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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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 and therapeutic care for up to four children who may have experienced neglect, abuse or trauma which has left them vulnerable.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since June 2019 and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 25 to 26 September 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 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: 19 December 2018

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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

19/12/2018 Full Good 10/08/2017 Full Good 02/05/2017 Full Inadequate 22/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a good home. Children have all made progress from their starting points. They feel that they are safe, listened to and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education. All children are in school and attendance is high. Staff take the children to and from school if needed and attend all school meetings. School leaders were positive about staff and the progress children have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are strong relationships between children and staff. These are forged on a cornerstone of open and honest communication. Staff care for children and meet their needs. Children speak highly of the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a diverse range of individualised activities both in the community and in the home. One child attends a diving class, another a boxing club. This broadens their social network as well as developing interests, hobbies and skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their families and other significant people. This often includes travelling some distance, as well as staying with children to ensure that the visits go smoothly. Relationships with families are strong, and feedback was positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a well-appointed home. However, there were broken items and debris in the grounds of the home, and some parts of the inside look worn. This detracts from what is otherwise a homely environment.

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

Children feel safe. They talk to the staff if they are worried, frustrated or angry. Relationships between staff and children are strong.

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

Staff de-escalate unwanted behaviours to good effect. There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. Inspection report children‘s home: SC463852 3 Staff and children reflect on incidents, and the reason behind unwanted behaviours is discussed openly. This reduces the likelihood of incidents happening again in the future.

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

Staff receive training and are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. There is a well- embedded missing-from-care procedure. Staff are proactive if children go missing, and look for them in the local area.

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

Staff use positive reinforcement. Rewards are used in favour of negative sanctions. This approach encourages children to control their behaviours.

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

The home’s location risk assessment was updated recently. However, it does not consider risks posed by canals and rivers, local businesses, train lines, child criminal and sexual exploitation and radicalisation. This means that some risks are insufficiently assessed.

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

The home routinely has two sleeping-in staff at night. Children’s rooms have door alarms without any prior assessment. This therefore fails to assess the individual needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was appointed in June 2019 and is enrolled on the level 5 diploma. The manager is respected by the staff, professionals, children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have a good knowledge of the children. They understand children’s needs and the progress that they are making. The staff team understands the importance of education, physical activity and family contact for children. This is reflected in the progress children have made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are also supported by clinicians who advise them in their care for children. Staff are well trained and say they benefit from the support they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager oversees all paperwork. The manager’s most recent internal review of the quality of care the home provides was thorough. Monthly visits take place by an independent visitor, adding another layer of review and challenge for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of records and documents in the home; however, some records are punctuated with errors. This can lead to confusion when reviewing these documents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Half of the staff team are qualified to the suitable level, and other staff are enrolled on the relevant course. However, one member of staff has gone beyond the allowed timescale for completion of the level 3 diploma. This means staff may not have the required knowledge for their role. Inspection report children‘s home: SC463852 4

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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— that staff—

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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, consider how risks in the local area posed by waterways, local businesses, railway stations, child criminal and sexual exploitation and radicalisation affect each child. 01/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(d)) 29/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“th the Level 3 Diploma”); ); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, 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)) 31/03/2020

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Recommendations

Inspection report children‘s home: SC463852 5  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)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 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: SC463852 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

Ricky D’Arcy, social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC463852 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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