Children's Home run by New Horizons (Stockport) Limited in Bury

Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 1 Registered provider: New Horizons-(Stockport) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The provider states in its statement of purpose that this home provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2022.

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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 15 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

Date of last inspection: 15 October 2019

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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: 1261138 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2019 Full Good 20/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/09/2018 Full Good 30/01/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well cared for and have good relationships with the staff. Staff celebrate events with the children and capture memories for them with photographs. Key workers write letters to the children; these are kept with the photo albums for the children to take with them when they leave. This helps to make children feel important and valued. One child bought a house plaque as a gift to the staff when he moved out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A number of children have moved in and out of the home since the last inspection. Careful planning has meant that more informed decisions have been made about whether the staff have the skills to meet the children’s needs. This meets a previous requirement. However, placement plans are not written in a way that is accessible to children. Children are encouraged to engage in tasks to help build their life skills in preparation for moving into adulthood. One child is now able to do his own shopping, cooking and budgeting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained. The manager and staff have developed the communal rooms into areas where children can explore their interests and relax. Children enjoy spending time in the music studio. This area has been particularly beneficial at times when there have been increased COVID-19 restrictions. However, locks on all the doors make the home feel institutional.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their individual starting points. One parent said, ‘I feel my son and I were both very lucky that he was able to move in. The reason he is doing so well is because of the connections he has with staff; he feels they really know him.’ Children are more able to self-regulate, are more respectful and are aware of the needs of others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have made progress in education. One child is now attending school after several months with a tutor in the home. Another child has successfully completed his secondary school qualifications. However, the manager and staff are not aware of the local offer, setting out the support available for children with special education needs or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to build relationships with their families. One parent comes to the home to have tea with her child every week. Staff strive to make everyone feel comfortable and plan the visits thoughtfully to ensure that other children are not affected by them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities and sports groups. Staff understand the importance of each child having their own interests. Activities including football, music and skateboarding take place regularly. This has helped to increase the children’s confidence and social skills, as well as to maintain their physical health. Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 4

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

Staff understand the risks for each child and how to keep them safe. Risk management plans are detailed, personalised and provide staff with clear steps to take. One social worker said, ‘The team keeps us in the loop with any information. They are very much tuned into [name of child]'s welfare and make sure he is safe.’

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

Managers have taken steps to address children smoking in the home. Children have personalised incentive plans that encourage them to make positive choices. Expectations are clearly discussed with children, and local services have helped children with smoking cessation. Additionally, the fire risk assessment now reviews the potential risks and strategies to mitigate them.

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

Additional services are referred to when a risk arises. However, this is not as a preventative measure or in a planned way. This is a missed opportunity to build relationships with services that can help to support and educate children and staff.

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

The number of physical interventions used has decreased in recent months. When restraint has been required, detailed records are kept that provide evidence of the holds used. Records are reviewed by the management team. Both staff and children are encouraged to reflect. However, children are not routinely offered advocacy. This is important to ensure that children are able to express any concerns that they may have.

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

Staff take appropriate steps when children are missing from home. Staff actively search for children in local and known areas that they go to. Direct work takes place with children to help them understand the risks in the community. However, missing- from-home interviews are not always held on the child’s return to the home. These are important to ensure that children have someone independent to speak to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted. He is suitably qualified and experienced. He has been the acting manager of the home since the last visit and has worked hard to make positive changes for children. Regular monitoring and reviews take place that give the manager clear oversight of the events in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported. Staff meet regularly as a team to ensure that consistent care is provided to the children. Staff are regularly thanked by the manager for their hard work and dedication to the children. Supportive supervisions take place regularly, giving staff the time, they need to reflect. As a result, staff feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A consistent core team has provided care to the children throughout the pandemic. The impact of COVID-19 has been reduced by staff offering to work for longer stretches when necessary. Staff have also been able to take children away on a holiday that they enjoyed. This shows the staff’s commitment to the children. Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 5 Staff have received the training required to help them meet the needs of the children. This meets a previous requirement. The manager understands the additional value of face-to-face training and has sourced this training, where it has been available, to compliment online learning. Many of the staff are qualified, and others are currently completing the necessary qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Several changes have been made because of the children’s views. For example, additional television packages, a pool table and football nets have been purchased, and funds have been increased for takeaway nights. The manager expressed the importance of providing the children with the same resources as children living in families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Two of the five children are not currently in education, employment or training. The manager has tried to work with other services to try to get the children back into school. However, he has not escalated his concerns effectively to prevent further delay. Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 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, 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.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to placement plans being accessible to children. 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to removing internal locks on the doors of communal areas. 31 March 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should challenge the placing authority to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). The registered person should use escalation processes if no education place is identified by the placing authority in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that proactive and prompt referrals are made with services that support meeting the needs of the children. These

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Recommendations

services include mental health support and safeguarding teams. These working relationships will be key to success in delivering the care planning standard (regulation 14). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)  The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is offered the opportunity to access an advocacy support (regulation 7(2)(b)(iii)). The registered person should record that they have spoken to the child and seek medical advice if necessary. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)  The registered person should recognise that a high proportion of children in children’s homes have special educational needs. Staff must be aware of whether a child has an Education, Health and Care plan and have knowledge of the local offer for children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’ page 26, paragraph 5.4)

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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: 1261138 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons-(Stockport) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 154 Buxton Road, High Lane, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 8EA

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Inspector

Sylvia Eboigbe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1261138 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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