Children's Home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2531921 1

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Horizon Care And Education Group Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a private organisation. It offers care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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This monitoring visit

This unannounced visit was undertaken because of a significant increase in serious incidents occurring within the home and information received which raised concerns about safeguarding practice and ineffective management oversight.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit inspectors found poor safeguarding practice. Leaders, managers and staff demonstrate a lack of understanding in relation to their roles and responsibilities in protecting children. Children’s risk assessments are of poor quality and are not up to date. Children’s risk assessments do not reflect current risks and lack clear strategies to reduce risk. Furthermore, staff do not demonstrate a full understanding of risk assessment processes and they do not consistently follow children’s plans. Staff gave inspectors conflicting information about risk management. Therefore, the risks in relation to children are increasing. Staff told inspectors that they cannot keep children safe. Children’s risk and safety plans are contradictory. This makes it difficult for staff to consistently follow plans to safeguard children. Therefore, there are missed opportunities for staff to take effective action to reduce the risks to children,

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This monitoring visit

particularly when children are out in the local community.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has failed to follow safeguarding processes when staff were suspended from their roles for ineffective safeguarding practice. These members of staff have now returned to work without a clear plan in place to support them in improving their practice. This means that shortfalls in practice might continue. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2531921 2 There are shortfalls in helping children to understand how to keep safe. This is because work with children is inconsistent and ineffective.

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This monitoring visit

In Ofsted’s view, the shortfalls highlighted demonstrate safeguarding practice within the home is a serious concern and does not manage and minimise the risk to children and staff effectively or protect them from harm. During this visit the inspectors also found that there were serious shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home which have had a detrimental impact on children’s well-being and progression and are not in keeping with the home’s statement of purpose. The provider has failed to ensure that robust monitoring systems are in place. There are gaps in the home’s monitoring and review systems. This means that managers cannot identify and address shortfalls in practice to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager’s oversight of care planning is poor. For example, impact risk assessments are not robust and do not include all known risks for children. This has impacted on children’s overall experiences and safety.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has not ensured that the home has consistent staff to provide care for children. This means that children do not receive care from a stable staff team. This impacts on children’s feeling of security as they are unable to develop relationships with staff.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has received an action plan from the provider to address the immediate safeguarding concerns identified. Ofsted will continue to monitor the service and take further action if necessary.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2531921 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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(vi)(c)(i)) 23/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(ii)) 23/10/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2531921 4 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(b)) 23/10/2020

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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—

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 23/10/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2531921 5 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h)) If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— 23/10/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2531921 6 children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)(5)) The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(a)(d)) 23/10/2020

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Recommendations

 Whenever possible, staff in day-to-day contact with children should include staff from the different gender groups. Where the home’s statement of purpose makes it explicit that the home uses staff of one sex only, clear guidance will need to be in place and followed as to how children are enabled to maintain relationships with people of a different gender.  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.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2531921 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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Inspectors

Catherine Fargin, social care inspector Mrs Cordingley, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2531921 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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