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

Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 1 SC009648 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

The home is one of a number of residential services provided by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for children aged eight and 18 years old, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current registered manager recently left his post and has yet to submit a voluntary cancellation form to Ofsted. A new manager has recently been appointed.

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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: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/10/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/04/2018 Full Good 04/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 3

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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

8: The education standard The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

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 to return to school as soon as possible; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix)) 28/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 4 mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; help each child to develop the understanding and skills to

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Requirement Due date

recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii))

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 5 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— 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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(e)) 28/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 28/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 7 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s Statement of Purpose. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)

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Recommendations

 Regulation 40(4) requires the registered person to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)).

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Recommendations

Examples of incidents that are likely to be considered serious affecting the welfare of a child include: a child being the victim or perpetrator of a serious assault; a serious illness or accident; a serious incident of self-harm, or serious concerns over a child’s missing behaviour, particularly where the child is considered to be at grave risk due to age or vulnerability or where they have been missing for a considerable period of time and their whereabouts is unknown. This is not an exhaustive list and homes must assess each case individually taking into account any patterns of behaviour or unusual behaviour which may indicate an increased risk to the child. Homes should also consider the frequency of incidents and judge whether their cumulative effect makes notification appropriate even if in isolation each event would not warrant this. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63,

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Recommendations

paragraphs 14.10, 14.11) Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 8

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improvement to be good

Progress for children is variable, with some children progressing well in some areas and not so well in other areas. Similarly, children are experiencing some poor day-to-day experiences but also enjoying more positive and beneficial experiences.

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improvement to be good

One child who has lived in the home for a number of years told the inspector, ‘This is the best home I have lived in.’ He said he was happy and felt like the staff listened to him. He is supported by staff to see his family regularly.

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improvement to be good

Recent admissions into the home have not been subject to robust assessment. For some children, records showing matching for children and analysis of whether their needs can be met have been completed on the day they move in, and fail to adequately assess how risks and concerns will be managed.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged and supported to take part in regular hobbies such as football and cheerleading, and also enjoy fun activities with staff such as trampolining and go- karting.

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improvement to be good

Some children are making good progress in education, with 100% attendance. One headteacher told the inspector, ‘[child’s name] is always well presented, on time and organised for school.’ She went on to inform the inspector that staff are supportive of the child’s involvement in school life.

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improvement to be good

However, one child in the home has not attended a formal education setting since his placement began and is currently receiving no education. The current manager recognises that this is affecting the child’s progress and has regular communication with other professionals to improve this. However, this has had no impact on the child’s current situation. There has not been a statutory education meeting held since the child’s placement began. Furthermore, although the child’s daily routine states that the child should receive two hours of education a day, this does not always happen, and the plans are unclear regarding what education the staff should offer. As a result, the child is spending significant amounts of time during the school day disengaged from any structured and purposeful routine.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to complain. However, when they have complained about their care, it is not clear that they are satisfied with the outcome. For example, one child complained of bullying, but records do not reflect that a thorough investigation took place or that a discussion was held with the child about their views, or that they were satisfied by actions taken and how the complaint was concluded. The registered manager concluded that group work needed to be facilitated with all children as a response to the child’s complaint, to improve relationships between children, but this did not take place. Furthermore, a complaint made by another child was not responded to within the timescales set out in the home’s procedures. Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 9

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments for children do not contain clear strategies and guidance for staff and contain confusing advice. For example, one child’s risk assessment includes a risk of self- harm. Strategies to manage the risk do not include ‘support new activities’ or ‘use of natural consequences’, and fail to describe any practical advice regarding how staff should respond to an incident of self-harm. Furthermore, staff have failed to sign risk assessments to show they have read and understood the contents.

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improvement to be good

Records of incidents were found to be inaccurate or, on occasion, no record had been written at all. For example, a room search was undertaken following a child’s school informing the staff that the child had threatened to kill themselves. No incident report was written following this event to show what actions staff took to keep the child safe In addition, the child’s risk assessment was not updated.

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improvement to be good

Incidents lack monitoring and oversight from managers. For example, one member of staff suffered a significant injury following a serious incident with a child. This is not reflected in the manager’s oversight. Records of restrictive physical intervention following the incident also do not reflect the injuries suffered as an outcome of the restraint. The child was restrained by an untrained member of staff, but this was not subject to any oversight by the manager. In addition, measures put in place after the incident, such as an increase in staffing, are not reflected in records.

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improvement to be good

Furthermore, discussions with children following restraint are insufficient. They lack any evidence of restorative approaches, discussion of consequences or reflection on what led to the incident. As a result, there is no learning from restraint practice and children’s plans and assessments are not updated. Furthermore, not all records of restraint are completed in line with statutory requirements.

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improvement to be good

There have been a number of incidents of conflict between children, often resulting in physical violence. However, incidents are decreasing, and a more stable and skilled staff team is responding to children’s needs in a proactive way. Children told the inspector that staff respond to their concerns and react quickly if children argue or name-call, and that they feel safe with staff.

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

Senior managers have recognised shortfalls in the service, through robust internal quality assurance processes and monthly monitoring from the independent visitor that highlighted concerns. A recently appointed responsible individual has responded proactively to make changes within the management structure and to ensure a more stable staff team. A new manager has recently been appointed and is in day-to-day running charge of the home. He is preparing his application to register with Ofsted. Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 10 The new manager is committed to children and keen to improve the service. Children and professionals speak positively about him, with one social worker saying, ‘[manager’s name] clearly has a lovely, strong bond with my young person and has been helpful.’

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

Shortfalls in staffing have meant that children have been provided with inconsistent practice from staff who do not know them well, with high numbers of agency staff being used. However, recent recruitment has meant that this is now improving, and children told the inspector they like the staff.

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

Staff, including the manager, have not received regular supervision. This has limited the progress of staff in terms of improving practice for children and supporting their own development.

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

Staff receive a good-quality induction to the service and benefit from regular training. Staff are either qualified, undertaking the relevant course, or are new to the service. New staff are supported by suitably qualified staff.

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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: SC009648 11

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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

Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC009648 12 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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