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

Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children aged from nine to 17 on admission. The home is operated by a private organisation. According to the statement of purpose, the home caters for children who have complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 13 September 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

This is the first inspection of this children’s home since it was registered with Ofsted in September 2018. Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 2

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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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Recommendations

 Under regulation 46, 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 include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non- statutory advice about the location assessment process. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Recommendations

In particular, the location assessment should contain local agency intelligence on ‘hotspot’ areas and emerging trends. For example, children being targeted for sexual exploitation or drawn into gang crime or antisocial behaviour.  As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that any contractor who is regularly working at the home has been subject to the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

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Recommendations

 Many children placed in homes may undergo a difficult transition and what should be simple aspects of their care take on a substantial significance in this context. Staff should provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to their behaviour. Homes must also meet children’s basic day to day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that the home is maintained in a timely manner to meet the needs of the children. Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress, much of which has been across the spectrum. One child said, ‘I love living here.’ He described his experience of living at the home as ‘joyful’. All the children spoke of being listened to and understood by the staff. One child said, ‘he was a million miles’ away from the child who first came to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and the staff go to great lengths to support the children who have experienced frequent placement breakdowns before coming to the home. Children experience acceptance and positive relationships with the staff. There is an overriding ethos from the staff of ‘stickability’. As a result, the children develop a sense of security and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are ambitious for the children and provide a nurturing environment for them to learn and play. Completing homework is part of the daily routine and there is a good range of books and educational resources available. Improvement in school attendance and attainment has been excellent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the children to have high aspirations. At the children’s request, the registered manager and staff have planned a summer holiday to Spain. Children feel that they have agency. For one child, this will be his first time abroad. The care and respect provided to the children assist them to develop confidence and a positive sense of their own identity.

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

Children feel safe and that staff protect them from harm. Staff know what their responsibilities would be if they were to become aware of a safeguarding issue, and who they could go to outside the organisation if they did not believe that necessary action was being taken. Children have positive relationships with the staff and know how to complain. This serves as an added protective factor in helping the children feel safe to raise any concerns.

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

Staff are creative in helping the children to manage difficult feelings and behaviours. Staff teach the children to channel their frustrations away from disruptive behaviours. Emphasis is placed on restorative measures and helping to de-escalate tensions. Rewards and positive reinforcement are routinely used to promote positive behaviour. Consequently, the children are better equipped to understand and manage their emotions.

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

Staff focus on developing trusting relationship with the children, which is extended out to families and professionals. Social workers are complimentary about the staff, and of the high quality of care provided to the children. The positive role modelling by staff in building healthy relationships helps the children to develop the skills necessary to have positive relationships with others. Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 4 Children have individual plans in the event that they go missing from the home that clearly set out the steps staff should follow. Plans are detailed and include contact details of friends and frequented locations. Staff are proactive and will relentlessly search for a child if they are missing.

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

The location assessment identifies opportunities in the area and general risks and hazards. However, it does not contain local agency intelligence. For example, hotspot areas and emerging trends of children targeted for sexual exploitation or drawn into gang crime. This could result in staff not being fully aware of risks to the children in the wider community.

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

Leaders and the registered manager operate a safer recruitment policy. However, there was no DBS certificate in place for a sub-contractor who regularly undertakes maintenance at the home. While this check is necessary, it has not put children at risk because he has not had any unsupervised contact with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This is the first inspection for the home since its re-registration with Ofsted in September 2018, due to a company name change. There has been no change of premises or leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the deputy manager shape the ethos of the home through delivering a culture of high aspiration for the children. Staff feel well led and supported in their roles. Senior managers look out for new and innovative practice, which ensures that the staff are not complacent, and that opportunities to develop are welcomed and shared.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff are committed to ensuring high-quality care. Children are at the centre of a multi-agency approach to planning their care. As a result, the children have a good understanding of how their needs are planned for and met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Plans comprehensively identify the children’s needs, and progress is carefully and closely monitored by the leadership team. Children are supported by the staff, who are trained in an evidence-based attachment parenting approach. While this way of working is enthusiastically promoted by the manager and staff, some records of practice sampled showed that this approach is not yet fully embedded into practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The standard of maintenance at the home is variable. The registered manager acknowledged the issues and rectified some shortfalls during the inspection. While the environment is homely, refurbishment to the games room and office and repair work to the ceilings remain to be undertaken. Plans to complete this work are in place. Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 5

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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: 1276442 6

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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

Anne-Marie Davies, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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