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

Inspection report children’s home: SC386837 1 SC386837 Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately-owned home is registered to care for up to two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager has been registered since 2008.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC386837 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/08/2018 Full Good 11/10/2017 Full Good 06/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC386837 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are helped to feel safe and secure in the home. This is helped by staff establishing positive and trusted relationships with young people in a timely manner. A young person said: ‘I am able to speak to staff about any issues, but particularly two staff who know me well.’ Decision-making about children moving into the home is well considered. The manager makes extensive checks and liaises well with other agencies. This ensures that she has a comprehensive understanding of the needs of young people in advance of their arrival at the home. Any known risks are well thought out in placement matching and plans are implemented to ensure that staff work together on risk management plans. Young people are meaningfully involved in setting targets and reviewing their progress. This means that they are actively able to contribute to the quality of care that they receive. Young people are engaged in positive behaviour management

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

plans, activity plans and reward charts. These all help young people to be clear about expectations. Young people quickly develop respect towards staff. Young people are involved in a range of activities based on their own interests, for example football and bike mechanics. This helps young people to develop their social skills while also ensuring that they have a positive structure to their days. A young person said: ‘Staff help me to keep busy and we do lots of activities.’ Educational plans are tailored to individual needs and young people make progress with their educational attainment. Staff advocate well on behalf of young people to secure appropriate resources. For one young person, this has led to a referral for an education, health and care plan. Key-working sessions are extensive and are closely linked to young people’s targets and developmental progress trackers. Young people are involved and have brought

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

areas for discussion into their direct work sessions with staff. Staff talk about how to help to make the home feel more like a family environment. Staff’s nurturing relationships go some way towards helping young people to feel well cared for. This supports young people’s emotional well-being. The home needs some modernisation to assist the staff in offering the warm, homely environment that they intend to offer. The space in the home is limited and it is difficult for staff to complete handovers/confidential meetings out of earshot of young people. Careful thought needs to take place into how this can be facilitated to ensure that staff have space to speak confidentially while maintaining the homely environment for young people. In addition, staff would benefit from discussions about the modernisation of care practices and the importance of non-institutionalised language for children in care. Inspection report children’s home: SC386837 4

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

From young people’s starting points, the staff team works hard to get to know them in a timely manner. Staff know and understand young people’s histories and any presenting risk-taking behaviours. These are well assessed and monitored, and young people are involved in developing their understanding of risks. Overall, young people are supported to reduce risks in most areas of their lives. Risk assessments are of a good quality. They are reviewed regularly and read by staff. Risk assessments reflect that staff have a good understanding of young people’s vulnerabilities. This knowledge is used to develop personalised strategies to keep young people safe. Risk assessments provide clear guidance to staff on how to keep young people safe. A young person said: ‘Staff make sure I keep myself safe.’ Other agencies are closely involved in risk assessment processes. A professional said:‘ I am impressed with the robustness of risk assessments and staff’s

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

management of these.’ Staff work sensitively to understand the complexities of life for some young people in care. When challenges become too great, the managers can recognise and take difficult decisions that are in the best interests of the young people. One young person was supported to move on from the placement in a safe way. Other agencies commended the staff team on the work and the achievements that had been made for the young person during his time at the home. The young people at the home are currently not presenting risks of missing from care. Since the last inspection, there was a period where a young person was presenting with missing from care episodes. Staff responded appropriately and worked closely with other agencies. Staff and other agencies were clear of the issues that were impacting on the young person’s engagement at that time. Staff were tenacious in ensuring that risk assessments were appropriate and additional

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

staffing was deployed to manage the risks. Where the local authority did not respond in a timely manner, the manager escalated the matter to ensure that a multi-agency missing from care strategy meeting was held. Leaders and managers take appropriate action to ensure that staff are all aware of safe working practices. Staff understand the importance of whistle-blowing processes and feel confident in reporting concerns to managers. Managers have safe recruitment processes in place to ensure that the right staff are working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has taken appropriate steps to address the requirements raised at the last inspection. The manager has responded to feedback and ensured that improvements have been made in the three identified areas. The manager and deputy manager are committed to ensuring that the home is on an improvement journey. The managers have many years’ experience of residential care and are committed to securing good outcomes for children. Managers work well together and have a good balance of skills, knowledge and experience. Inspection report children’s home: SC386837 5 The managers have developed organised management systems to inform their understanding of the home’s areas of strengths and areas for development. The development plan is clear, is regularly reviewed and involves the staff team in contributing to the development of the home and staff individually. The managers regularly review and plot the progress that young people make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good oversight of young people’s placement plans which are personalised and tailored to the needs of young people. Managers are tenacious in ensuring that plans are reviewed, and that young people are supported to achieve key areas of development. The staff advocate well for children from the moment that they are engaged with them. Young people have been helped to access appropriate education provision and emotional health and well-being support in a timely manner. The manager has been persistent in securing services for children. There are excellent joint-working arrangements with other agencies and good lines of communication. A social worker said: ‘Staff are robust in what they do. They have good relationships with young people and understand their needs. Any potential risks are really well managed.’ Staff receive regular supervision and feel able to access support from managers as and when necessary. The managers have developed reflective supervision by a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

commissioned therapist that is accessible for all staff. Staff report confidence in managers and trust that any issues raised will be appropriately responded to by managers. The staff team has many years’ experience. It remains committed to learning and development. Managers would benefit from strengthening the learning and development opportunities for staff. This would be particularly beneficial in relation to child sexual exploitation, identifying risk and risk management. Inspection report children’s home: SC386837 6

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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 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 12/06/2020

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC386837 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: 154-156 Buxton Road High Lane, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 8EA

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Inspector

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC386837 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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