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 declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

In the eight months since the full inspection, seven young people have lived here. The home increased its capacity from three to four young people in July 2016 and has mostly been full since this time. The two young people placed long term continue to live here and are settled. One of these young people said that it is ‘alright’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Other young people’s placements have been less successful and four young people have left the home having made little progress. One young person left before he was ready, despite a long placement here. Another young person had been missing for a number of days at the time of the inspection. Staff and the manager say that they feel very stretched when four young people are resident. The quality of individualised work that staff complete has declined and young people are less engaged.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff show an interest in young people’s education and help them keep to good daily routines. However, one young person who has lived here long term is not receiving adequate educational support to help her maximise her achievements post 16. Her training provider now offers only one day a week of preparation for employment, with no clear assistance with improving maths and English skills. Staff and the manager have not been proactive to counter this situation, including inspiring and motivating the young person to reach her potential.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have some good experiences, including holidays and Christmas celebrations. However, they are making slow progress with their independence and social skills. This is because staff, many of whom are new are not being creative or proactive enough to engage young people in a focused way. For example, a young person has said that she needs help to learn to sew and to understand the heat settings on an iron. This work is not undertaken because staff often feel stretched coping with critical situations, such as young people going missing or targeting one another and staff. Consequently, some young people choose to spend their time in their rooms.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff lack the skills and capacity to plan and provide consistently good care. There are a maximum of three staff on duty for four young people. Some staff find it difficult to work with some young people and some young people have complained about the staff and manager. One member of staff has not achieved the required qualification in residential childcare after two years because the organisation was slow to get him enrolled on the course. The manager has not organised for staff to go on core, refresher and skills development training. The manager struggles to organise the staff rota sufficiently in advance and is, at times, the only qualified senior member of staff on shift.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are not making sure that their time with young people focuses on the helping them with their emotional and behavioural difficulties. For example, young people and staff have not made clear, shared relevant plans about contact arrangements, free time and overnight stays. Young people’s memories folders have not been added to for over two months. Young people do not have understandable care plans or keep any copies of what they have learnt in key working sessions. This all means that young people’s progress is slower and behaviour incidents more likely. Nevertheless, social workers continue to be pleased with the quality of care provided. One ‘edge of care’ worker said, ‘[The home] is the most nurturing home I have ever been to – staff are warm and inviting. They go out of their way, in particular [manager] to be prompt at responding and keeping me updated. Well done – you have restored my faith in residential care.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people have gone missing on a number of occasions since the last inspection. These young people are vulnerable to child sexual exploitation and some of them have experienced this. Staff are proactive when young people go missing. They follow them, search for them thoroughly, and work generally well with relatives, police, social workers and specialist helpers to minimise further harm to young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff risk assess contact arrangements and are diligent with checking that young people are safe when they are away from the home. Staff also encourage young people to take part in courses being run locally to help young people learn how to keep themselves safe when they are out and when they use social media. Overall, staff are effective at safeguarding young people from harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff make sure that prompt repairs are carried out for any damage to the home. However, staff continue to manage some young people’s behaviour by locking rooms such as the kitchen and downstairs toilet. This adversely affects the experience of all young people. Staff and the manager give various reasons for this practice, but they are not striving to find more individualised, less institutional ways to help young people overcome problem behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are only allowed one coloured wall in their bedrooms from a small range the company have. Young people feel that their wishes and feelings about how their rooms are decorated are not given due regard.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has been in post for almost one year. He is an experienced manager. However, in recent monthly he has struggled to secure a good oversight of the home. He is not reviewing behaviour incidents, physical interventions and complaints promptly or insightfully. He is now failing to ensure that records are made of all complaints. His reviews of the quality of care are not methodical or thorough enough. For example, he does not examine staff practice or relate it to young people’s progress, experience and behaviour incidents. In addition, he does not methodically consult young people or stakeholders about young people’s needs in order to improve and direct staff’s practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has become slow on acting on the recommendations the home’s independent visitor and Ofsted, including completing essential training and familiarising himself with the organisation’s systems. He keeps no records of his supervision to refer to and does not identify or proactively work through any agenda to improve the home. He is not identifying staff members’ training needs or developing a clear workforce training plan. He has not prioritised the recommendations from the last Ofsted inspection. For example, records are still not used alongside young people as ‘living documents’ to help them understand what they are working towards and how staff are helping them. As a result, young people’s progress and experiences here have declined.

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Information about this children's home

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

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03 May 2016 Full Good 24 March 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 13 October 2015 Full Good 09 March 2015 Interim Improved 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

8: The education standard In order to meet the education standard the registered person must ensure— (2)(a) that staff— (i) help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans; (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. 28 February

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that have the appropriate qualification for the work that they perform by the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4) and (5)) 28 February

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must— (2)(b)ensure that staff— (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background; (v) help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect; (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. 28 February

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 28 February

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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— (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, and skills to meet 28 February the needs of each child; (e) ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home's records as 'living documents' supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.3 and 13.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child's needs. Any decisions to limit a child's access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child's welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child's needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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

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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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