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

Inspection report children’s home: SC463852 1 SC463852 Registered provider: Horizon Care And Education Group Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for four young people. The home forms part of a large social care company.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered in post since June 2017. He is qualified in children’s homes leadership and management and has a number of years’ experience in the role.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC463852 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/08/2017 Full Good 02/05/2017 Full Inadequate 22/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC463852 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

An individual who works in the home in a care role has the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)) 30/06/2019

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Recommendations

 Ensure that supervision records provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3) This is with particular reference to recording the supervisors’ responses, advice and planned actions as well as the supervisee’s agenda and comments.  Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28,

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Recommendations

paragraph 5.15)  Children who wish to keep and take their own medication should be supported to, if they are able to do so safely. Staff should be mindful that children holding their own prescribed medication must only use it for themselves in accordance with the prescription. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.16)  The registered person is responsible for leading a team which provides high quality care for all children living in the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose. They should also play a key role in shaping the Inspection report children’s home: SC463852 4 ethos of the home through developing a culture of high aspiration for children which is demonstrated through the care, resources and opportunities offered to the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able to understand and where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)  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)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people thrive because staff are extremely nurturing. Staff prioritise spending time listening and being with young people. Staff ensure that they show genuine love and warmth towards young people. As a result, young people trust staff and build secure relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the manager provide each young person with every opportunity to pursue hobbies and interests. For example, one young person was supported to ‘foster’ a dog from a local rescue centre over the 2017 Christmas holiday. The young person got enormous comfort and pleasure from doing this. Another young person has been supported to pursue interests in diving, fishing, trains, gardening and the countryside. His confidence, social skills and physical fitness are all improved as a result of these varied opportunities. Staff have helped all young people become interested in helping others and raising money for different charities. Consequently, young people have developed a healthy interest in, and compassion for, others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a welcoming, inclusive, homely atmosphere. They provide a high standard of furnishings, games, outside space and meals. All young people feel proud of their home, especially their bedrooms. They help prepare meals. They have made flower planters and grown vegetables and salad. They have learned to live peacefully and healthily together. They enjoy having friends and relatives to stay overnight.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff innovate and frequently exceed their working time to ensure that young people’s wishes and plans to see family and friends are met. Staff plan carefully for new young people’s admissions and young people’s discharges. This includes involving all young Inspection report children’s home: SC463852 5 people in the planning of changes in the home’s residents. However, staff do not always focus enough on helping young people regain confidence in learning if they are excluded from school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff focus well on helping young people prepare for their future. They work well with other professionals to make sure that young people’s plans are followed and that positive outcomes are promoted. Most young people have therefore progressed in managing their personal hygiene, money, diet, free time, travel and laundry. However, staff have not been proactive about helping young people keep and take their own medication in developing essential life-skills in readiness for adulthood.

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

Staff use their skills in therapeutic care to good effect. Young people feel safe and trust staff to help and protect them. They come to staff for company, comfort and advice. For example, staff and young people talk about staying safe by covering topics such as feelings, sexuality, relationships, grooming, exploitation, social media bullying and the impact of drug and alcohol misuse.

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

Staff encourage good friendships and discourage unsafe ones, both inside and outside the home. Staff support young people in school or college when they are struggling to behave well and manage their friendships. Staff keep in touch with young people when they are out on their own. Staff will always go and get them if things go badly. Staff know what responses work best for each young person and will provide these: perhaps a cup of tea, a cuddle or a drive in the car with favourite music. One young person said, ‘I like being around here and I’ve made friends. My self-harming and temper aren’t as bad.’

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

Most young people do not go missing from the home. However, after a successful few months there, one young person was going missing more and more. Staff were alert to signs of exploitation and did everything that they could to occupy, advise and support the young person. They shared information and insights promptly with police and the young person’s social workers and family.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aspirational for what staff can achieve with young people. He works tirelessly to create a good-quality home environment and to broaden young people’s social experiences and interests. He brings ideas for group activities, such as charity fundraising, craft competitions and baking. On occasions he achieves significant breakthroughs. For example, he has created working relationships with young people’s families when other professionals have failed. This means that young people can safely spend time with their families and their relationships improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In the last few months, three senior qualified staff have either left or been absent. Although unqualified staff organise their shifts well, they do not have the same level of knowledge or skills to inform their practice. The manager has not given enough day-to- Inspection report children’s home: SC463852 6 day practice guidance and advice to these members of staff. He has not stepped in to provide regular supervision sessions for staff whose supervisor has left. This has created a missed opportunity to develop his workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has many years’ experience and does use effective restorative approaches to manage young people’s negative behaviour. However, at times, young people feel that he has a ‘tick-box approach’ and pushes them into doing things that they do not see the point of. Young people sometimes feel patronised by the manager and staff are sometimes unsure how to improve a situation without being inconsistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite one new member of staff already having over two years’ experience of residential childcare, the staff member has not achieved the required level 3 qualification.

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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: SC463852 7

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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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Inspector

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC463852 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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