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

Inspection report children’s home: 2490729 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a privately-owned children’s home. The home is registered for three young people who have experienced childhood trauma. The home provides medium/long-term residential placements for children and young people of either gender, aged between eight and 17. The manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2490729 2

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improvement to be good

Staff help children and young people to make progress from their starting point. Children and young people have good daily routines. Children and young people are settled. One young person has lived in the home for over three years and is being supported with his independence skills. When children and young people leave this home, it is part of their agreed local authority care plan. Staff listen to children and young people’s views and support them in accessing advocacy services to make sure that their views are considered. This has been effective with young people moving to areas of their choice. Overall, the home is well maintained to a good standard. However, one child’s bedroom needs attention. Staff have not made the room look presentable when damage has been caused. Staff do engage children and young people in key-working sessions to address behaviours and incidents. However, sessions are not interactive. They are discussion

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improvement to be good

based and recordings do not capture the child and young person’s views. Children and young people are in education. One young person has engaged in additional tutoring, which he previously refused to do. Staff promote children and young people’s health by taking them to routine health appointments. However, managers have not challenged a local authority enough when they have not been happy with a child’s educational arrangements and they have not received all required paperwork relating to the child’s health. Children and young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and enjoy a range of different leisure activities and experiences. There is no bullying in the home and children and young people have positive relationships with each other. However, matching documents are poorly written prior to children and young people moving into the home. Managers have not identified all the known needs and risks and how these will be managed.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond appropriately when children and young people go missing from the home. Staff follow the protocols in place. Staff try and prevent children and young people from going missing by keeping them in sight and encouraging them back to the home. Staff work well with other professionals such as the police to ensure that children and young people are returned safely to the home. Children and young people’s risk assessments are not up to date and do not detail all known risks. Staff do not have clear guidance on how to reduce or mitigate risks Inspection report children’s home: 2490729 3 for children and young people. As such, staff have different views on how they would respond to the same risks. Staff are skilled at managing challenging behaviour. Staff only physically restrain children and young people as a last resort to keep children and young people safe. The manager reviews incidents and considers the staff’s response and identifies

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improvement to be good

areas for improvements. However, the manager does not consistently document debriefs carried out with staff, children and young people. This does not give everyone the opportunity to reflect on incidents and fully promote good safeguarding practices. Staff have a therapeutic behaviour support plan to give them guidance to manage each child’s and young person’s behaviour. These plans are individualised and needs led, and guide staff to provide tailored care to children and young people. New staff are safely recruited to the home, including any agency staff that work in the home. The manager has completed safer recruitment training. Health and safety risk assessments including fire risk assessments are in place and actions identified are responded to.

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good

The home is experiencing a period of transition with the management team. The previous registered manager has recently left the home. A new manager is in post. This is her first experience of managing a children’s home and some learning and development within the role is required. Senior managers are providing support to the manager. The effectiveness of this is not yet known because the manager is so new in post. The home has a very stable, long-standing and confident staff team. This provides stability and continuity of care to children and young people. The manager and staff know the children and young people well and understand their experiences and starting points. Staff have appropriate training to meet the children’ and young people’s needs. Monitoring and review systems need improving to drive improvements in the home. The workforce development plan and the home’s strategy plan are not up to date.

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good

There is minimal evidence of consultation with professionals to help improve and develop the service. Children’s and young people’s views are gathered in a basic way through regularly meetings and any suggestions acted on. Overall, the core staff team has regular monthly supervision and staff feel that this is effective. Newer staff do not have increased supervision in line with the home’s policy and agency staff do not have supervision. The written records of supervision are poor. However, since the new manager has been in post the quality of supervision records is improving. Inspection report children’s home: 2490729 4 Staff have regular team meetings and meet with the home’s psychologists to discuss children’s and young people’s behaviours, and how best to manage these behaviours is therapeutically informed. Inspection report children’s home: 2490729 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, 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be 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(c)) 20/04/2020

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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. 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. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) 20/04/2020

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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 their full potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 20/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)) 20/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if— 20/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2490729 6 the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children. (Regulation 28(1)(i)) The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 20/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 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”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and 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. (Regulation 35 (b)(i)(c)) 20/04/2020

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Recommendations

 Ensure that young people live in an environment which meets their basic day to day needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19) In reference to key-work sessions, ensure that they are child friendly and young people’s voices are heard and documented.

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Information about this inspection

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that Covid-19 is currently posing to those we regulate. During this visit, the inspectors took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of Coronavirus by the setting. This has included the effect these have had on staffing arrangements. 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: 2490729 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

Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2490729 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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