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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 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 operated by a privately owned company. It provides care for up to four children and young people who have social and emotional difficulties. There are currently three children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2020.

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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: 21 December 2021

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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: 1245572 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/12/2021 Full Good 19/11/2019 Full Good 19/09/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in day-to-day decisions about their lives. Staff encourage children to contribute to, and take part in, a range of activities. Staff promote the children’s engagement in hobbies, even when these are a distance away from the home. Staff supported one child to attend a sports scholarship out of area. Staff have also enabled children to attend music festivals. This provides children with a wide range of opportunities and experiences. It also promotes children’s self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children have positive relationships. Staff advocate for children and share their views. For some children, the staff have supported them to share their own views with social workers. As a result, children feel safe and have confidence to share their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend education or alternative educational provision. One child has made progress and recently sat formal examinations. This is an achievement, and the child now has ambition and plans for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers communicate with wider services when children need alternative educational provision. The manager advocated well for one child to have an extended transition into a new school. This supported the child’s emotional well- being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Children attend medical appointments and, when needed, the staff refer the children on to specialist health services. When children have needs linked to past trauma, the manager and staff are supported well by the in-house therapist to meet the children’s needs. The care that the staff provide is sensitive and responsive to the children’s needs. This ensures that the staff provide a consistent approach and promotes progress for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote relationships with those who are important to children. Staff encourage friendships and family relationships when these are in the child’s best interest. Staff are flexible in their approach. This ensures that children maintain relationships with those people who are important to them, which helps to promote their identity. One child’s family member said: ‘The team works together with me. This hadn’t been the case before moving into this home. I am now able to have my child overnight with the support from the home.’

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

Children’s risk assessments are clear, reviewed regularly and understood well by the staff. Staff understand and manage the risks associated with the children’s use of the internet. The staff spend time with the children to talk to them about the Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 4 potential risks. This support helps the children to consider their behaviours so that they can become increasingly safe.

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

The children feel safe and understand the decisions the staff make to safeguard them. Staff support the children so that they understand their individual risk- management plans. Therefore, children have a clear understanding of the actions the staff will take to keep them safe when they are out in the community with their friends.

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

The children are supported to manage their emotions and behaviour well. The managers and staff understand the children’s behaviour. This knowledge, and the staff’s positive relationships with the children, ensures that the children are supported well when they are in crisis. The staff intervene when necessary and use their positive relationships to de-escalate significant incidents. Consequently, the need to physically hold the children is low. When children are held, a detailed record is kept, which the managers review. The managers ensure that the staff and children are spoken to after the incident. This promotes learning and helps to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

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

Children do not often go missing from the home. When they do, the staff know, understand and respond appropriately and quickly. Staff make efforts to locate the children before they report the child missing. This ensures that the children return home quickly and safely.

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

Staff are proactive and have good links with the police. Staff speak to the children about the risks that are specific to them. One child spends time in the community and is developing their independence. Staff have open conversations with this child about risk-taking behaviour and how to minimise these. This enables the child to experience age-appropriate risks and increase their independence.

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

The physical environment for children is safe and secure. The manager responds to, and addresses, any risks promptly. Health and safety risk assessments are in place and reviewed regularly. This promotes a positive and safe environment for children to flourish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a permanent manager. She and the senior staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports the staff well. She keeps the staff’s performance under review, and she ensures that the staff receive an annual appraisal of their work. Staff receive regular supervision and feel well supported by their managers. Supervision is reflective and used to discuss children’s needs. The manager’s oversight of the staff’s practice ensures that the staff understand their roles and responsibilities. Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 5 The staff are equipped to meet the children’s needs well. Staff training, development and induction take place and these are effective. Managers reflect on the staff’s practice regularly, and they seek feedback from all agencies, including the children. The managers use this feedback to change and improve the children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s competing needs are known, understood and managed well. Staff welcome new children who move into the home. The managers ensure that the children who live in the home are also consulted. These processes ensure that the matching of children is effective, and that the children’s needs are well understood. This ensures that child-focused decisions are made about which children move into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers take appropriate action when children make a complaint. There is a clear record of the action the managers take, which includes the feedback given to the child. However, on one occasion, a child made a complaint which also included an allegation. While action was taken to safeguard the child, the manager did not follow the provider’s allegations management process. This would have ensured the manager worked within the provider’s procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has sufficient staff to meet the children’s needs. However, the manager does not consistently ensure that the staff are safe and suitable to work with the children. The manager has failed to ensure that all of the required recruitment checks for one new member of staff were carried out, as she failed to verify one reference. Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 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 prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for liaison and co-operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)) 29 July 2022

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 29 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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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: 1245572 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: Venture House, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock WS11 0LG

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Inspectors

Sadie Mulkeen, Social Care Inspector Sue Atkinson-Millmoor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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