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

Inspection report children’s home: SC482223 1 SC482223 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and accommodation for three children who may require support in respect of social and/or emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and is managed by a private organisation. The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2019 and holds the required level 5 qualification.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 18 November 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC482223 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/11/2019 Full Good 09/10/2018 Full Good 17/10/2017 Full Good 19/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC482223 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and are making good progress at the home. They are helped and supported by adults who care about them. Children have formed trusting and secure relationships with the staff. One professional said that staff put the child’s ‘well-being at the centre of their work’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The arrangements for children moving into and out of the home are very well planned and managed. Children are prepared in advance for difficult conversations about moving. Staff work in partnership with other agencies to ensure that children’s transitions are successful.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop practical life skills that will help them in adult life. However, this is taught in a reactive way and not a planned way. This means that children may not learn all the skills they need.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have school placements and attend regularly. There is effective communication between the home staff and the school staff. This helps children to learn and to make progress in school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are busy and they enjoy a range of positive experiences in and out of the home. There are enough rooms within the home to give children space to do their own thing. Children like playing on various game consoles but complain that the internet speed is slow. This has a negative impact on the games that they play and can be a source of frustration for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to. Their views are sought informally on a daily basis and formally through monthly children’s meetings. The manager writes to each child after the formal meeting. The letter sets out if a child’s request has been agreed or not. If it has not been agreed, the manager suggests an alternative that can be provided.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The risks for children are understood and managed well. Risk assessments and plans are reviewed and are updated regularly. Children rarely go missing from the home and when they do, staff take immediate and appropriate action. Incidents are discussed at team meetings so that staff can reflect and consider what they could do differently in the future.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff set clear boundaries and have high expectations for the children. Staff know and understand the needs of the children very well. Restraint is rarely used. Regular team discussions about the children help staff respond to the children in a consistent manner. Inspection report children’s home: SC482223 4 Staff have a good understanding of how a new child moving in will impact on the existing children. Using the skills they have been taught, staff help children to build positive relationships with each other. Children are supported to develop shared interests which helps build positive relationships. This supports new children to settle in quickly.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children spend a lot of time on the internet. Staff understand the online risks that children may be exposed to. Children are taught how to keep themselves safe online. Older children have telephone contracts that set out the agreements by which staff can check their telephones and their internet use.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is relatively new and inexperienced. However, staff receive good support through induction, supervision and training. Supervisions are of a sufficient length to allow for full discussion and reflection. As a result, children are cared for by staff who have the skills and knowledge to help children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager and by their colleagues. Morale is good in the home, and there is a culture of open reflective practice. Staff receive therapeutic training, and they apply the principles of the training in their daily practice. This means that children are looked after by staff who use a positive and nurturing approach. This approach is also reflected in children’s plans and records, which celebrate what they do well.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Medication processes and record-keeping are good. Medication training includes an annual assessment of competency; this is good practice. Errors are rare but when they do happen, they are fully investigated and discussed as a team to learn from.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff have good working relationships with partner agencies. Communication with external agencies is good. All necessary information is shared in a timely manner. This ensures that everyone involved in the care of children is able to respond to any concerns swiftly. Inspection report children’s home: SC482223 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should provide a plan to support each child to prepare for a move to independent living. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that the internet speed is sufficient to meet the demands of the children’s activities. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC482223 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Venture House, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

p.6

Inspector

Alison Marshall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482223 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.

p.6

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 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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7