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

Inspection report children’s home: SC366851 1 SC366851 Registered provider: Horizon Care 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

The children’s home is run by a private organisation. It offers care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 December 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: 13 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC366851 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/04/2017 Full Good 30/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/08/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC366851 3

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Recommendations

 The home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history according to their age and understanding. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and add further information to them. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)  When a child returns to the home after being away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The home 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

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Recommendations

home regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy positive and warm relationships with staff. They are settled and happy and, overall, make good progress. One young person commented, ‘I have lived here for over 12 months. It’s my home now. I like the staff and they help all of us all the time.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Residential care planning is good. Plans incorporate relevant and specific targets that are consistently reviewed and monitored by the manager. Young people are helped to understand why they are living in the children’s home and what the aim of the placement is. A young person commented, ‘I have done well living here. I have a plan for my future and I know what support I can expect. I trust the staff and that means a lot to me.’ Records of work undertaken with young people, such as keywork sessions, are improved. However, young people rarely sign off or comment on these sessions. Consequently, opportunities to gain young people’s views and opinions about the work undertaken with them are missed. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are occasions when young people struggle to engage in education on a consistent basis. Staff work well with education providers, ensuring that young people have options suitable to their needs. Records, including education, health and care plans and records of review meetings, incentives and keywork sessions, highlight the home’s commitment to ‘going the extra mile’ to break the cycle of non-attendance. Inspection report children’s home: SC366851 4 Consequently, young people attend school or college on a full-time basis. Attendance and attainment are considerably improved. One young person has completed a diploma in horticulture, while another is preparing to undertake foundation examinations. Both young people have a vision for their future, including developing their own gardening service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are regularly consulted about the running of the home. They participate in young people’s meetings and keywork sessions and complete regular in-house ‘tell us what you think’ surveys. Young people regularly record their thanks for and praise of the staff working in the home. However, young people are not offered the opportunity to review their files and the information recorded about them. This would enable young people to learn about their past and better understand the aims of the placement and the work undertaken with them. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the value of including families, where possible, in the planning for young people’s care. They work extremely hard to develop trusting relationships. Consequently, young people enjoy regular contact with important people in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to develop relationships and encourage participation in activities. This can be difficult for some young people. However, young people now enjoy attending youth clubs, attend music concerts and join in activities with staff. Likewise, young people are encouraged to develop friendships in the community and maintain positive existing friendships. A young person said, ‘I can visit my home community and see my friends and girlfriend. I have grown up with most of these people, so it is important to me to spend time with them. Staff help me to do this.’

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

Young people’s safety is prioritised. Improved impact assessments now ensure that all young people placed at the home are assessed against the needs, interests and aspirations of those already resident. Likewise, detailed individual risk assessments are balanced and consider significant life events. Each risk is supported with appropriate individual strategies to minimise and reduce risks. Assessments are reviewed monthly and updated accordingly.

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

Since the last inspection in September 2017, there have been no incidents when physical intervention has been deemed necessary. All staff receive annual training on the use of physical intervention including de-escalation and redirection techniques. Behaviour management plans reflect the individual personalities of young people. This means that staff understand the triggers for negative behaviour and the most effective methods of managing challenging behaviours. Sanctions are restorative and meaningful and are monitored on a regular basis. Regular keywork sessions enable young people to reflect on their behaviours and develop strategies to help them regulate their emotions.

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

Incidents of young people being reported as missing or absent from the home are significantly decreased. A social worker said, ‘There has been a dramatic reduction in my Inspection report children’s home: SC366851 5 young person absenting themselves since living in this home.’ Risk assessments are further developed, and this ensures that staff have a clear individual protocol for managing concerns on occasions when a young person is absent. However, on occasions when a young person absents themselves from the home, they do not consistently receive a return home interview. It is the duty of the placing authority to ensure that young people are provided with return home interviews from an independent person and that information gleaned from this interview is shared with the children’s home. A recommendation is made to address this issue.

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

Young people know how to complain and receive valuable information from the home and their placing authority to guide them in this area. Since the last inspection, there have been no complaints made within the home.

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

Young people who come to the home with a history of significant risk learn about their behaviour in a way that supports them to make positive change in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s previous registered manager left the home in December 2018. A new manager is in place and has applied to register with Ofsted. The new manager worked alongside the previous registered manager during a transition period to familiarise themselves with the young people, staff and how the home runs. The home has an experienced staff team, the majority being qualified at NVQ level 3.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good external monitoring systems provide the home with a clear approach to the overall monitoring of care. Records highlight the home’s progress and identify areas for practice development. The manager’s action plan demonstrates that suitable action is taken to address developmental areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring is consistently undertaken. The manager identifies patterns and trends both in care practice and young people’s progress in the placement. The manager takes suitable action to address concerns and works together with keyworkers to update and amend individual or group targets.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs an enthusiastic staff team, and the majority of staff are suitably qualified at NVQ level 3. The training of staff at this level ensures that they are suitably qualified in the care and management of young people. Likewise, staff receive consistent and relevant training in the home. A staff member said, ‘The training is much better now. We can access face-to-face training and on-line training. We discuss future training in team meetings, and the manager always supports our requests.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive good support from the manager. Supervision is consistently undertaken, and informal support is readily available. The manager and staff demonstrate that they are committed to developing and improving practice. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the progress that young people make from their initial starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the procedure for notifying Ofsted of incidents under regulation Inspection report children’s home: SC366851 6 40 and submits notifications accordingly.

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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: SC366851 7

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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

Maria McGranaghan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC366851 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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