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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572133 1

p.1

Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home has been reregistered by the same provider. This is the first visit by Ofsted following the reregistration.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken in response to an increase in notifications. This is the home’s first inspection since reregistration in January 2020. The last inspection was undertaken in May 2019 under the previous registration.

p.1

This monitoring visit

There are four young people living in the home. Three young people have lived in the home for over a year. One young person has recently started to have a number of missing-from-care episodes. Staff have been able to identify the reasons behind this and are supporting the young person with this.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The registered manager and staff have developed a good understanding of the children and young people’s needs, risks and behaviours. They provide clear and consistent boundaries, which help young people settle when they come to live in the home. However, the registered manager and staff do not record this understanding effectively. The registered manager does not ensure that risk assessments provide guidance for staff to reduce risk as they are not updated on a regular basis or following significant events, such as missing-from-care episodes. Consequently, staff are not provided with up-to-date strategies to reduce and manage risk.

p.1

This monitoring visit

When young people are missing from care, staff generally attempt to search for and locate them. On one occasion, a member of staff initially followed a young person Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572133 2 when they left the home as directed to in their missing-from-care protocol. However, the member of staff then returned to the home to record what the young person was wearing and carrying. As a result, this young person went missing and was not located for four days; the young person was placed at significant risk of harm.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The registered manager communicates effectively with other professionals, including social workers and the police. He takes a multi-agency approach when trying to manage the risks associated with those young people who go missing from home.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff do not make attempts to contact young people after 12pm or through the night when they are missing. Incident logs highlight that welfare checks are often only conducted twice per day when a child is missing from care. This means that there are missed opportunities to encourage young people to return home. Despite this, one young person’s social worker felt that staff were doing everything they could to manage a young person’s missing-from-care episodes.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff supervision is not undertaken on a regular basis and in line with the organisation’s policy and procedures. Two members of staff did not receive supervision for three months. The registered manager told the inspector that the gaps were due to annual leave and isolation as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak in the home. However, these were missed opportunities to ensure that staff could discuss pertinent issues, particularly safeguarding concerns. Staff do have positive relationships and work well as a team. The registered manager prides himself on getting to know children and staff, and ensures he is present early in the home for breakfast and staff handover. This creates opportunities for informal communication and relationship building.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The registered manager and staff have generally managed well the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has placed upon them. There are a number of measures in place to reduce the risk of infection. Staff have supported young people to continue to engage with their education during this difficult period of time. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572133 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

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;

p.3

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)) 20 January 2021

p.3

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—

p.3

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572133 4 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.3

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 20 January 2021

p.4

Recommendations

 Staff should be 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)

p.4

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.

p.4

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.4

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

p.4

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

p.4

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Agata Dokszewicz

p.4

Inspector

Ann-Marie Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572133 5 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.

p.4

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.5

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.5