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. The home is operated by a private organisation. According to the statement of purpose, the home caters for children who have complex needs. The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 2

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Recommendation

 Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in the regulation at least once every six months; also see regulation 13(2)(h) (the leadership and management standard). The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) In particular, the systems of monitoring should be sufficiently sensitive to capture the key elements that may affect the quality of care being provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children with difficult beginnings, who feel unsafe, fearful and distrusting of adults, are met with patience and acceptance when they move into the home. They learn to trust the adults who care for them, through an experience of consistent, warm and reliable care. Over time, they develop strong feelings of security and belonging, put down roots and make considerable progress in the key aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The harmful expression of strong feelings subsides in the climate of warmth, acceptance and structure and the children become increasingly able to regulate unwanted behaviours. They achieve this because they are given the time and space to reflect and learn about themselves. The therapeutic climate maintained by the staff team also provides the opportunity for the children to address more complex difficulties. Specialists work alongside a staff team that is well schooled in the chosen therapeutic model for the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The plans that guide staff in facilitating the children’s best possible progress and sense of well-being are thoughtful, detailed and clear. They reflect a close understanding of Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 3 each child and high ambition for what they can achieve. Plans also show strong attention to detail and include, for example, the finer aspects of hygiene and personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The stable and supportive environment of the home provides the platform from which the children can focus on their learning and vocational development. The progress that they make is exceptional and they develop a strong sense of direction and purpose for their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The experience of the children outside school is rich and multi-faceted, and they are supported and encouraged to explore and develop their individual interests and talents. They speak about a recent summer holiday abroad with great enthusiasm and positive memories, and photographs vividly reflect their memorable experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff embrace the children’s family origins and, where possible, work closely with family members, in partnership with the placing authorities. Where family ties have been weakened or disrupted, staff are proactive and positive in facilitating these to be strengthened and restored where possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Each child is impressively able to reflect clearly on their starting points at the home and the considerable progress that they have made in various areas. Furthermore, they are able to recognise the way in which they have developed trust in the adults, whom they all refer to with great affection and respect.

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

The children express strong feelings of safety and security living in the home and show confidence in their carers to protect them and teach them how to keep safe. All the children said that they trusted all the staff equally and would speak to any of them if they had a worry.

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

The staff team is knowledgeable and well trained in all aspects of safeguarding practice. An ongoing training plan ensures that their knowledge and expertise are kept fresh and current. High-quality plans provide clear guidance to staff and alert them to the vulnerabilities of each child, and provide clear direction in how best to protect them, reduce risks and increase the children’s capacity to keep themselves safe.

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

Instances of children going missing are isolated and infrequent. When children do go missing, the response of staff is urgent and sustained until the child has been located and their safety assured. There have been no occasions during this inspection period when staff were not able to manage volatile or potentially harmful behaviour by using positive, non-physical interventions. This is largely the result of alert and proactive staff and the positive, mutually respectful relationships that have been forged between the staff and children.

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

Staff recruitment practice is exemplary. Health and safety checks, including those relating to fire risk, are meticulous, and the standards of maintenance for the home are high. These practices help to keep the children safe from identified risks and hazards. Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 4 Leaders and managers maintain strong links with external safeguarding partners and seek to liaise and learn from them whenever they might be able to add to the home’s capacity to keep the children safe. Staff respond with vigour and persistence to any suspicions or allegations of harm to a child, including any associated with individuals in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Underpinning this stable and effective service is the strong, assured and passionate leadership of the experienced manager. Her infectious dedication to the well-being and best possible outcomes for the children inspires a stable and motivated staff team to maintain high standards in caring for the children and supporting their progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff speak highly of the manager and her warm and supportive leadership style. Induction and probation practice are careful and thorough. New staff quickly become part of the team and adopt the home’s high standards of practice. Staff supervision is regular, child-focused and of good quality. There is a strong learning and development culture among the staff and individual journals of training and development are impressive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager receives strong and consistent support from the wider leadership of the organisation. She is outward-looking and resourceful in finding ways to improve the children’s care experiences, and persistent in accessing specialist services for the children when this is in their interests. Efforts to improve the quality of care for the children are innovative and creative and draw on relevant reference materials where possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home maintains a strong ethic of team-working, and this includes close partnership working with external agencies. A placing social worker spoke highly of the communication between the home and herself and said that she feels very much part of the team working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Although the leadership understands the particular strengths and weaknesses of the home, current systems for the routine monitoring of the quality of care can be improved, and the factors that affect the quality of care better understood.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1276442 5 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

John Pledger, 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 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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