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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572132 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. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager were registered in March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

On 15 February 2021, Ofsted undertook a monitoring visit of the children’s home. The inspector identified that children were not effectively safeguarded. As a result, a compliance notice was issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard.

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Information about this children’s home

On 24 February 2021, Ofsted received a complaint and a further monitoring visit was completed. Inspectors identified serious failings indicating that children were at risk of significant harm in the home. As a result, Ofsted took action to suspend the home’s registration and an additional compliance notice was issued under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor compliance with a notice issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, by Ofsted on 15 February 2021. The notice had been issued as staff were not effectively safeguarding children at risk of bullying in the home. Furthermore, risk assessments did not provide staff with clear guidance on how to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted completed a risk assessment and made the decision to carry out the inspection at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The management team have begun to take steps to address poor performance within the staff team. They have encouraged staff to reflect on their own practice, and performance improvement plans have been created to provide additional Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572132 2 support. Staff have completed refresher training in a range of areas that are specific to the challenges faced in their role. In addition, leaders within the company have delivered workshops to provide further guidance and support for staff to perform their roles more effectively. This means that staff are now receiving guidance and support to equip them with the skills to identify risk and take action to follow the home’s safeguarding procedures.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments do not provide staff with clear guidance on how to safeguard children effectively. For example, when reviewing the home’s risk assessment for child exploitation, the inspector found that some information recorded was difficult to understand and follow. In addition, key safeguarding strategies to manage children’s safety online were not recorded. Leaders were able to describe the control measures in place to keep children safe online, but these strategies were not recorded in the risk assessment. This means that key information is missed; this compromises how well children are protected from harm.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have started to implement systems to improve safeguarding practice at the home. For example, there is a new handover system in place, which promotes more positive communication between staff. Furthermore, the on-call management support system has been reviewed to provide guidance and support to staff when faced with emergency situations. The management team has delivered workshops to staff to ensure that they understand their roles and responsibilities. However, the home is not yet able to demonstrate the effectiveness of these systems in order to ensure that staff understand and are able to take action to reduce known risks to children’s safety.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have reviewed the home’s rota and staffing levels in the home. Since the home was suspended by Ofsted, all staff have been redeployed to work in other homes across the organisation, and for some staff, this will be a permanent arrangement. The registered manager has submitted her resignation to Ofsted and will be leaving her position in April. Consequently, this has left gaps in the home’s rota. One senior leader informed the inspector that a recruitment process is in place to ensure that the home has a manager and sufficiently skilled staff to meet the needs of the children. However, the home is not yet able to demonstrate that staff rotas are well planned and that staff are able to use support systems in place to deliver care to children that ensures they are protected from harm.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this inspection, a compliance notice was reissued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard. The requirements and recommendation raised at the last inspection were not reviewed at this visit.

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572132 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(x)(xiii)(b)) This relates to staff understanding and knowledge in being able to identify both 28 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572132 4

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Requirement Due date

the signs and impact of bullying in the home. *The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— *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; *have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; *that the home’s day-to-day care is

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Requirement Due date

arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) This relates to staff understanding and implementation of children’s risk assessments, and their role in keeping children safe, particularly with regards to risks of physical aggression. This also refers to staff understanding and implementation of the home’s child protection procedures and action to take when a child makes an allegation. 9 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572132 5 *The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— *helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and *promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— *lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos,

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Requirement Due date

and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; *ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; *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)(d)(e)(h)) This relates to the manager’s oversight and monitoring of children’s risk assessments and significant incidents in the home. It further relates to the manager’s oversight of staffing in the home. This also relates to the provider ensuring prompt referral of safeguarding concerns and allegations to the designated officer. 28 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 28 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572132 6 that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(c)) This specifically relates to appropriate care planning for children and staff following and adhering to local authority care plans. A responsible individual must— have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b)) This specifically relates to the responsible individual’s oversight and monitoring of the home and ensuring that the home’s child protection policies are followed. 28 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) This relates to the registered manager ensuring that staff working in the home have received an appropriate induction and support. 28 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) This specifically relates to serious incidents in the home where Ofsted has not been notified in a timely manner. 28 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572132 7 *These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

The registered person should ensure that staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to 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.

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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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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2572132 8 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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