Children's Home run by New Horizons (Stockport) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC008600 1 SC008600 Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) 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 home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for six children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered to manage the home in 2008.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 26 to 27 November 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC008600 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/10/2018 Full Good 26/09/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC008600 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff– seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response is inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) 30/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure– that staff– help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(viii)) 30/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that– the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure– that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(2)(c)) 30/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who– 15/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC008600 4 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to– ensure the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to– enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(ii)) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure– that staff– assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make

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Requirement Due date

arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 30/01/2020

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improvement to be good

Progress for young people at the home is variable.

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improvement to be good

Some young people have made progress with their attendance at education and they have enjoyed increased amounts of contact with their families. For young people that have left the home, they have done so in a planned manner and in line with their care plans.

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improvement to be good

One young person who is preparing for independence is being given support to access education in the area where he intends to live. Staff transport him long distances each week and this enables him to continue his education uninterrupted.

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improvement to be good

Staff establish and maintain healthy routines for young people and this supports their daily attendance at school. Staff set clear expectations with young people about their behaviour and the importance of education.

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improvement to be good

Since living at the home, some young people have benefited from increased levels of regular contact with their families. This supports young people’s sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

Staff offer a variety of leisure activities for young people to enjoy. Some young people have benefited from staff encouraging healthier eating habits and as a result, young people eat a more varied and nutritious diet. Inspection report children’s home: SC008600 5 One young person, however, has not attended school for over 12 months, although they have attended daily on-to-one tuition. Planning to ensure that he is offered a local school to attend is unclear and has been characterised by delay.

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improvement to be good

This same young person has not benefited from a specialist assessment that would better inform his care. There has been a significant delay in completion of this assessment. In addition, advice offered by the child and adolescent mental health team with regards to the young person being offered therapy has not been followed up by the staff.

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improvement to be good

For another young person, his behaviour deteriorated so greatly that this led to the home giving notice to end the placement. To avoid this placement breakdown, this young person moved from the main building and currently resides in a building separate from the main home. The arrangements for his care are such that he does not enjoy free movement around the entirety of the home, nor participates in its daily life. Up until recently, this was also the experience for another young person at the home.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the number of incidents of young people going missing from home is low. When young people do go missing, staff are active in searching for young people and trying to keep in contact with them. Staff also appropriately liaise with other agencies.

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improvement to be good

Young people have benefited from specialist advice regarding drug misuse and this is supporting young people to reduce and eventually cease their drug habits.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment of staff is carried out in a manner that minimises any potential for adults to be employed at the home who may pose a risk to young people.

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improvement to be good

Young people say that they feel safe at the home.

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improvement to be good

The known risks that young people face, from either their own behaviours or from others’ behaviours, are understood by the staff. However, a specialist assessment pertaining to one young person has been significantly delayed. As a result, the level of risk that his behaviours may pose to others is not fully appreciated and current assessment of risk is therefore limited. In addition, the amount of unsupervised free time given to the young person has increased, without the benefit or guidance from such an assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager who leads a stable staff team. The low turnover of staff offers young people reliable and predictable care. Inspection report children’s home: SC008600 6 The manager provides frequent formal and informal support to the staff and the staff team works collaboratively to provide consistency of care for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are given suitable training that provides them with opportunities to enhance their skills and improve their knowledge base.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Not all young people have made progress since being at the home. As a result, one young person lives separately from the other young people in the home. This separate building has been offered to local authorities as a ‘solo placement’. Arrangements for young people living in this building have excluded them from the day-to-day life of the home. Any contact between them and the other young people in the main building is planned by staff and is infrequent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Actions by the manager and staff to address shortfalls of services and assessments with local authorities have not been taken in a timely manner; nor have they been effective.

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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: SC008600 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Bramhall Park Road, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 3DQ

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Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC008600 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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