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

Inspection report children’s home: 1234244 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a large private organisation and is registered to provide care and accommodation for three children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Good

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: 1234244 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are making progress and have positive experiences that improve the quality of their lives. They have good relationships with staff. They feel safe and settled.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home is led by a passionate and committed new manager. She has brought focus to young people’s care planning arrangements. Stakeholders describe the new manager as ‘proactive’ and ‘an advocate’.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are being well prepared, at their own pace, for their forthcoming independence.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Partnership working is used effectively to improve young people’s outcomes. Staff seize every opportunity to help young people to make progress.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home now has a permanent staff team, and the use of agency staff is much reduced. Young people experience an improved consistency of care and support.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 A risk assessment relating to an activity that a young person had undertaken was not available during the inspection. However, there is no negative impact on young people as a result of this shortfall. Other risk assessments show that proper consideration is given to young people’s safety during activities.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1234244 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) 14/06/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes at the home. There is a new manager, and the majority of the staff team members are also new. The placement of a young person at the start of the year caused a period of turmoil and had a negative impact on the young people living at the home. However, since that placement ended, the home is stable and calm. This has allowed the new manager to assess the functioning of the home, make a plan for its development and start embedding new care practice. In the short time since the manager started working at the home, there has been a significant positive change. The two young people who currently live in the home have done so for several years. They are experiencing a very good quality of care. They are making significant progress and are making plans their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s physical and emotional health is prioritised. Staff skilfully negotiate with young people to help them to understand the importance of attending health appointments or looking after themselves. Staff work in partnership with outside agencies, such as the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) to provide young people with the care that they need. Inspection report children’s home: 1234244 4 Young people are making positive progress with their education. There are high aspirations for young people. One young person is working towards AS levels and is considering their future options, including attending university. Staff recognise that, given their previous experiences, formal education does not suit all young people. They are sensitively supporting the other young person to reintegrate into education. At a recent taster session at college, staff recognised the young person’s anxiety at being in a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

new environment and, by supporting him every step of the way, helped to ensure that his experience was positive. As a result, the young person has agreed to start a new course. An education worker stated: ‘Staff are proactive, pushing things, advocating. They are behind him and want him to succeed.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are moving towards independence in the near future. They are preparing by taking part in the home’s independence plan, which includes cooking for themselves and managing their own budgets. A social worker said: ‘Independence skills are coming slowly but surely.’ Young people take part in useful experiences that help prepare them for the future. The home has positive working relationships with stakeholders. There is a culture of professional challenge when partners are not fulfilling their obligations to a young person.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a clear understanding of what to do if a young person goes missing, and there are good professional relationships with the police missing from care team. Since the last inspection, despite the best efforts of staff, rates of young people going missing from the home have increased. However, since February, there has only been one incident of a young person going missing. A social worker of a young person who has left the home said: ‘When my young person went missing, they got staff out looking for him. They put in an additional member of staff for this reason. They just want to see him, buy him a meal and check he was OK. They are very caring.’ When young people return to the home, return interviews are requested and are carried out by someone independent of the home. This opportunity helped to provide important information that may help prevent or decrease such events occurring in the future.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Since the last inspection, one young person’s placement has ended due to safeguarding concerns. Important people involved in this young person’s life commented on the commitment showed by the manager and staff team to the young person at this time. His welfare and safety remained paramount. A social worker said: ‘They tried their best. They did above and beyond what was expected of them.’ Young people who currently live in the home rarely show difficult or challenging behaviour. Use of physical intervention is rare and it has only been used once since the last inspection. Young people are receiving the necessary support to promote their emotional well-being. For example, the home has a psychologist who visits regularly, enabling staff to gain further advice about how best to support and manage young people’s presenting issues, such as self-harm.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Risks are well managed through comprehensive risk assessments and behaviour Inspection report children’s home: 1234244 5 management plans. Assessments and plans clearly address all known and identified areas of potential concern. They provide staff with written guidance, to enable them to identify warning signs and triggers and implement strategies to prevent or minimise risk. As a result, young people are as safe as possible. A shortfall was identified in the retention of important documents, relating to an activity that a young person took part in. Staff were unable to find a risk assessment for a fishing trip and were, therefore, unable to demonstrate how they considered the young person’s safety during this time. However, this has not had a negative impact on young people, as this was a one-off shortfall in administration rather than practice. All risk assessments relating to other activities are retained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been a significant change in management and staffing at the home. A new manager who has applied for registration with Ofsted is in post. In addition, a number of staff have left and the majority of the new staff team members are in their probationary period. The new manager has listened to young people’s views and is acutely aware of the impact that such significant changes in the staff team has on young people living in the home. She has tried to lessen the impact by ensuring that there is as much consistency in staffing as possible, and is carefully considering new referrals to ensure that the placement match is positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to providing the best possible care for young people and is ambitious in her desire to achieve the best outcomes for the young people in the home. She is open and honest in her assessment of the current functioning of the home and has a development plan to help her to improve staff practice and outcomes for young people further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported. The company has an online training programme that includes specific relevant training, such as a self-harm, which staff use to increase their skill and knowledge of caring for young people. They have regular opportunities that enable them to reflect on their practice. The manager holds regular staff meetings that incorporate elements of training. A police officer recently attended a team meeting to discuss the local missing from care protocol. This has helped staff to understand how to better use the police in the event of a young person going missing from care. It has also helped to build positive relationships between the police and staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good partnership working results in the provision of effective support. Partners commented that communication is good and that they are made aware of any issues. Prompt information sharing promotes consistent care and support. A mental health worker stated: ‘Communication has increased. The manager will ring me or one of the staff team to inform of any changes or concerns. Staff follow through on things after my sessions.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Two requirements and one recommendation were made at the last inspection. Care plans are detailed and are regularly reviewed. They contain clear links to plans from Inspection report children’s home: 1234244 6 other stakeholders, such as education or recent reviews. The recording of missing from care episodes has improved. Thus, shortfalls identified at the last inspection have been satisfactorily addressed, resulting in record keeping improving to demonstrate better accountability.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: 1234244 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Care And Education Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Venture House, Unit 12, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock WS11 0LG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Ann-Cheri Callow

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Inspector

Catherine Honey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1234244 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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