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

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1185765 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

The home is part of a large private organisation. The home is registered to accommodate four children who have experienced trauma and have associated difficulties with this experience. There are currently two children living at the home. Following an assurance visit on 14 September 2020, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation and a compliance notice in relation to regulation 32 (Fitness of workers).

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Information about this children’s home

There is an interim manager in place while a permanent manager is recruited.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was conducted remotely via video call, as there was a child in the home who was self-isolating.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out following an assurance visit in September 2020 during which serious and widespread concerns were raised.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have conducted a full audit of recruitment files and can now assure themselves that recruitment is conducted safely. There has been an organisational commitment to ensuring that this is embedded across the wider company and specific staff have been employed to focus on recruitment to children’s homes. A recruitment checklist has been designed to support managers when they are recruiting new staff. This means that children will be cared for by people who are safe to do so. The compliance notice in relation to regulation 32 has been met.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has acted swiftly to engage support from other areas of the company to drive forward improvement with a clear, realistic action plan. It is still early days for these changes to be embedded, but there is real promise in the plans that the responsible individual has put in place to support the home. As Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1185765 2 developments are not yet embedded into practice, the notice restricting accommodation at the home remains in place.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1185765 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)) 18/11/2020

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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 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)) 18/11/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1185765 4 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

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27(1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b)) 18/11/2020

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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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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: 1185765 5

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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: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited, Venture House, Unit 12, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Agata Dokszewicz

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Inspector

Karol Keenan, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1185765 6 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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