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

Inspection report children’s home: 1276216 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

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children aged between 10 and 17 years with complex social and/or emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager started in post in June 2021 and has submitted her application to be registered by Ofsted.

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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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 9 December 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1276216 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2020 Full Good 19/03/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1276216 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and one child has left the home. Managers ensured that these moves were well planned and managed sensitively. This means that children feel supported during important transitions in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good and sustained progress in the important areas of their lives. This is because they share positive and trusting relationships with staff. One child summarised his feelings about the home by stating, ‘Nice staff, nice house, sound as a pound here. Staff help me and I want to stay until I am 18.’ These positive relationships help children to develop their confidence and achieve good outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff capture and celebrate children’s memories and achievements effectively. For example, they have created memory books and photo albums which children take with them when they leave the home. One child recently celebrated his birthday, and a party was attended by people who are important to him. This means that children feel valued and that they belong in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the home’s physical environment is well maintained and furnished. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and specific to their interests and needs. Furthermore, there are photos of children on display throughout the home. This homely atmosphere helps children to feel comfortable and relaxed in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of equality and diversity very well. A diverse and experienced staff team completes meaningful and specific key-work sessions with children. Furthermore, staff use external resources in their work and are creative in their approach to engaging children. One child has made considerable progress in relation to his understanding of discrimination and racism. Another child has developed the confidence to discuss his identity with staff. The quality of this work means that children learn about and respect other people’s cultures and identities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External professionals are extremely complimentary about the staff and the manager. One professional commented, ‘Staff go above and beyond to support children.’ Another stated, ‘The staff are extremely knowledgeable and know the children really well.’ This support and commitment enhance children’s life chances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s aspirations and have high expectations for them. For example, one child is progressing well at school and is due to complete his examinations. Staff have supported him to receive additional support at school and to attend open days at local colleges. The child informed the inspector that he wishes to progress on to university and become a clinical psychologist.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager challenges and holds professionals to account to meet children’s individual needs. For example, one child in the home is not receiving the specific Inspection report children’s home: 1276216 4 support identified in his education, health and care plan. However, the manager has successfully challenged these shortfalls, and regular meetings are now held to review the levels of support required. This means that there are plans in place to ensure that the child returns to full-time education.

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

Children feel safe living in the home. This is because they are cared for by staff who use the home’s therapeutic model of care well. As a result, the number of significant incidents is low and children state that they feel safe.

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

The management response to children making allegations against staff is good. Leaders act quickly to involve the relevant agencies and they follow their child protection procedures effectively. As a result, investigations are thorough, and appropriate action is taken to ensure that children are safe. In addition, the manager challenges the performance of the local authority when encountering delays in its response. This proactive approach ensures that children are protected from harm.

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

Staff ensure that they work effectively with partner agencies when assessing and reviewing children’s behaviour. This means that risk assessments are regularly reviewed and have clear strategies for staff to follow. Furthermore, children are encouraged to develop at a level which is individual to their own needs. This means that the restrictions and safeguarding strategies imposed do not impact on children’s development.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. During a recent incident, staff followed the strategies identified in the child’s plans and worked effectively with the relevant professionals to return the child to the home. Return home interviews were completed immediately, and important information and intelligence were gathered. In addition, the manager held an emergency meeting with staff to ensure that they were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. This means that strategies were implemented by the manager to protect the child, who is vulnerable to exploitation.

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

In an isolated incident, a temporary member of staff failed to carry out checks or seek support from senior staff to safeguard two children in the home. Consequently, both children went missing from the home for a short period during the night. In response to this, the home’s previous manager failed to implement safeguarding strategies or take immediate action to reduce the risk to children. This has the potential to leave children vulnerable and compromises their safety.

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

Staff work restoratively with children to help them to learn from their experiences and behaviour. Since the appointment of a new manager, there have been no incidents requiring physical restraint and no consequences have been given to children. In contrast, prior to the appointment of a new manager, staff issued sanctions to children which were not always effective or restorative. Furthermore, the behaviour management records were not reviewed by the manager, and the effectiveness of the consequences issued and measures of physical restraint used Inspection report children’s home: 1276216 5 was not recorded. This lack of evaluation means that children were not given the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour. Consequently, these measures are not always effective.

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

Leaders have failed to implement effective systems to ensure that staff are recruited safely. For example, the reasons that one staff member had left previous roles working with children were not checked or verified prior to them working in the home. As a result, leaders cannot be fully assured about the suitability of people they employ.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is currently working towards achieving a level 5 diploma in leadership and management. She has submitted her documentation to Ofsted to apply for registration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate and keeps children at the heart of all she does. She has high expectations and strives to ensure that children are supported to make progress in all areas of their lives. She is organised and has introduced support systems for staff and children. These changes have helped to improve the quality of consultation and communication in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children and represents their views and wishes effectively. In response to shortfalls in the performance of one child’s education provider, one external professional stated that the manager is a ‘perfect advocate for children in her care’. This commitment ensures that children receive appropriate support as identified in their plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are very positive about the support they receive from the manager. Supervision sessions are regular and of good quality. They help staff to reflect on their practice and identify areas for improvement. One staff member stated that the quality of his records has improved following the support received from the manager. Furthermore, the manager uses team meetings to ‘upskill’ and improve practice. This helps to improve the quality of care received by children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff hold the required qualifications or equivalent. A small number of staff are currently working to achieve these, and plans are in place to ensure that they are completed in the required timescales. Furthermore, staff carry out training which is specific and relevant to the needs of the children in the home. Consequently, highly skilled and effective staff support the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight and monitoring processes are effective. Internal and external monitoring systems demonstrate how the manager intends to improve the home. As a result, the manager understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses and takes action to address shortfalls. This effective oversight means that children receive good care in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 1276216 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

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should ensure that they carry out checks and verify the reasons for leaving previous roles with children and vulnerable adults for all new staff prior to them working in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last monitoring visit and is restated. 14 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should ensure that all behaviour management records are regularly reviewed and that they 14 December Inspection report children’s home: 1276216 7 record the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates that this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, staff and the manager must implement safeguarding strategies and take immediate action to reduce the risk to children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 1276216 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: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited, Venture House, Unit 12 Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1276216 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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