Children's home run by New Horizons NW Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2567789 1 Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is managed by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have social or emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2567789 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2567789 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a well-planned way. Transitions into the home are a positive and happy experience for children. Consequently, children settle into the home quickly. Children develop positive and trusting relationships with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop positive relationships with each other. Children are prepared for new children moving in and adapt well. As a result, the children have a close relationship and enjoy spending time together. One child refers to the staff and the other child in the home as her ‘[name of the home] family’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain school placements when moving into the home and have 100% attendance. Staff work well with children’s schools and support children with their learning. One professional said, ‘Communication is excellent, and it helps to manage and monitor [name of child]’s behaviour.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to try new and enjoyable activities. Children enjoy days out and holidays to the home’s caravan. Children are involved in planning activities and are making plans for the school holidays. Staff support children to engage in charitable activities in the local community. One child recently made 70 cupcakes to sell and raise money for a cancer charity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children spending time with their families. They are flexible and creative when organising enjoyable activities for children to do during family time. Staff arrange family fun days. Staff liaise with other carers to create meaningful and enjoyable experiences for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are child focused and provide age-appropriate care to children. The use of visual aids helps children to understand and communicate. Weekly star charts promote positive behaviour, and children are frequently rewarded for their achievements. Positive praise books are completed daily for children, which children take with them when moving on from the home to remind them of their experiences and achievements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Arrangements for children moving on from the home are well planned and child focused. The manager understands children’s individual needs and advocates on their behalf when they feel they are not listened to. Staff work with children to prepare them for moving on from the home. Children keep in touch with staff, which demonstrates the strong relationships they develop while living in the home.

p.3

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

Staff are supported to have a thorough knowledge of new children moving into the home. Their risks, backgrounds and experiences are understood well. As a result, staff support children well to keep them safe. Inspection report children’s home: 2567789 4 Staff are proactive in managing risk. Regular key-work sessions and consultation with professionals help staff to manage risk well. Assessment of risk is thorough. Staff understand children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. Escalating risks for children are identified.

p.3

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

Staff maintain consistent boundaries and expectations with children to promote positive behaviour. This helps children to feel safe. Behaviour management plans reflect children’s individual needs. These include clear guidance for staff to follow. However, not all staff have signed to confirm that they have read updated records.

p.4

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

There have not been any missing-from-home incidents for the children living in the home. However, children’s records did not contain guidance for staff to follow should children go missing from the home. Action was taken during the inspection to rectify this.

p.4

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

Incidents of physically holding children are rare. When incidents do occur, these are managed well. Staff are guided by strategies outlined in children’s records. The positive relationship with staff supports children to manage and regulate their emotions. This minimises incidents of challenging behaviour. Reflective work is undertaken with children following any incidents.

p.4

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

Staff can recognise difficulties for children with family relationships. Staff support children’s emotional needs when issues arise. They liaise with professionals and advocate on children’s behalf when arrangements are not in the child’s best interests. However, children’s records have not been updated to reflect changes to arrangements for spending time with family. This has been raised as a requirement.

p.4

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

Recruitment procedures for new staff to the home are safe. Shadow shifts are undertaken with new members of staff. This supports children’s adjustment to new adults in the home and promotes positive relationships.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager strives to provide the best possible care to children. She values her staff team and works hard to ensure that staff feel happy and supported in their roles. The introduction of ‘employee of the month’ and team-building events has improved morale.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well. She works hard to understand their backgrounds and previous experiences. She is actively involved and engaged in the care provided to them. She maintains positive relationships with all professionals involved and advocates for them. The manager takes appropriate action to challenge placing local authorities. One professional said, ‘The manager is always on top of things and maintains excellent communication.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by a stable and consistent staff team. Staff benefit from regular supervision, and professional development is encouraged. Staff are happy in Inspection report children’s home: 2567789 5 their roles. They say that they feel well supported and that morale is high. This leads to positive engagement with children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Mandatory training is completed by all staff. When formal training cannot be immediately sourced, bespoke training is provided in team meetings. This ensures that staff have the knowledge and understanding to meet children’s needs. However, not all staff have accessed formal training for children’s specific needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a clear and detailed development plan for the home and individual children. This enables the manager to identify required improvements and monitor the progress of actions. The manager takes appropriate action following recommendations made by the independent visitor. Quality of care reports are detailed. They include feedback from children and professionals involved in their care. Inspection report children’s home: 2567789 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, children’s records must be updated promptly to reflect any changes to contact arrangements, and all staff must read and sign updated documents. 26 August 2022

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff access appropriate training which is specific to the children’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.11)

p.6

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: 2567789 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Horizons (NW) Limited, Unit 12, Riversway Business Village, Navigation Way, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 2YP

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Natalie Waterhouse

p.7

Inspector

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2567789 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8