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

Inspection report for children's home: 1229762 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 provides care for up to three children who may require support in respect of social, emotional and behavioural needs. The home is owned and operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered and experienced manager.

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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 for children's home: 1229762 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/06/2021 Full Good 12/02/2020 Full Good 06/11/2018 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1229762 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend school and they achieve good attendance. The staff work with education professionals and social workers to ensure that children achieve their targets. This positive attitude and approach to education helps children to make good academic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have built positive relationships with the children. One child said, ‘The staff make me laugh and I can talk to someone if I need to.’ This helps children to develop a sense of belonging, confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain positive relationships with those important to them. Staff make sure that children communicate with their social workers and parents about the times when they get to see their families. This helps children maintain important relationships with their loved ones and have a good and safe experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health. Their health needs are well considered and met by staff. Staff work very closely and proactively with a variety of health services. They support children to attend medical and healthcare appointments. This maintains children’s physical and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consult with children through individual discussion sessions and children’s meetings. There are occasions when staff have not supported each child to express their views, for example, when children do not attend their reviews. This does not ensure that children are supported and encouraged to contribute to their care plans and have a better understanding of their care experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to express their wishes and feelings. However, children’s comments about their care are not yet being used in the development of the home. Additionally, children’s feedback is not always captured. Their views are not always evident in records. This limits children’s participation in the home.

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

Children are safe and say they feel safe. Safeguarding practice continues to be steadfast. Safeguarding training for staff is appropriate for the needs of the children living at the home. Staff complete the mandatory training required. This supports the individualised care provided to children and is focused on their care and support needs. However, this is not always reflected in their records. More detailed and clearer recording would demonstrate the impact of care and therapeutic support provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: 1229762 4 The manager and staff understand the risks posed to and by children. Risk assessments are thorough. They provide staff with strategies to minimise risk. This supports staff in taking action to keep children safe.

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

Children know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy with any aspect of their care. They are provided with information to support them to raise complaints or grievances. The manager takes complaints seriously and investigates them robustly. This would be further strengthened by child-friendly responses to the complaints.

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

Incidents of physical intervention are rare. Staff are skilled in managing behaviour and resolving conflict. When physical intervention has been used, the recording of incidents is comprehensive. There is evaluative management oversight of incidents, which helps to ensure that children are safeguarded.

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

The staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Safeguarding training is reviewed annually. However, the safeguarding knowledge and skills of staff are not always reviewed or updated in other forums, such as in staff supervision meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post for two years and has developed a stable staff team. Staff have a genuine sense of commitment and loyalty. They feel valued and share the manager’s passion to improve children’s experiences and outcomes. As a result, staff turnover is low.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are established systems in place through which the manager has oversight of the quality of care. The manager reviews children’s plans and amends these in line with children’s changing needs. The manager makes good use of the monthly independent visitor reports to monitor the quality of care and acts to address any shortfalls. The manager is available to children and they are making good progress. However, children would benefit from being offered the opportunity to read their social care files and to be given advice on how to access these records in later life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff help to prepare children when they are due to leave the home to return to family or move to live semi-independently. For example, when one child moved to live with their sister, this was a successful transition. The manager worked with the placing local authority and family to support the child. This ensures that children are prepared both practically and emotionally for when they leave the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have good and strong partnerships with external professional agencies and families. They share information and establish effective channels of communication. External agencies were positive in their feedback about the staff. One professional said: ‘The home has made a positive impact on the child’s life. There is clear communication between me and the home. I appreciate all the information sent to me.’ Inspection report for children's home: 1229762 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard are that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them.

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to supporting children to be consulted with and contribute to all aspects of their care. Children should be able see tangible benefits of their views being listened to and acted upon. 26 September Inspection report for children's home: 1229762 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly 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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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: 1229762 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, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock WS11 0LG

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Tamika McCalla-Gibson

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Inspectors

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Linda Mason, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1229762 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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