Children's home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2494962 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated privately. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children or young people. The children and young people require care and support to deal with their emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2494962 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children and young people are at risk of harm when staff do not take effective action to manage risk. For example, there was evidence of risks, such as television wires, phone charger and earphone wires found in the bedroom of a young person with ligature risks. Immediate risks to children and young people were addressed during the inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff do not consistently manage the risks to children and young people. There is varying information in children and young people’s risk assessments and safety plans around managing known risks. Some risk assessments do not provide dates of when risks last occurred to help staff understand the level of risk they are managing.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff are not consistently recording monitoring checks of the children and young people. The lack of recording does not demonstrate effective action to protect the child or young person. Agency staff monitoring children and young people’s safety at night do not have the training to manage specific risks to children and young people, such as removal of ligatures.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children and young people’s experience of care varies; they make progress in some areas. For example, some children and young people are starting to build relationships with the staff. The staff’s efforts are not always successful in managing the children and young people’s relationships and preventing them from harming each other.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children and young people are not always following a positive daily routine. On some occasions, they are up in the night running around the house or going missing from home. The lack of sleep is affecting the children and young people’s ability to get up in the morning and participate in education.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is a delay in reviewing some children and young people’s care plans. For some children and young people, there is a lack of information to show why restrictions around their free time are in place. This leaves the child or young person confused and the staff without guidance on how to manage situations.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The permanent staff in the home have the training to meet the children and young people’s specific needs. The permanent staff undertake ongoing training to develop their practice. The staff work closely with other agencies, such as social workers, specialist nurses and mental health professionals to ensure that the children and young people receive the support they need. However, the children and young Inspection report children’s home: 2494962 3 people’s risk assessments and plans do not consistently reflect the specialist input from professionals.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three children and young people have left the home since the last inspection. Two children and young people moved as a result of the placement breaking down. The breakdown was due to a lack of pre-placement information. Consequently, the children and young people’s needs could not be met. The senior managers are challenging other professionals around the lack of information when the children and young people first came. Work is ongoing to address the quality of placement information to improve future matching and placement stability. Despite the placement breakdowns, the staff supported the children and young people to move on and they have maintained positive contact with them to reduce feelings of rejection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When the children and young people engage with staff, they enjoy activities together. Some of the activities include going bowling, watching films at the cinema and playing badminton. For some children and young people, this is the first time they have been able to experience new leisure activities.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children and young people maintain positive links with their families. The staff include families in the children and young people’s care planning. The staff support the children and young people to visit their relatives and the staff help families to visit the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2494962 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2494962 5

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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, the 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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that a chronology of risks help staff understand the level of risk in the risk assessments. Ensure that the risk assessments reflect any safety plans and make it clear how staff are expected to manage risks.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children’s risk assessments and plans consistently reflect the views from specialist professionals.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that any recorded monitoring of the children’s safety includes the start and finish times of the checks and the frequency of the checks.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all staff, including agency staff, are trained to manage high risks to children, including ligatures. 10/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 21/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2494962 6 seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children and young people’s care plans are regularly reviewed with the placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(f)) 21/02/2020

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2494962 7

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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

Jamie Richardson: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2494962 8 to 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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