Children's Home run by New Horizons NW Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 1 Registered provider: New Horizons NW Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned. The provider states in the statement of purpose that they provide care for three children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to Ofsted to be registered.

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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: 2509269 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/06/2021 Full Good 03/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to move into the home in a well-planned way. They are invited to engage in activities with the children currently living in the home before moving in. This supports them to develop positive relationships with each other and helps settle them into the home. At the time of inspection, one child was in the process of moving in. The children living in the home said that they felt involved in the process and were excited.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend education. The manager works hard to ensure that education placements meet children’s needs. Staff liaise with education providers regularly. This provides consistency in the care provided to children at home and in school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For children who are reluctant to engage in education, staff work hard to support them to attend and engage in learning. One child said, ‘The biggest difference I see in myself since living here is accessing education. I never saw myself doing exams or going to college but now I am.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they are happy. They are starting to make good progress. Children have developed positive relationships with the new manager and members of staff. Children say the home is ‘much better since [name of manager] arrived’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in activities and holidays that they enjoy. Staff are proactive in supporting children to access new hobbies and interests in the local community. Children’s friends are welcomed to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children’s wishes and implement changes when requests are made. Changes to the monthly children’s meetings were made in response to children’s suggestions. Children also voice their wishes and feelings while enjoying a meal in a restaurant. This supports children to discuss issues in a more informal setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their families. Staff work hard to develop positive relationships with families. As a result, children have been able to spend more time, and on a more informal basis, with those who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children’s health needs well. Children are supported to attend health appointments and reviews. Staff liaise well with professionals in respect of health concerns. They support children’s mental health needs by engaging with external professionals to deliver focused therapeutic work with children.

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

Staff understand children’s needs and their risks. Risk assessments include clear guidance and strategies for staff to follow. The manager has also worked hard to get Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 4 to know individual children and their vulnerabilities. Staff respond to children’s individual needs in line with each child’s preferences.

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

Incidents of children going missing from the home are managed well. Staff actively look for children and demonstrate commitment to keeping children safe. They adopt a multi-agency approach in safeguarding children when they go missing. Staff implement extensive strategies to manage and mitigate the risks to children when they are missing from home. One social worker said, ‘The staff went to great lengths to keep [name of child] safe when going through her period of being missing.’

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

The manager has been proactive in identifying factors that cause children distress. Staff focus on incentive-based strategies to promote positive behaviour. Children find these motivational and respond well.

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

Staff support children to develop strategies to work with their emotions. When issues arise between children or with staff, restorative meetings take place. This supports children and staff to repair and maintain relationships with each other. As a result, incidents of behaviour that is challenging to staff are reducing.

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

Physical intervention has been used to safeguard children as a last resort. However, staff have not carried out follow-up work with children when they reported having been hurt in incidents of being physically held. Furthermore, these have not been recorded as complaints.

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

Staff work well with professionals in keeping children safe. One social worker commented that the care provided to the child has improved since the new manager has been in post. Staff are proactive in supporting children when there is a risk of substance misuse. Consequently, risks are reducing for one child.

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

There have been a number of changes to the staff team since the last inspection. Established members of staff say that their job satisfaction has improved since the arrival of the manager in the home. Recruitment practices for new staff are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate in her desire to provide the best possible care to the children. Children say that their experiences have improved since the manager came to the home. Staff say that they have felt empowered to make decisions and that the standard of care has improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager has applied to be registered with Ofsted. However, there were delays in her application being submitted. This was highlighted and rectified during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and is actively involved in their daily care. She has worked hard to develop positive and meaningful relationships with each child. The children say that they trust the manager and feel listened to. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 5 The manager recognises when children are unsettled and when the safety and well- being of the other children is compromised. Appropriate action is taken to address this and to find alternative placements for children that are more suitable for their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been proactive in identifying weaknesses and shortfalls in the care children receive. Swift action is taken to address these. The manager uses action plans to support her to monitor progress and identify any further areas of improvement needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular monthly supervision. The manager supports staff when there is any concern regarding staff practice. Weekly team meetings are child- focused and reflective. Staff are encouraged to organise workshops and share knowledge to inform their daily interactions with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Group supervision sessions also take place to discuss individual children’s therapeutic needs. These provide staff with guidance and strategies to support children when they are undergoing specific therapeutic interventions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive bespoke training on topics relevant to children’s needs. Staff say that they find this training beneficial and meaningful. One member of staff said, ‘The training opportunities I have had have remotivated me in my role.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 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, the 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due Date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due Date

Specifically, that concerns from children reporting physical harm following physical interventions are recorded as complaints and reported in line with this process. 9 December 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide children with support when they report concerns following the use of physical intervention. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.10)

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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: 2509269 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons NW Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 12, Riversway Business Village, Navigation Way, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2YP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Natalie Waterhouse

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Inspector

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 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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