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

Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a large private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people aged between eight and 17 years old who have social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no permanent manager in post.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 18 February 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Sustained effectiveness

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: 1185765 2

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Findings from the visit

We identified the following serious concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit:

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Findings from the visit

 Risk assessments do not contain all known information about children’s risks and behaviours to help staff to use appropriate strategies to mitigate risk.  The assessment of children’s specific needs and compatibility with each other is poor. This means that the impact children may have on each other while living in the home is not adequately considered prior to new children arriving.  The assessment of children’s specific needs to the skills and experience of staff in the home is not sufficient. This means it is not clear how staff are experienced and equipped to work with children who come to live in the home.  Staff have not intervened effectively so that children are not hurt by each other.  Managers do not ensure that gaps in employment and the reasons staff have left previous employment are understood prior to staff starting work in the home. This means that managers do not have full information with

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Findings from the visit

which to ensure that they have made safe decisions about adults who work with children.  As a result of these concerns, Ofsted has imposed a restriction on the accommodation of the home and issued a compliance notice in relation to the fitness of workers and recruitment practice.

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The care of children

Children are not well protected from each other by staff and children are not always tolerant of each other’s specific needs. This has led to one child being assaulted on several occasions and they have had their possessions broken. This does not safeguard children and makes them wary and worried.

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The care of children

During the period of social restriction due to Covid-19 children have been supported by staff to see their families and friends. This is because staff recognise the importance of children’s relationships with key people in their lives.

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The care of children

Staff help children with their learning. They have secured a college placement for one child and encourage their aspiration. Staff show their obvious pride to children about their achievements and attendance at school, especially due to the restrictions that have been necessary over the last few months. Children relish this positive feedback from staff.

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The care of children

Children are encouraged to take part in positive activities both in and out of the home. This has been a focus for staff during the period of social restriction due to Covid-19. This helps staff to connect with children and develop their interests. Assurance visit report: 1185765 3 When children move on from the home, staff work hard to support them with their next steps. Staff have constructive and supportive conversations that help children develop and reassure them about their future. This is a strength of the home.

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The safety of children

Managers have failed to complete risk assessments that take into account all known information about children. Areas such as sexual and criminal exploitation, going missing from the home and sexualised behaviour are not included in these assessments even when this is a known concern. This means that coherent strategies to manage children’s risks are not available to staff.

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The safety of children

Staff have not prevented children harming each other. For example, one child was punched in the face by another child two days after being hit by this child with a gaming handset. Staff did not learn from the first assault, so they could predict the likelihood of future assaults, and did not put in place measures to prevent this recurring. This leaves children at risk of harm and potentially being criminalised.

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The safety of children

Managers do not ensure effective care planning. Managers do not consider all information about children’s known risks and behaviours when assessing how compatible children are to each other or the skills of the staff team. Staff do not have the required training and experience to manage some children who have moved into the home. This has led to children living in the home who are not receiving a level of care that is sufficiently well-matched to their individual needs.

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The safety of children

Children whose needs mean they need to be supported on a one-to-one basis are not always supervised as required. This led on one occasion to a child being able to leave the home and expose themselves to a member of the public. This was a risk to his well-being and to him being criminalised. It is also concerning that staff were not aware he had left the home until a member of the public came to complain. In response to this, staff have undertaken work with children so that they understand the seriousness of this behaviour and this has not reoccurred.

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The safety of children

Staff do not anticipate children going missing while in their care and two serious incidents when children went missing were avoidable. However, when children do go missing staff respond well and try to stay in touch with them to secure their safe return. Records of these incidents do not show staff learning or changes to their work as a result. This is a missed opportunity.

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The safety of children

As a result of these concerns Ofsted reasonably believes that children placed at the home will be at risk of harm and has imposed a restriction on accommodation in the home. This is because Ofsted are not clear that the staff team would be able to meet children’s needs well or protect them if there were more children in the home. Assurance visit report: 1185765 4

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Leaders and managers

The interim manager, who is very new in post, has systems in place to support her oversight of the home. There is promise in this system and she is working hard, supported by the new responsible individual, to address concerns. However, the discrepancy about information in risk assessments and behaviour plans was not picked up using the monitoring arrangements. Managers’ oversight of incidents has also not resulted in changes to practice to ensure that children are safe from each other.

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Leaders and managers

Despite the shortfalls in practice, staff are committed to children. There are obvious tensions in how staff work together which has led to low morale and staff are leaving as a result. The lack of a consistent manager since the last full inspection has meant that staff are not directed in their work and practice does not consistently improve over time.

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Leaders and managers

There are several vacancies and four staff have recently given their resignations. Interim arrangements ensure that sufficient staff are available to work in the home, but this means that children will not be supported by staff who know them well.

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Leaders and managers

Recruitment in the home is not safe. Managers do not explore gaps in employment or why applicants have left previous roles working with children. This area is subject to a compliance notice as it has been a regulatory shortfall at the July 2019 full inspection and the February 2020 interim inspection.

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Leaders and managers

Managers and leaders investigate complaints that children make about staff thoroughly. The right external agencies are informed but managers are slow to share their findings. This reduces external scrutiny. The new responsible individual is aware of this and is already looking at how this can be better managed as a priority.

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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 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— 18/10/2020 Assurance visit report: 1185765 5 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

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

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

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)(b)(c)(h)) 18/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the home much ensure the needs of children coming to the home and children already in the home are well considered and whether placements are appropriate 18/10/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. 18/10/2020 Assurance visit report: 1185765 6 (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(3)(d))* 18/10/2020*

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Agata Dokszewicz

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Inspectors

Karol Keenan, Social Care Inspector Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 1185765 7 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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Inspectors

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