Children's home run by New Horizons NW Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2567789 1

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New Horizons (NW) Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home became operational in April 2020 and the registered manager has been in post since this date.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this off-site visit was to review the progress made in the home since it opened in April 2020. This is the home’s first visit from Ofsted since its registration.

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This monitoring visit

The staff team has been proactive in taking action to safeguard everyone in the home in relation to COVID-19 (coronavirus), in line with government guidance and restrictions. Activity planning has been creative and has ensured that children have been kept occupied during the pandemic, including engaging in regular outdoor exercise.

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This monitoring visit

One child’s social worker told the inspector that the child is the most settled they have been in residential care and that staff work positively with the child to minimise risk-taking behaviour before they reach the point of crisis. The social worker said that staff help the child to develop age-appropriate skills by promoting small amounts of independence time to go to the local shop, while equally working to keep the child safe.

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This monitoring visit

Children say that they feel safe at the home and that staff educate them about how to keep themselves safe, for example in relation to online safety. Children feel listened to and confident that if they raised a concern, the manager would take action to resolve the issue. The staff team encourages children to build trusting Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2567789 2 relationships with staff and helps children to work through relationships that they find more difficult.

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This monitoring visit

Staff speak positively about the level of support from the management team during the pandemic. They always feel supported by the manager. Staff receive regular practice-related supervision and engage in regular team meetings, where health professionals offer the staff team guidance to help them to support children’s emotional well-being.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s education attendance has improved. A blended approach of school attendance and home tutoring is in place, including during the pandemic. Children have improved relationships with peers. They have formed bubbles with peers from school, to enable them to have overnight stays when the government restrictions have allowed.

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This monitoring visit

Staff demonstrate that they have a good understanding of risks for children and effective strategies to minimise any risks, such as incidents of children going missing from home. Consistent staff practice and a clear missing-from-home protocol have ensured that children have been kept safe and prevented from going missing from home, with only one reported missing-from-home incident since the home opened.

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This monitoring visit

Records of restraint are detailed and evidence thorough oversight by the manager, by reviewing strategies and effectiveness of the measure used. Children and staff always engage in debriefs to work through any concerns or address any improvements to staff practice. The manager ensures that key outcomes from incidents are shared with and understood by the staff team, for example the effective use of the on-call system and appropriate use of police during incidents.

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This monitoring visit

Behaviour management plans reflect children’s needs and triggers for risk-taking behaviour. Some risk assessments do not contain up-to-date information, such as children’s agreed access to the internet and how staff are required to monitor children’s use of social media. In addition, they do not include guidance for staff to manage, report and record allegations, including the need to inform the designated officer. That said, allegations made by children have been investigated appropriately and all relevant professionals involved.

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This monitoring visit

Children engage well with direct work, which enables staff to capture children’s feelings and views effectively. Direct work is used to address key issues such as internet safety, children building trusting relationships with staff and helping children to understand the process of making a complaint.

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This monitoring visit

Some mandatory training requires updating and has been scheduled to take place in the next few weeks. The manager has not made provisions for staff to access e- safety training for the staff team, despite this being a high-risk factor for children living in the home. This training is necessary as it equips staff with up-to-date knowledge of how to educate children to recognise signs of grooming and online abuse. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2567789 3 The manager’s monthly monitoring includes behaviour management reports to look at any patterns and trends emerging from incidents. An example of this is the impact of male staff having been introduced to an all-female staff team and how this change has contributed to a more settled period in the home. The reports demonstrate that risks and incidents have reduced for children in the last few months. As a result, reduced staff ratios at key times and supervised internet use

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This monitoring visit

have been introduced for children, to help them develop their independence.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2567789 4

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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 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 out 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager should ensure that staff complete training specific to young people’s needs and risk-taking behaviour, for example e-safety training. The manager should ensure their oversight of risk assessments is thorough. Risk assessments should include up-to-date information about the young people’s circumstances. They should give staff clear direction on how they should manage, report and record allegations and how to support young people to manage social media safely on their electronic devices. 12 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2567789 5

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Information about this inspection

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

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 12, Riversway Business Village, Navigation Way, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 2YP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Natalie Waterhouse

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2567789 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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