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

Inspection report children’s home: SC440014 1 SC440014 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

This privately run home offers support, education and therapeutic care for up to four children who may have experienced neglect, abuse and/or trauma which have left them vulnerable. The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in June 2019.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC440014 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/09/2017 Full Good 04/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 03/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC440014 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been improvements made to the home since the last inspection. Children are happy and settled, and feel safe and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are strong relationships between the children and staff. These are forged through open and honest communication. When a child was asked what they liked most about the home, they said, ‘The staff. They are all brilliant.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff understand the importance of helping children to attend school, and work with other professionals to identify the most suitable school placement for each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek children’s views and opinions regularly through everyday conversation, weekly house meetings and individual key-working sessions. Children value this inclusive approach to planning their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of activities in the community and in the home. They access local clubs and leisure facilities. This adds to a sense of belonging in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of relationships, and support children to see their families. Children benefit from this, and it helps them to maintain positive relationships even though they are living away from home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been improvements made to the home’s internal decoration. However, further work is required on the exterior of the home and the grounds. This detracts from the otherwise welcoming and nurturing environment offered by the home.

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improvement to be good

The home’s management team has worked hard to address the requirements from the previous inspection. However, additional shortfalls have been identified. These do not detract from the quality of care provided, but have the potential to do so if they are not addressed.

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improvement to be good

The home is on a busy main road. Safeguards are in place to mitigate risks in the immediacy. However, the home’s location risk assessment does not consider risks posed by local waterways, businesses, livestock, construction sites, child criminal exploitation and radicalisation. This means that some risks are insufficiently assessed.

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improvement to be good

Children are confident about making complaints, and will do so if they are unhappy or concerned. There have been two allegations made against staff since the last inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC440014 4 Both allegations were referred to the designated officer and investigated appropriately. However, Ofsted was not notified of these incidents. This compromises Ofsted’s ability to monitor the effectiveness of safeguarding at the home.

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improvement to be good

There have been improvements made to the interior of the home, which presents as homely and nurturing, with pictures and motivational statements on the walls and ornaments on display. However, it was found that two internal fire doors were not closing properly. The home’s manager made immediate arrangements to have the doors repaired.

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improvement to be good

There are times when the staff need to physically intervene to keep everyone safe. These interventions are appropriate and proportionate. However, the recording of these documents and other records requires attention. Failure to keep accurate records jeopardises the children’s well-being and compromises the staff.

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improvement to be good

The staff receive training and are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. There is a well-embedded missing-from-care procedure. The staff are proactive if children leave the home without permission and go and look for them. There have been five occasions when children have gone missing from the home since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

The staff use positive reinforcement. Rewards are used significantly more often than negative consequences. This approach encourages children to control their behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2019 and has a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. She is an experienced and child- focused practitioner who has the necessary skills to manage the home effectively. She is respected by professionals, staff and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good knowledge of the children. The staff understand the children’s needs and the progress that they are making. The manager realises the importance of children’s education, physical activity and helping children to stay in touch with their family.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a comprehensive training package and are clear about their responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home routinely has two sleeping-in staff at night. The home has a motion sensor in the corridor upstairs. It is used for all of the children without any prior assessment of whether it is needed. This means that the individual needs of the children who are living in the home are not being assessed. The use of monitoring equipment at the home is not detailed within the home’s statement of purpose. This means that the statement of purpose does not give full and clear information about the home to local authorities seeking to place a child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from having formal opportunities to discuss their practice in supervision Inspection report children’s home: SC440014 5 sessions. The process for capturing these meetings is inconsistent and staff do not always receive a copy of the discussion. This can lead to confusion for staff as to what the agreed actions and discussions are following a meeting. Inspection report children’s home: SC440014 6

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the location risk assessment considers risks in the local area from waterways, livestock, local businesses, construction sites, child criminal exploitation and radicalisation. 13/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the statement of purpose is clear about any form of monitoring device used within the home. 13/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24(1)(d)) 13/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— 23/08/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC440014 7 the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40(4)(c)) 13/09/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should provide a nurturing and supportive environment that is homely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which should detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33(4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC440014 8

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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

Ricky D’Arcy: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC440014 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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