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

Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 1 SC475323 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 by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children aged between seven and 17 with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 12 April 2022.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/06/2021 Full Inadequate 17/03/2020 Interim Not judged 28/01/2020 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently one child living in the home and they have lived in the home for two years. This home has provided stability for the child, and they have made good progress in the important areas of their life. In reference to the staff, one external professional said, ‘Support from staff has had a positive impact on [name of child]’s well-being.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build good-quality and trusting relationships with the child. This means that staff know the child’s individual needs very well. The child told the inspector that they felt safe and liked living in the home. In addition, the inspector observed positive and good-humoured interactions between staff and the child. This support helps the child to make and sustain progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the child’s educational needs. They work with external professionals to understand the child’s barriers to learning and attending school. Furthermore, the registered manager advocates well for the child and represents their wishes and feelings effectively. This led to the child accessing taster sessions for a mechanics course at a local college. The child shared their experiences from the course with the inspector. The sessions had a significant impact on the child’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise and promote the importance of family time for the child. They plan effectively the time that the child spends with their loved ones. This supportive approach from staff has also meant that the child has reconnected with some members of their family. As a result, the child shares positive relationships with people who are important in their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively with the home’s clinical team and health professionals to provide specialist support to the child. For example, staff and the registered manager attend regular consultation sessions. These sessions are used to review the child’s progress and provide strategies for staff to support the child. This means that the child receives specialist support for their mental and physical health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home’s environment is welcoming and homely. The child’s bedroom is well furnished and personalised. However, the fire doors in the home were not functioning properly and did not close effectively. This had been identified as an action in the home’s fire risk assessment but had not been addressed by the registered manager. This shortfall has the potential to impact on staff and the child’s safety. However, the matter was acknowledged during the inspection and the home’s responsible individual provided assurances that the work was to be carried out with immediate effect. Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 4

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

Staff work therapeutically with the child to keep them safe. They understand and adopt the home’s therapeutic model of care. This approach has meant that the number of significant incidents with the child has reduced. There have been no incidents requiring physical restraint since the last inspection. In addition, staff rarely issue sanctions to the child to manage the child’s anxieties. This approach helps to reassure the child that staff are confident in promoting their welfare.

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

The child’s risk assessments are well recorded and assess risks effectively. They are regularly reviewed and updated after incidents with the child. This means that information is always relevant, and staff know what to do to support the child. These safeguards help the child to feel safe.

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

The child knows how to make a complaint and raise concerns in the home. On occasions when complaints have been made the registered manager has responded both efficiently and effectively to resolve the issues. Consequently, the child feels valued and listened to.

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

Since the last inspection, the child has not gone missing from the home. Staff ensure that protocols are in place which provide guidance and clarity on what they should do if an incident takes place with the child. This helps to provide assurances that staff know what to do to safeguard the child.

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

Leaders do not consistently follow the home’s child protection policy and referral processes. For example, following an allegation made by a child against previous carers, the registered manager notified the child’s social worker but failed to notify the local authority designated officer. In addition, they failed to discuss and review the incident with senior leaders, which is directed in the policy. Consequently, the registered manager was unable to provide evidence that the matter had been investigated by the local authority. This meant that the child was not updated or provided with reassurance. This potentially left the child vulnerable and compromised their safety.

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

In contrast, following other incidents when the child has made allegations, the registered manager followed the policy correctly and ensured that the local authority and senior leaders were informed on the same day. This meant that appropriate action was taken and the child was safeguarded effectively.

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good

The home is led by an ambitious registered manager, who is energetic and child- focused. He is currently working towards the required qualification to develop him in his role. Since taking on the role, he has provided more stability and had a positive impact on the home. Staff and the child describe feeling supported. One professional said, ‘The manager has breathed new life into the home. He is infectious with his Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 5 personality and energy and [child’s name] responds well to this and the way he leads.’

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good

However, some of the registered manager’s leadership systems are not yet consistently effective in making continual improvements to the home. For example, monitoring systems have failed to identify shortfalls with the home’s fire doors. In addition, the manager’s quality of care review has failed to capture the child’s views, wishes and feelings. These shortfalls have the potential to compromise children’s safety and the quality of care they receive.

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good

Staff receive some training and development which is specific to the needs of the child. However, staff have not completed up-to-date training in understanding autism. Furthermore, training is not consistently used effectively to improve staff practice. For example, one member of staff completed 10 online courses on the same day. This does not assure the regulator as to the quality of the training provided or that all staff have the skills and up-to-date knowledge to meet the needs of the child.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision from the registered manager. This is a supportive process and the manager identifies actions to improve staff practice. Also, the manager is not afraid to challenge and address shortfalls in staff’s practice. However, some staff have not received an annual appraisal of their performance. One staff member had not received an appraisal for two years. This means that staff are not consistently provided with opportunities to improve their practice in caring for children.

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good

The registered manager does not always challenge external professionals effectively. For example, he has not raised concerns when he has not received regular updates and outcomes to child protection investigations. Furthermore, the manager has not challenged professionals when he has identified concerns with communication. These shortfalls have the potential to impact on the quality of care received by the child.

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good

The registered manager has not submitted an up-to-date version of the home’s statement of purpose. In addition, the document does not contain sufficient detail in relation to the staff working in the home and the health professionals providing therapeutic support to children. This shortfall prevents the regulator and professionals from having clear and up-to-date information on the support received by children. Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should challenge the relevant professionals’ performance when they have failed to maintain communication or review children’s plans. 17 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they follow the home’s child protection policies when a child makes an allegation of abuse against a person in a position of trust. 17 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each 17 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 7 child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should take action to ensure that all fire doors in the home are in correct working order to keep staff and children safe.

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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 fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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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)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff complete training which is specific to the needs of the children in the home. Furthermore, the registered person should ensure that monitoring systems are implemented to identify shortfalls and make improvements to the quality of care that children receive. 17 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is updated to include an accurate 17 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 8 reflection of the home. This refers to staffing and details of the clinical teams providing support to the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff receive an annual appraisal of their performance to support their professional development. 17 August 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are regularly consulted on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. The registered person should include children’s reviews in the home’s quality of care review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: SC475323 9

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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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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC475323 10 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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