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

Inspection report children’s home: 1229762 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

This three-bedded home provides care to children who have social and/or emotional difficulties. The manager became registered in May 2018 and is completing the required level 5 qualification.

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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: 12 December 2017

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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: 1229762 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2017 Full Good 09/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/09/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1229762 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 registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 21/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being 21/12/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1229762 4 involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child— is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Recommendations

 If a child makes a choice that would place them or another person at significant risk of harm, staff should assist them to understand the risks and manage their risk taking behaviour to keep themselves and others safe. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 41, paragraph 9.7) In particular, to ensure that alternative arrangements are made for these discussions to occur if the nominated staff member is away.  Ensure that case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) In particular, ensure that records are fully completed, centralised logs match the individual files, and that information is stored in the appropriate places.  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should

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Recommendations

include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) In particular, include known risks such as the main road.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspection report children’s home: 1229762 5 The home successfully manages very challenging behaviour. Despite some recent incidents, there is still a relaxed and homely feel. The staff build long-lasting and meaningful relationships with the children. This sense of affection, acceptance, love and care reflects the home’s aims and objectives. Positive relationships enable the children, even after they have moved out, to view the staff as part of their extended family. Children speak positively about how they are better able to manage their emotions. They recognise the important role that the staff play in their lives, including advocating on their behalf. Children’s interactions with the staff are affectionate and demonstrate warmth and understanding. A child spoke about the comfort they feel because the staff are ‘simply being there to calm me down in my most anxious moments’. There are no issues with school attendance. One child completed exams this summer

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and is about to change college courses. The children’s schedules are coordinated to incorporate education and extracurricular activities such as volunteering at a local stable. The children are reluctant to participate in children’s meetings. However, staff are creative in gaining the views of children in different ways. These views are then used positively to shape the service. The children have advocates and are supported with specific health issues such as the cessation of smoking. This ensures that children receive the specialist care and interventions that they require. Children are supported well as they prepare to move into adult provisions. Two young people spoke positively about the skills that they had gained before moving. These skills include budgeting, cooking and independent travel.

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

Following a very settled time there has been a recent period of difficulties arising from the behaviours of two children. The manager described the measures that have been used to try and make things work, including using the organisation’s therapist to work with the staff to develop and review behaviour management strategies. Following an increase in physical assaults against another child and various staff members, the decision was made to move one child. His mother said, ‘I don’t agree with the decision to move him, but I understand it.’ Missing from home episodes have again reduced following the recent spike in risk-taking behaviour. Despite recent events, the remaining children’s behaviour has greatly improved since admission. They are settled and say that they feel happy and safe at home. The children who have moved on to adult provisions did so with highly reduced levels of risk-taking behaviour.

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

The staff helped a child to rebuild family relationships. This was achieved through gradually increased family contact. This gradual approach enabled a child to return to his family home. The recent behaviours and assaults have taken their toll on the staff and several aspects of the case records and incident reports are incomplete or include late entries. When incidents have led to physical interventions, the records do not consistently provide the Inspection report children’s home: 1229762 6 required detail. Incomplete or missing records prevent any comprehensive analysis of the events. The manager is in the process of auditing the files to ensure that all relevant paperwork is present. There have been occasions when the home has failed to notify Ofsted of significant events or not done so in a timely way. This prevents Ofsted from exercising its regulatory function. The location risk assessment does not take account of the road outside the home. This

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

prevents clarity about the steps that the staff should take if a child runs from the home. Key-work sessions are planned each month to cover issues that are topical or relate to the children’s plans. A child’s risk-taking behaviour was highlighted as an area of focus, yet the session has never occurred. This was because the staff member was off work and the task had not been reassigned. This lack of follow through meant that the child did not receive valuable information as quickly as they could have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is currently undertaking the required level 5 qualification. She is a good advocate for the children and prides herself on ensuring that the children feel loved and cared for. Two young people, who have moved on to adult provisions, described how supportive the manager and the staff continue to be. This positive feedback about the manager included one young person saying, ‘She helped me to see the good in life, she taught me to love and believe in myself. She has always gone the extra mile for me.’ The strong relationships that exist are in keeping with the therapeutic model that underpins the work in the home. The manager is keen to develop the skills of her staff. Staff speak positively about their supervision and appraisals. The manager has recently increased the frequency of supervision sessions and team meetings to support the staff in working through the recent increase in disruptive behaviour. This additional support is

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

welcomed and appreciated by the staff. The manager completes comprehensive quality of care audits. These provide a good evaluation of the service. Four recommendations made at the previous Ofsted inspection have been addressed by:  Improving the quality of the information contained in incident reports.  Ensuring that when children have been restrained they have an opportunity to discuss the experience.  Ensuring that staff training covers a wider range of topics. The manager has also arranged bespoke training to meet specific gaps in knowledge.  Ensuring that, when children return after being missing, staff are given a summary of return home interviews.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: 1229762 7 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: 1229762 8

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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: Kenneth Farrimond

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Inspector

Sonia Hay, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1229762 9 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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