Children's Home run by Horizon Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC062406 1 SC062406 Registered provider: Horizon Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for three children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home forms part of a large social care company.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In the four months since the last inspection, young people continue to progress well. Two young people are doing well in a local mainstream school. One of these young people now enjoys regular free time with school friends. Staff act as good parents and provide lifts and opportunities for young people to meet their friends who are a good influence. One young person experienced a positive move into the home during November 2017. She likes living here. She told the inspector, ‘I class the boys as like my brothers, for now this is my home, but it will never replace my home in [home town].’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A small staff team is committed to the care of each young person. Staff provide consistent good-quality care. If agency staff are required, the same person is usually booked for all shifts so that young people’s care is not adversely affected. Staff spend time talking to each young person and support them to get along together and to pursue Inspection report children’s home: SC062406 2 individual interests, such as football and horse riding. Staff and the manager meet monthly with the home’s allocated psychology clinician to discuss young people’s behaviour and how best to help them. However, staff do not take note of, or use, the clinician’s practice advice enough. They do not plan or talk enough to young people about the things that matter the most to them. This means that staff miss many opportunities to help young people overcome their emotional and behavioural difficulties and to find successful ways to cope and function well.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people feel safe. They rarely go missing from home because staff know and address the difficulties that lie behind this behaviour. Staff can successfully defuse most incidents and they do not need to physically restrain young people. One young person who has lived here for a few years said, ‘Staff all make me feel happy and part of a second family, I could trust them.’ Another young person said that before coming here she was behaving unsafely by going missing from home and communicating with unsafe people on her phone. Now she says, ‘I realised what I was doing wrong. I have to talk to staff, do the work and try.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people feel that staff do not treat them all fairly. They feel that they cannot go out as much as the others and that staff do not listen sufficiently to their written and verbal requests. For example, young people do not believe that there is much point in expressing choices at the young people’s meetings because staff will not prioritise them. However, if young people make complaints or allegations about staff, the manager makes sure that they are robustly addressed in accordance with correct safeguarding procedures.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is warm, nurturing and ambitious that every young person achieves the most that they can. She works well with other professionals to ensure that young people receive the education and specialist support that they need. She is well organised and has worked on all the matters raised at the last inspection. In particular, staff now help young people much more with collecting memorabilia of their time here, and they are enjoying this. The manager’s own supervision is now more regular and helpful to her. However, the manager and staff are not being proactive about supporting young people to keep and take their own medications when it is safe for this to happen.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2017 Full Good 14/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 30/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC062406 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(2)(b)(v)) 30/03/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children are able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  Ensure that children who wish to keep and take their own medication are supported to, if they are able to do so safely. Staff should be mindful that children holding their own prescribed medication must only use it for themselves in accordance with the prescription. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.16)

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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 differences 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC062406 4 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

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

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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC062406 5 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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