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

Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 1 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 privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and moderate learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021.

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

On 29 July 2020, Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit due to concerns about safeguarding practice and ineffective management oversight. On 30 September 2020, a condition was put in place that required the provider to give Ofsted three months’ notice before admitting a child and the organisation closed the service. On 7 December 2020, the condition was lifted, and the service resumed operation.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 3 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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. Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 2 Date of last inspection: 17 September 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.2

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at this home. They openly talk with staff about their wishes and feelings in a group or individually with their key workers. One child told staff: ‘I have a sense of comfort; staff talk to me.’ Children have positive relationships with each other and are respectful towards each other. One child told the inspectors: ‘It’s absolutely amazing here. The staff are amazing, and I honestly couldn’t ask for better.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s home provides individualised care to children. Each child has a plan which is tailored to their individual needs, is reviewed regularly and shows good progress. Children who are preparing for moving on from the home have detailed plans which support the development of their independence skills. The staff know the children that they look after well. Staff are offered regular training so that they can offer quality-informed care.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff in the children’s home communicate well with parents. They help children to stay connected with their families and support contact with them. One parent told inspectors: ‘This is the best place [my child] has been.’ Professionals told inspectors that they are pleased with the progress that the children are making and say that the staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made positive and sustained progress from their starting points. Staff work hard to ensure that all the children’s needs are met. Staff are proactive in seeking out the right resources to meet the physical and emotional needs of the children in their care. There is an expectation that children attend school and children are supported to attend the right school for their needs.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children were observed to be happy and relaxed in the home and have structure, routine and boundaries. The children have access to a wide variety of activities and have fun with the staff. Their interests are promoted, such as model-making and swimming. Children also attend weekly groups, such as the youth club and model- making club.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive and respectful relationships with each other and do not identify bullying as a problem in the home. Consequently, children have enjoyed holidays and short breaks together, which is evidenced in photos around the home and children’s memory books.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In some communal areas, locks were fitted to doors for staff to use should children try to cause damage to the home. There are currently no risks that would make this action permissible and so the provider removed these locks during the inspection. Children must have access to all shared areas of their home unless there are specific risk factors identified in a risk assessment. Any assessment should be regularly reviewed to ensure that there is minimal impact on other children. Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 5

p.4

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

The manager completed a review following an unplanned end to one child’s placement to consider whether anything could have been done differently. As a result, there have been significant improvements in the matching process of children who come to live at the home with those already living there. Risk assessments provide clear measures to minimise risks of children living together and evidence thorough consultation with local authorities prior to children’s admissions. Consequently, children currently living at the home are settled and are making good progress.

p.5

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

Children say that they feel safe. Staff educate children about how to keep themselves safe and, as a result, children are making better choices. There has been a significant reduction in risks associated with substance misuse, self-injurious behaviour and criminal child exploitation. One child said: ‘I am not involved with people I shouldn’t be. I have more of a future planned for me now.’

p.5

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

The manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s well-being. They work in accordance with agreed strategies to minimise risks and maintain children’s safety. Overall, appropriate action has been taken by the staff team to safeguard children and work with relevant agencies. When there have been concerns about staff’s actions to keep children safe, the manager has addressed them immediately.

p.5

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

Children do not go missing from the home. There have been no serious incidents requiring the police to attend the home. Staff work positively with children to help them develop alternative coping strategies and to de-escalate their behaviour, which has kept the use of restraint to a minimum. The quality of incident records, staff training and development, and the manager’s thorough oversight has improved.

p.5

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

Positive reinforcement is used to promote children’s good behaviour, using incentives and targets. When sanctions are used, they are fair and proportionate; for example, children are encouraged to engage in restorative work. This helps children to invest in their home and put right any damage they have caused with support from staff.

p.5

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

The staff team’s understanding of whistle-blowing procedures and reporting allegations has improved. The manager’s approach to allegation management is robust. On one occasion, she was not satisfied with the investigation process and asked for it to be readdressed to ensure the safety of the child. She ensured that the child, the local authority and designated officer were kept up to date throughout.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Under the competent leadership of the manager, staff practice and the care that children receive have significantly improved. The manager is a good role model and promotes positive outcomes and change for children. She prioritises safeguarding and, when necessary, challenges decisions made by other professionals and senior management to improve the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 6 Staff feel supported by the manager. They receive regular practice-related supervisions. They are provided with clear expectations from the manager and constructive feedback in relation to improving their practice. Regular training and courses that are specific to the needs of the children have improved staff’s ability to meet children’s needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are child-centred. They discuss specific incidents and any lessons learned to improve practice. The manager uses quizzes and group work to practise dealing with incidents. These embed the staff team’s knowledge further. Team development days have also been effective in improving staff’s recording skills and used to reflect on key areas of safeguarding.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The system to monitor the safe storage of knives and sharp items is not effective. The inspectors found several gaps in the records of daily checks for knives and sharp items. The manager had not identified this in her monitoring. Although there have been no serious incidents, it is important that all sharp items are regularly accounted for to prevent children from putting themselves or others at risk.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been no complaints, which evidences that children’s views are considered, and that they feel listened to. Children know how to make a complaint and their rights are promoted effectively. The manager promotes a diverse and inclusive environment in which children are educated about sexuality, gender identity, individual differences and personal choice.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s report on the review of the quality of care provides a thorough account of the progress children have made. The manager obtains regular feedback from children and staff about their experiences of the home. However, feedback from social workers and children’s families is not included in the report to reflect a full evaluation of the quality of the service provided. Furthermore, the independent visitor’s reports do not regularly evidence feedback from children and staff. Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 7

p.6

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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.

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered manager ensures that there is an improved daily system to check and account for sharp items and knives that are locked away. 21 October 2021

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons, supported by regularly reviewed risk assessments, why this would not meet a child’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home, including feedback from social workers and families. The independent visitor should regularly obtain children’s and staff’s views about the quality of care provided to children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

p.7

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 Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 8 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: 2531921 9

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspectors

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2531921 10 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.9

Inspectors

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.10

Inspectors

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

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10