Children's home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited in Cannock Chase

Inspection report children’s home: SC475323 1 SC475323 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for three young people who require help and support. The home offers short-, medium- or long-term residential placements for young people aged from seven years to 17 years. The home’s aim is ‘to provide a warm, homely, nurturing environment promoting positive role modelling as part of practice to support young people in a therapeutic manner’.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager is experienced, suitably qualified and has been registered since August 2018.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC475323 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2018 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/08/2016 Full Outstanding 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC475323 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular, provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (2)(d)) 21/12/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff care about young people and want to achieve the best outcomes for them. Staff talk positively about young people. Young people are carefully matched and cope well with each other’s differences, despite their wide age-range.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people experience care from skilled and supportive staff. Staff have a clear therapeutic and child-focused approach. As a result, young people are making good progress. All staff have a clear understanding of what they want each young person to achieve. All achievements, no matter how small, are celebrated. This increases young people’s self-esteem and gives them a sense of personal success.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly send cards and messages and leave small gifts around the house for the young people to find. Inspection report children’s home: SC475323 4 Young people have good experiences on a day-to-day basis. Staff support them to enjoy activities inside and outside of the home. For example, young people enjoy going horse- riding, shopping and going on holiday.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff have established positive partnerships with a range of professionals. Together, they make sure that young people’s needs are met.

p.4

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

Staff understand young people’s individual risks and manage these risks with a measured approach . For example, staff have advocated for one young person to have more agreed time with her family. This has helped to reduce the number of reported missing from care incidents. Staff complete detailed risk assessments, which are regularly updated to reflect young people’s changing circumstances. These help to inform behaviour management strategies that focus on rewarding positive behaviour.

p.4

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

The registered manager makes sure that staff receive training in relation to safeguarding, understanding the signs of child exploitation and attachment. Additional training is requested when needed to upskill the staff in a new area. This ensures that young people’s identified needs are met.

p.4

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

Staff ensure that young people live in a homely and safe environment. The day-to-day maintenance of the home is of a good standard and all young people have personalised their bedrooms so that they feel comfortable in their personal space.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been on long-term leave since the end of September 2018. The home is being managed in the interim period by a senior member of staff who is applying for registration. The handover has been managed well and the interim manager has maintained a high quality of care for young people.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers advocate well for each young person and ensure that the home and other agencies respond quickly when there is any change in young people’s needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has responded well to recent staffing gaps, by only using highly skilled and committed bank and agency members of staff who support and complement the core staff team. This means that young people enjoy care from a consistent staff group.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that the home operates in line with the statement of purpose and that this is regularly updated. Staff provide young people with a nurturing environment and promote positive role-modelling as promised in the statement of purpose.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers do not always ensure that all staff receive regular supervision and support following incidents. This has slightly affected staff morale. However, the staff team continues to meet young people’s needs well. Inspection report children’s home: SC475323 5 Occasionally, managers do not ensure that investigations and outcomes of allegations against staff are recorded in detail and shared with the member of staff involved.

p.4

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.

p.5

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: SC475323 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Care And Education Group Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.6

Inspectors

Debbie Holder, social care inspector Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC475323 7 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.

p.6

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7