Children's Home run by New Horizons (Stockport) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC008600 1 SC008600

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New Horizons (Stockport) Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has managed this home since 2008.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of the visit, five young people were resident. Four young people are in education, and one young person is currently receiving online education at home. Day-time activity at the home appears to be somewhat limited and this young person spends time in his room on social media applications. Risk assessments regarding the use of mobile applications lack the appropriate measures to safeguard young person.

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This monitoring visit

External professionals have varying levels of communication with the home. Generally, social workers report good working relationships with the staff. Some social workers said that young people had made steady and measurable progress. Due to the impact of COVID-19, external visits to the home have been limited. This includes statutory social work visits to young people.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last full inspection, one safeguarding notification has been submitted to Ofsted as required. However, during the monitoring visit, inspectors identified a significant issue in the under-reporting of serious incidents to Ofsted. The incidents include those involving young people who are frequently missing from the home. These young people have multiple risk factors, such as, being at risk of sexual exploitation and criminal exploitation. This lack of notification means that the number of serious incidents and the home’s responding actions cannot be suitably monitored. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC008600 2 Due to the recent pandemic, an organisational decision was made for staff not to search for those young people that were missing. Staff reported episodes of missing from home to the police. Ofsted was not notified that staff were isolating due to one young person testing positive for COVID-19.

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This monitoring visit

Although staff are recording significant events in logbooks, there are inaccuracies and discrepancies in the recording. These issues and the gaps in the recording of information in missing-from-care logs, mean that the accounts of serious incidents in the home are incomplete.

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This monitoring visit

All young people have risk assessments, however, risk management plans lack detailed information. This means that staff are not always well informed on the approved strategies to use in their practice with young people.

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This monitoring visit

The home has an annexe within the grounds. The young people’s personal living space within this area has damaged walls and requires some overall maintenance.

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This monitoring visit

While internal and external monitoring systems are in place, the internal monitoring lacks evaluation and an overview of the progress of young people, including their views.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/10/2018 Full Good 26/09/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC008600 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response is 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.

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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

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

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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

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)) 15 January 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC008600 4 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (4)(a) (5) 15 January 2021

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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;

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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 the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(e)(ii)) 15 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 15 January 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC008600 5 a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) With specific reference to immediate repair and decoration of damaged items in young people’s bedrooms.  Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28,

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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: SC008600 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 154 Buxton Road, High Lane, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 8EA

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Inspectors

Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC008600 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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