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 good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people live in a safe, caring and supportive environment. Staff work hard to ensure that each young person’s needs are met through effective care planning. They maintain strong links with parents and professionals and take a cohesive approach to meeting each young person’s unique needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Care practice is underpinned by positive, trusting relationships that exist between young people and staff. Staff show a genuine interest in each young person’s life, offering parent-like support and guidance to help them achieve their potential. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in how well all young people are doing. For example, they all engage in post-16 training and education and are either in the process of, or have achieved, recognised qualifications such as English and mathematics GCSE, animal care, construction and the public services award. Also, a number of young people spoke proudly about their engagement in voluntary work, such as working in a charity shop and dog walking at a local rescue centre.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are very complimentary about staff and about living at the home. They each recognise the role that staff have played in helping them to move forward and feel that they get good support in this respect. One young person said, ‘I am definitely a better person as a result of living here. My behaviour has improved because I think more before I act and take more responsibility for my actions. I am ready to move on and I am confident that the manager and staff will do everything to support me in this, including helping me tell my social worker what I want and need when I move to semi-independent living in my home area.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person has been admitted since the last inspection. This move was well planned and sensitively managed in a way that offered them maximum support and caused minimum disruption to their lives. For example, the manager visited the young person and provided them with pertinent information relating to the home, helping them make their decision about coming here. Since arriving at the home, the young person has been supported to maintain his college placement and to keep in touch with his friends in the area that he has moved from. This level of support continues to be maintained and staff are making good decisions in this respect. This is despite the absence of essential information from his placing authority. For example, there is no up-to-date care plan on file and those documents that have been provided contain the young person’s old address and identify his long-term plan as being to remain in his current foster placement. The

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

manager has failed to pick this up in his monitoring activity, but immediately set about addressing this oversight during the inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff provide young people with good support when helping them to manage their behaviour, risks and vulnerabilities. They continue to provide parent-like support and guidance that has enabled them to make informed choices and reduce their risk taking behaviours, which continue to be relatively low-level. They know young people well and recognise when they may be placing themselves at risk, and take decisive action to minimise the impact of this behaviour. This includes making referrals to external agencies, such as the substance misuse service or police sexual exploitation team. This ensures that young people receive the services and support required to help them keep safe through multi-agency responses.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Progress in addressing the requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection are mixed. Records of allegations and safeguarding concerns are better organised. There have not been any referrals of this nature since the last inspection. The new system will make it easier for the manager to provide cohesive evidence of the actions taken to manage any investigations in the future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Procedures for the administration of medication are much more robust. Scrutiny of medication records confirm that staff are diligently recording each young person’s medication regime, including when they have refused to take it.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All staff have completed online training in the management of self-harm and safeguarding level 2. This has been supplemented by a briefing in child sexual exploitation that was delivered by the manager.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A number of processes for seeking feedback from young people, professionals and parents have been developed and are being used as part of the formal appraisal process.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some improvement is noted in the monthly monitoring visits undertaken by the independent visitor. The gathering and representation of the views of professionals has improved. However, he continues to undertake his visits at a time when young people are in college or training. This means their views are rarely represented. The responsible individual has taken decisive action in this respect and has recently appointed a different independent visitor. However, as no visits have been undertaken by this person, it is difficult to assess whether this will fully address the requirement from the last inspection and therefore this is repeated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of risk assessments still remains an issue. The manager reviews these on a weekly basis but this monitoring activity lacks rigour and has failed to address the issues identified at the previous inspection. A further decline in quality of these records is also noted, with a number of documents viewed not considering recent or emerging behaviour. For example, one young person’s risk assessment did not identify alcohol and substance misuse as an issue, despite there being a small number of incidents relating to this type of behaviour recently. In others, advice was found to be ambiguous. For example, robust responses to the management of substance-related behaviour are recorded as a standard protocol for most young people. This includes clear direction, such as seeking and following medical advice. However, these robust responses are potentially undermined by a statement that makes this a discretionary rather than a compulsory action for staff. Furthermore,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

there is no recognised process for staff to evidence what action they have taken or the rationale behind their decisions when managing this type of behaviour. The manager agrees that this makes it difficult for him to evaluate the effectiveness of risk management strategies and staff practice.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a one of a number of privately run children’s homes maintained by the provider. 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 15/11/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/07/2015 Full Requires improvement 01/06/2015 Full Inadequate

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, in particular, the standard in paragraph (1), the registered person must ensure: (2)(a)(v) that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. This is with particular reference to ensuring that each child’s specific risks and the action staff should take to manage these risks are clearly outlined in their individual risk assessments. A written record should be maintained confirming that staff have followed these risk assessments, and when they have deviated from this, the rationale for this decision, including the manager’s evaluation of their action. (Regulation 12) 27/03/2017

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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, in particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to: (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. This is with particular reference to managers ensuring that existing monitoring processes are used effectively when reviewing children’s records. (Regulation 13) 03/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, in particular an up-to-date copy of the plan for the care of the child prepared by the child’s placing authority, and of the placement plan. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 03/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person, if they 03/04/2017 consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. This is with specific reference to improving the level of consultation with children, parents and professionals. (Regulation 44 (2)(a))

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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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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