Children's home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 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 privately run home is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2019.

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 28 January 2020

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2020 Full Good 23/08/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/05/2018 Full Good 07/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 3

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outstanding

The children receive highly individualised, nurturing care from dependable staff with whom they trust and enjoy positive relationships. Children are flourishing. They are made to feel like they belong regardless of their individual challenges. One child said about the staff: ‘You can see the passion in what they do. They live to work. It is more like a family than a children’s home.’

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outstanding

Children have a positive experience of moving to the home. Matching documents show how the existing children’s views are considered and how they are kept involved. Children’s stability is attributed to the careful matching arrangements.

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outstanding

The children’s attendance at school and college, despite having experienced prolonged absences, has improved significantly. Children are making sustained progress, and they benefit from the structured daily routines. Their achievements are rewarded and celebrated by staff showing them how proud they are of them. Children are helped to travel safely to and from school and college.

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outstanding

Staff understand the children’s diverse and complex health needs and support them accordingly. This enables the children to lead healthy and active lifestyles. Staff understand the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Consequently, one child has reached a healthier weight since moving to the home.

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outstanding

The children and staff have direct access to specialist clinical input, which is an invaluable source of guidance and support. Staff go above and beyond to promote the children’s identity and support them in a way that is worthy of dissemination. As a result, children are settled and happy living here.

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outstanding

Staff implement the child-centred model of care skilfully, which is well received by the children. The wrap-around emotional support from the staff helps the children to talk openly about any worries and complaints. Children are encouraged to express their wishes and feelings, and their views are considered and acted on. This helps the children to develop strong relationships with staff based on trust.

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outstanding

Children are supported by staff to see their family and friends, which keeps them connected to the important people in their lives. One family member said about the staff: ‘They treat him like one of their own.’

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outstanding

Children enjoy participating in a variety of social activities. Some children have joined football clubs and attend matches. Others love going on trips away, eating out and watching films at the cinema. Children love listening to music, gaming and taking part in other activities in the home. During the coronavirus pandemic, the children and staff enjoyed having barbeques and listening to music in the garden. Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 4 Playing on the trampoline gave the children a chance to enjoy their childhood. Children and staff took part in a charity event, raising hundreds of pounds. Children’s birthdays are celebrated, and they are made to feel special. The photos of children and staff around the home and the individual memory books showcase the good times children have.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged to shop for food that reminds them of home. Similarly, children’s needs that arise from their cultural identity are met effectively. Children and staff take part in cultural events, which promotes diversity. Staff encourage children to act in socially acceptable ways and challenge any discriminatory behaviour.

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outstanding

Children live in a clean, well-furnished and nicely decorated home. The pleasant aroma of home-cooking makes the home welcoming and nurturing for children. A social worker said about the home: ‘It’s a good vibe. You can tell the children want to be there.’

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

Staff understand the children’s vulnerabilities and risks. They know how to respond to safeguarding concerns. The staff are guided by the children’s written risk assessments to identify the current risks and implement the strategies to reduce those risks. Children are encouraged to take controlled risks, which promotes their independence. Staff talk to children about risk, which helps the children to keep themselves safe.

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

There has been a decrease in the number of missing-from-care incidents. When children have been missing, the staff follow the children’s individual missing-from- care protocols. This includes following children, contacting them on their mobile phones, carrying out searches, working closely with the police and notifying the child’s placing authority. The collaborative work with the British Transport Police has been particularly effective. Children are not known to be subject to exploitation.

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

The positive relationships between the staff and children enable the staff to help children to regulate their behaviours in safer ways. As a result, children are expressing remorse and talking to staff about how they are feeling. The staff work with the children when incidents happen in order to resolve the issue and restore harmony.

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

Staff provide the children with clear boundaries and parental guidance, which gives children a sense of security. The restorative approach has proved to be effective. Physical intervention is used only when needed to keep children safe.

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

Allegations against staff are taken seriously. They are managed appropriately and referred to the designated officer for the local authority. The learning from allegations helps to improve staff practice and prevent further incidents. Recent safeguarding training revisited allegations in order to ensure that the staff have a clear understanding of the process. Staff are comfortable with raising practice issues Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 5 about colleagues. They understand the importance of whistleblowing, and this promotes a positive safeguarding culture in the home.

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

Regular health and safety checks in the home keep everyone safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home is managed effectively. The experienced and qualified registered manager has a stable and approachable presence in the home. She leads by example and has a clear vision and high expectations for all the children to succeed. The responsible individual is visible in the home and provides the registered manager with strong support and advice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the children’s unique needs and progress. She is committed to challenging others and taking action to ensure that the children’s needs are prioritised. During the COVID-19 restrictions, the manager’s support made a lot of difference to the well-being for both the staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported, valued and proud of their work with the children. Staff benefit from regular reflective supervisions, team meetings and detailed handover discussions. As a result, the staff keep up to date with the children’s progress, and this ensures the smooth running of the home. Good training and development opportunities enable the staff to meet the children’s individual needs. One staff member said about the home: ‘It has been, and continues to be, an outstanding place to work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the strengths and areas for development for the team. She has monitoring systems in place to ensure that she maintains good management oversight. For example, the review reports enable the registered manager to reflect on the journey of the home and on the children’s progress through words and pictures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirements and recommendations raised previously are met. There is improved management oversight of the impact risk assessments which identify training for staff and reflect children’s views on the rare occasions that they receive a sanctions for their behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Child-friendly care plans provide staff with the information they need to ensure children are safe. The quality of staff supervision records and the timeliness of sending notifications to the regulator have also improved. Safer recruitment procedures are followed in order to ensure that only suitable staff care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person consults with social workers. However, they have not been encouraged to contact other professionals, such as independent reviewing officers, if social workers are unavailable. This is a missed opportunity for the visitor to speak Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 6 to professionals in the placing authority in order to inform the safety and welfare statement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider and registered manager have not made a formal record of the rationale for not notifying Ofsted about potential incidents of concern. There is no impact on the children’s safety and welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals and family praise the quality of the communication with the staff team and the positive impact that they have on the children.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). In particular, provide a written rationale for making decisions not to notify Ofsted of incidents that could be considered significant. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. In particular, provide the independent person with the contact details of children’s independent reviewing officers when

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Recommendations

they are unable to consult with the children’s social worker for their views about the children’s quality of care and well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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 for children’s home: 1249183 7

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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

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 8 regulates and inspects 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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