Children's home run by Horizon Care Limited in Cannock Chase

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good 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

Young people thrive in the home in all aspects of their lives. Often they have experienced troubled backgrounds and many placement moves. The home has a stable, experienced and committed staff team who provide young people with a good level of support. This promotes trust and enables strong relationships to be formed. One young person says, ‘I enjoy living in this home, staff are great and sort things out for me.’ He confirms there are no issues and relationships between young people are sound. ‘We look out for each other, just like brothers would do.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Progress has been made by young people in areas of education, contact with family and their emotional, social and psychological well-being, including their physical health. The manager works effectively in partnership with the virtual head in young people’s placing authority and with the local area education department. This ensures suitable education provision is identified and in place. Young people who previously disengaged in education, now have good attendance and engage every day, this will benefit them in the future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people understand their contact arrangements and detailed plans are in place. For young people’s family who live a considerable distance from the home, transport agreements are in place and young people are able to spend time, including overnight stays, with those people significant in their lives. This promotes their identity and sense of belonging.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have regular visits from a therapist, employed by this organisation. These arrangements provide detailed assessments of young people’s specific needs, and support staff to deploy effective and consistent strategies. This develops young people’s social outlook, for example, their personal hygiene and presentation, has much improved. They are supported emotionally with attachment and loss issues, allowing them to understand their past, and are guided to understand triggers, in order to modify their behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s physical health is regularly monitored with local access to health services and staff engaging with medical authorities out of the area. This ensures young people medication, health needs and diagnosis are reviewed, and where necessary adjusted. Detailed records are kept which can be passed onto future placements or when young people enter into adulthood.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Following the last inspection two young people have been accommodated in the home. There is good planning for admissions where staff have been to meet young people prior to them being placed. This provides them with an opportunity to consider if the home is the right place for them to live. Careful consideration is given to referral information. The registered manager is not afraid to challenge placing authorities, or the organisation. For example, when further information is required or he considers a placement is having a detrimental impact on other young people living in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three young people have moved from the home, and have done so in a planned way. This enables exchanges of key information to future placements, which benefits young people. Staff confirm young people often telephone them for a chat and to let them know how they are doing in their new placement. This demonstrates the positive impact this home has had on them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This is a settled home, where young people understand and adhere to the boundaries. There are no behavioural concerns, young people are safe and say they feel safe in the home and have not made any complaints about the care they receive, or in relation to staff who provide this care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Monitoring arrangements are effective and identify areas where improvements can be made. They show the strengths and quality of the work staff carryout in the home. The independent person’s monthly report shows progress young people make and how effective staff are at safeguarding them. The registered manager regularly audits the systems and records. These arrangements ensure the home is providing a good level of quality care to young people and how the conduct of the home is promoting their well-being.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff are compassionate about the care they provide to young people. They are persistent when partnership working with other agencies and placing social workers. This determination results in better outcomes for young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A requirement made at the last inspection has been met. The home’s statement of purpose document now includes detailed information about how the effectiveness of any therapy provided to young people is measured, the evidence demonstrating its effectiveness and details of how the information or the evidence can be accessed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The three recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. Staff supervision, support from the therapist and team meetings enable staff to reflect and act upon how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the young people they care for. Although currently young people are not missing or absent from the home. Arrangements are now in place for placing authorities to undertake return home interviews. This provides opportunity for information to be sought, shared and agreed strategies to be in place with the local police missing from home coordinator. A detailed therapy action plan is now in place. This provides staff with information on how individual young people past experiences may manifest in their day to day life, and how to consistently respond to this.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

No requirements or recommendations are made at this inspection.

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Information about this children's home

 The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties  This home is owned by a private company  Young people’s range of needs for whom the home intends to provide care, include, going missing persistently, exhibit verbal/physical aggression, expose themselves to risk of harm, are victims of abuse, self-harm, are in a cycle of criminal offending, or have poor life skills and are approaching independence change of needs for whom the home intends to provide care as written in the home's statement of purpose  The home has an allocated clinical psychologist who visits twice a month to provide therapeutic input for the young people and care team, as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose document

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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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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