Children's Home run by New Horizons NW Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 1 Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) 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 children’s home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for two children aged between 12 and 18 years. There is no registered manager in post.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 30 November 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2017 Full Good 23/01/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)) 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10(1)(c)) 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust, an understanding about acceptable behaviour and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff— understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ix)(xi)) 30/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

Ensure staff are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11(2)(a)(x)) 30/11/2018

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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. In particular, the standard requires the registered person to 30/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 4 ensure 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(1)(2)(a)(i)) The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— there is no registered manager in respect of the home; If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27(1)(a)(2)(a)(b)) 30/11/2018

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improvement to be good

Care plans do not currently outline each child’s individual vulnerabilities and needs. Steps on how to address those needs are not detailed enough. The current recording is not clear or helpful to the children. There are inconsistencies around encouraging children to embrace a healthy lifestyle. The staff team works closely with health professionals to improve their physical health outcomes. However, this is not currently effective, and the children continue to use cannabis as a means of controlling pain. There is insufficient understanding of how to manage some health conditions, for example arthritis. There have been several managerial and staff changes over the past three months. Nevertheless, the staff team members’ commitment to forging positive attachments means that the children are starting to have positive relationships with individuals they trust. However, not all staff team members adhere to consistent boundaries and

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improvement to be good

expectations; as a result, this fails to provide the children with warmth and security. The redecoration and refurbishment of the home mean that the children live in bright and comfortable surroundings. The homely atmosphere enhances the children’s sense of belonging. The children are fully supported by the staff team to maintain good relationships with family members and significant others that are close to them personally. The staff team’s support and expectation that children will attend further education is high. However, despite close working with educational professionals, this has yet to be Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 5 achieved. While it appears that children have ambitions to move on to further education, their emotional and psychological health means that the partnership with specialist agencies, to building self-esteem and feelings of self-worth, need to continue.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not adequately assess and evaluate the effect of known risks prior to children moving into the home. As a result, children are affected by the risk-taking and negative behaviours, which compromises their safety and well-being. This is regarding the use of cannabis. Staff are not always adequately informed about how to keep children safe. Risk assessments do not contain all the information about children’s behaviours and the known serious risks to their safety and well-being. Risk assessments do not adequately outline the strategies to be used by staff to keep children safe. Children are making progress in keeping themselves safer from their starting points, for example by going missing less frequently. As a result, a child was supported to take age- appropriate risks, including increased unsupervised time in the community. The social worker commented that children are safer now in this home than they have ever been.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is seldom used. Records generally show effective practice by staff who use a broad range of de-escalation techniques to avoid the necessity of using restraint. Therefore, physical intervention has only been used as a last result. Debriefs with staff and children and good managerial oversight demonstrate appropriate scrutiny of staff practice. Discussions with staff help children to understand the reasons for the use of physical intervention and allow children to think about and explore alternative and more positive behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager who is currently in the post has withdrawn from the process to become registered with Ofsted and the post is being advertised. However, in the meantime, the manager is happy to continue in the role until a replacement is found. The manager is committed to changing the ethos and running of the home. Plans are in place to equip the staff with the skills to manage children’s complex behaviours, as well as to improve management oversight of the care that staff are providing to children. However, until the new systems are embedded, there are still occasions when staff’s responses to children in times of crisis do not safeguard them, and the management oversight has sometimes failed to identify poor practice. This has resulted in children’s welfare and safety not being promoted and, consequently, the home not delivering its aims as set out in its statement of purpose. Staff report that they are supported by the manager well. They can discuss any concerns

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

and can reflect on their practice during regular supervision. They identify that children need to be cared for consistently and support each other as a team. Staff have worked additional hours to ensure that the use of agency staff is kept within acceptable limits, demonstrating their commitment to promoting stability for children. Consistent agency Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 6 workers have been used to support continuity of care while new permanent staff are recruited. Staff confirm that they access regular training. A social worker confirmed that he receives notifications of all significant events and that communication from the home is effective. He believes that the child has made progress because of the support the home provides. The home’s manager and staff work hard to develop effective working relationships with other professionals in order to support children’s holistic care and protect them from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are appropriate internal monitoring systems in place and the reports of an independent visitor robustly support the manager’s understanding of the strengths and areas for development. She wants to improve children’s participation in the home’s plans further and incorporate their views from their meetings and individual consultations. The manager recognises the shortfalls in the home and is determined to return practice to a high standard in order to maintain the home’s aims and objectives and to promote positive outcomes for children.

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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 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: 1235384 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, 18 - 20 Coronation Walk, Southport, Merseyside PR8 1RE

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Inspector

Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 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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