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

Inspection report children’s home: 2586943 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a large private provider. It is registered to provide care and support for four children with emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2020 and is completing the relevant qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection of the home since it was re-registered in June 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2586943 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2586943 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care from staff who care about them and talk about them with nothing but pride and warmth. Staff work very hard to make children’s transitions to new placements successful. Due to restrictive measures as a result of COVID-19, one child was unable to have the leaving trip he wanted. Staff worked with his network so that this could happen after he left as they did not want him to miss the celebration of his time at the home. This ensures that children feel valued and are clear about staff’s commitment to making memories with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s day-to-day experiences are positive. They enjoy activities in the home, as well as trips out. At one point, the children and staff had to self-isolate due to a member of the household receiving a positive COVID-19 test. Staff moved into the home for the period of isolation, including sleeping on makeshift beds. This was so that they could safely provide consistent care for children. This is one of many examples of staff’s commitment to children. Children told inspectors that they appreciate this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have excellent relationships with staff. Children are clear that the staff are approachable, and if they need help or support they are confident they will get it. This provides children with a secure base to develop from and has had a positive impact on their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a bright, child-friendly environment where they have enough room to develop and play. Staff address maintenance issues quickly and plan ahead. For example, the home is soon to get a new kitchen, and this will be a welcome addition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with children on their independence. They aim for children to understand the basics and beyond before they move on from the home. Staff sometimes face challenges with this work. However, they persevere in children’s best interests. One child told inspectors that staff ‘nag in the right way… like parents… the staff do really care about me, I do know that’.

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

Staff respond well when children go missing. Staff search for them and contact emergency services as needed. Staff have also supported a child in school when the child went missing, as they see this as part of their parenting role. Although children do sometimes absent themselves from the home, staff make it clear that they remain available to help them. Staff challenge other statutory partners when needed to satisfy themselves that children are safe.

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

Staff complete key-working sessions with children in essential areas regarding their individual development. For example, staff are not afraid to have clear conversations Inspection report children’s home: 2586943 4 about sensitive subjects, such as sex and contraception. They also talk with children about different approaches to use in situations at school and socially. Overall, this helps children to feel connected to the staff as a source of support.

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

Staff respond well to the infrequent incidents of self-harm. They are not afraid to talk about this with children and offer support. This destigmatises this concern and children feel able to tell staff when this has happened. It is positive that children feel that they can go to staff for help when they need it.

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

Staff manage children’s behaviour well. Where staff need to physically intervene, they do, and they learn from it. This learning has meant that staff have not had to physically intervene with a child for six months. Where children receive sanctions, these are proportionate and fair. The registered manager reviews sanctions when they are given and again after a few weeks to ensure that they are effective. This also promotes learning from practice. Staff have a clear preference for a positive re- enforcement approach. This is supporting children to develop more positive behaviour.

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

Risk assessments consider all relevant areas for the children. Strategies are largely helpful, although in some places they could be more pointed and detailed. Consideration of how the provider uses bedroom door alarms is generic. This is not personalised to each child and is not reviewed as needed. Without this review, children may have measures in place that constitute an unnecessary restriction of privacy. This is not a concern that children raised during the inspection.

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

The registered manager has reviewed the assessment of the location of the home. This has some useful information in it to help staff consider the safety of the local area. However, some parts of the assessment are contradictory and some contact details for relevant partners are not included. The registered manager has also not consulted with all relevant people outside the home. This weakens the assessment’s usefulness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are led by a committed registered manager. They feel supported and challenged to develop by her, and the team works well together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and the registered manager keep children’s views and their well-being central to their approach. There are regular meetings with children so that they have the opportunity to talk about the things that matter to them. Children recently asked for a table tennis table and this was quickly purchased. Children talk clearly about how staff listen to them and advocate for them. Partners, parents and children know that a child-centred approach is integral to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager of this service challenges partners as needed in most circumstances. For example, when key partners accepted a child refusing to return to the home, the registered manager escalated this appropriately. In contrast, there has been one occasion where staff did not challenge a school about bruises that a Inspection report children’s home: 2586943 5 child received during a restraint in the school day. The child raised no concern about this, but it was a missed opportunity to hold partners to account for their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is developing her analytical and reflective approach to reviewing incidents. Overall monitoring of the home is good, but there are some key areas that need attention. For example, there is some incorrect and ambiguous information in the children’s guide and the workforce plan. There is also an overly complicated system for the registered manager to assure herself that staff are reading children’s risk assessments and plans. Despite good intentions, this results in a lack of clarity. These shortfalls do not detract from the care children receive, but do remain shortfalls in monitoring and oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisors lead supervision well to reflect about children and how staff can develop their practice. The registered manager has not ensured that records are on file. Furthermore, some records could be more detailed to show the reflective discussions and actions. The registered manager has a well-intentioned but overly complicated system for overseeing actions. This leads to a lack of clarity about the successful completion of these actions. The registered manager has a plan to develop these records to show the support and challenge that staff receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager keeps on top of staff training so that staff have the necessary skills to care for children. The registered manager puts additional training in place relating to children’s needs, and staff readily attend. This is because staff want the best for the children they care for. Inspection report children’s home: 2586943 6

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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

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be 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. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the staff and the manager should seek clarity about any incidents involving children in school so that they have full information. 30 July 2021

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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

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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the children’s guide accurately reflects the home, the workforce plan has the correct staffing in it, and sufficient attention is given to detail in records and other areas considered. 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— 30 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2586943 7 the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children. (Regulation 24 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, there should be individual risk assessments for children regarding the use of door alarms.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, relevant partners should be consulted and all relevant details should be included and accurate. 30 July 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there are clear, detailed records of supervision for all staff in the home. This also should include the clear monitoring of actions. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: 2586943 8

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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: Venture House, Unit 12 Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Karol Keenan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2586943 9 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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