Planned or not, the current group of young people are well matched and are making exceptionally good progress in many aspects of their lives including their resilience, self-esteem, education, health, behaviour and safety.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Most young people came to the home with a history of concerning behaviour including self-harm, going missing, substance and alcohol misuse, assaults on staff or being at risk of child-sexual exploitation. Good systems are in place for the management of these risks and vulnerabilities. This includes links with specialist services such as substance intervention teams, police child sexual exploitation professionals and mental health agencies for example. Staff have worked closely with these professionals in their delivery of well-thought out interventions which are based on a nurturing and educational approach. This has been highly effective in reducing these behaviours as young people are making better life choices, which has resulted in them being much safer than they were previously.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

These improvements are further strengthened through better performance management and monitoring activity within the home. The manager’s experience of quality assurance processes is evident in the quality of the internal scrutiny that is being applied to all aspects of staff performance and care practice. External scrutiny by an independent person has also improved. The increased rigour means that shortfalls are being recognised and are consistently addressed. However, there is a need for the independent visitor to make clearer statements in relation to their opinion about how effective the home is in safeguarding young people and promoting their welfare.

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Information about this children's home

This is a one of a number of privately run children’s homes. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who may be experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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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Recent inspection history

17/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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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

The registered person must ensure that the independent person must produce a report about each visit ("the independent person's report) which sets out, in particular, the independent persons opinion as to whether the children are effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being (Regulation 44 (4)(a-b)) 22/03/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in the home are not on a school roll, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that each child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. If no education placement is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child's needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met). (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 28, paragraph, 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. This is with specific reference to ensuring all staff complete have the opportunity to complete any outstanding mandatory training (The Guide to the Quality Standards, Page 53, paragraph, 10.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is an agreement between the home and the police that ensures that police 'missing' and 'absent' definitions are applied when children go missing, and that the agreed responses give due consideration to the child's vulnerability in relation to the risk of child-sexual exploitation. (Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care, page 10, paragraph 20)

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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

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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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