Children's Home run by New Horizons (Stockport) Limited in Bury

Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 1 Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) 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

This privately owned home is registered to care for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was first registered in August 2017. The registered manager had been in post prior to registration and was registered with Ofsted on 29 August 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection four young people were living at the home, with one young person moving into semi-independent accommodation on the second day of the inspection. Three young people spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 September 2018

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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

Date of last inspection: 30 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 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

If the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) This is specifically in relation to having a current personal education plan. 19/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(c)). In particular in relation to door alarms. 19/10/2018

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14). This is in relation to ensuring that the child’s personal education plan is in place.

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to develop positive relationships within a warm and nurturing environment. This enables most young people to make progress from their initial starting points. Staff understand that young people may have experienced trauma which has had an impact on their emotional well-being. The staff support young people to feel valued, develop confidence and feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted, with most young people making progress. However, one young person has been without an educational placement since moving to the home. Despite the provision of a tutor, this lack of a full-time educational placement is having an impact on the young person’s ability to learn and progress. The manager and staff have challenged this issue on a regular basis with the placing authority. However, a personal education plan remains outstanding, and this needs to be escalated to senior managers in the placing authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s physical and emotional health needs. All young people are registered with community healthcare professionals and supported to attend appointments. Arrangements for administration and management of medication are safe and appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people contribute their wishes and views to their care and support. This is because they contribute to their placement plans, and regular consultation meetings are held with them as a group to find out their views about the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to a high standard, providing a comfortable, homely and safe environment in which young people can live.

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

The registered manager and the staff team have a clear understanding of young people’s vulnerabilities and behaviours which may place them at risk of harm. Individualised risk management plans are in place, which detail the action required to minimise risks and to help to keep young people safe. These are ‘working documents’ and are kept under review to ensure that they reflect the current and known risks, enabling staff to take the required action to support young people’s safety.

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

Staff support young people’s behaviour by implementing consistent boundaries, providing them with structure and stability, encouraging positive behaviours and addressing negative behaviour in a fair and proportionate way. When young people become upset, staff have the knowledge and skills to de-escalate negative behaviours.

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

Young people are aware that bullying is not acceptable. Staff are aware of the potential for conflict, and work with the young people to understand the importance of respect. Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 5 Previously, incidents of young people going missing from the home have been high. However, staff have taken effective action, following agreed protocols and working with the police and other professionals to implement strategies to promote young people’s safety. As a result, incidents of going missing are reducing. However, independent return home interviews with young people are not always carried out.

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

The manager ensures that a range of health and safety checks are completed, including environmental and area risk assessments. Door alarms are fitted to young people’s bedrooms and are discussed with them and placing social workers. However, signed authorisation is not in place for all young people to confirm that the use of door alarms has been formally agreed.

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

Recruitment of staff is thorough and in line with safer recruitment guidance, to further safeguard young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified. He is supported in his role by a motivated deputy manager and experienced support workers, who all share a passion and commitment to develop the home and improve the lives of young people. This means that young people receive the level of care and support as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. The manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and its areas for development. Improved oversight and monitoring systems have enabled him to address eight of the nine requirements and two of the three recommendations made at the previous inspection. Additional external monitoring supports the development of the service. Staff have formed good relationships with partner agencies to help provide consistent support to the young people. Comments received from placing social workers confirmed that they are confident that the practice in the home is child-centred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision to enable them to develop their skills. Mandatory training includes safeguarding and child protection, which is kept up to date, enabling the staff to have a good understanding of current safeguarding concerns.

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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 making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 6 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: 1261138 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Bramhall Park Road, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 3DQ

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Inspector

Sarah Oldham, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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