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

Inspection report children’s home: 1241789 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 and operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children and young people who have emotional, social and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

An experienced registered manager leads this home.

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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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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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1241789 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/01/2020 Full Good 06/03/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1241789 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and settled. They develop positive relationships with the staff. The team is committed to providing children with good-quality care and support. Staff provide children with emotional warmth and genuine affection. As a result, children are nurtured and feel secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff ensure that each child receives education every day. When children are home schooled, staff work hard with tutors to motivate children and encourage learning. As children become older, staff prepare them well for adult life by ensuring that they learn a good range of self-care and independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good arrangements are in place for children to spend time with their families, even those living some distance from the home. Family visits are well organised. This contributes to the stability of the children’s placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager always gives the children living at the home appropriate information about any new children who will be moving in. This helps the existing children to prepare for and cope with the change, and also supports the new children to settle as quickly as possible.

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

Staff provide clear boundaries for children. These boundaries enable children to develop healthy, age-appropriate routines. Because children trust the staff to keep them safe, they grow in confidence and self-esteem. Children know how to complain. Complaints are taken seriously and fully addressed.

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

The manager and staff understand the everyday risks posed to children, especially risks in the community. Good risk-management plans provide staff with clear strategies to protect children from harm. Staff take effective action to keep children safe.

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

Safeguarding training is of a good quality. Staff use their skills and knowledge well to support children who are upset and to de-escalate potentially harmful situations. The staff’s therapeutic approach is effective in supporting children to manage their emotions safely. However, wider safeguarding issues are not routinely discussed in staff supervision or team meetings.

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

Recruitment is managed safely. The principles of safe recruitment practice are followed. However, the manager has not ensured that they have evidence that recruitment agencies providing staff to the home have carried out the same robust vetting. Inspection report children’s home: 1241789 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a positive role model and leads by example. This is instrumental in the good standard of care seen in the home. Staff speak passionately about the children and their progress. The team has confidence in the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children know that the manager and staff are proud of their achievements and progress. This enhances children’s self-esteem and confidence. However, staff do not consistently take opportunities to celebrate with children when they have achieved success or overcome challenges.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is visible and approachable. Staff are well supported in their day-to- day practice . They have regular supervision sessions and yearly appraisals. However, where opportunities for staff to improve on their practice are identified, these are not always clearly recorded in supervision records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training and induction systems are child focused and effective. Staff are provided with regular training. When children have additional needs, managers ensure that staff are well trained to be able to meet these needs. Staff benefit from advice and guidance from specialist healthcare services.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although quality assurance and monitoring systems are generally effective, some internal systems are not consistently identifying or rectifying minor shortfalls. In some cases, it is not clear what actions have been taken to address shortfalls because quality assurance records are not completed in full.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records for children include clear up-to-date information. They show the development of each child. However, staff do not encourage children to review and contribute to their records. The opportunity to do this may help children understand their care experience better. Inspection report children’s home: 1241789 5

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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 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 their full 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)) 6 May 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.39)  The registered person should ensure that children actively read their records and add further information to them. Children should be reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any external agency staff meet the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications. The registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16) Inspection report children’s home: 1241789 6

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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: 1241789 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: Venture House, Unit 12, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1241789 8 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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