Children's Home run by New Horizons (Stockport) Limited in Bury

Inspection report for children’s home: 1261138 1 Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The provider states in its statement of purpose that this home provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 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 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: 18 January 2022

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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: 1261138 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/01/2022 Full Good 15/10/2019 Full Good 20/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1261138 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by a consistent and dedicated staff team. Children said that they feel listened to and are able to speak with staff if anything is troubling them. This means that children feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is nicely decorated and well resourced. Children’s individual interests are encouraged in the music studio, games room and beauty room. However, internal locks remain on doors to communal areas. This makes the home feel institutional and prevents children from freely accessing all areas of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities with staff and they decorate the home for celebrations together. The team is creative and fun. In the summer, staff held a festival attended by family and friends. This was hugely successful and the memories were captured in printed photo books for the children to look back on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children also enjoyed a holiday to Wales in the summer. Photos capture children having a brilliant time, with many positive experiences. This means that children are happy and enjoy spending time with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children have experiences that their peers do. When one child was unable to attend their school prom, the team arranged a prom night at the home. This included everyone dressing up, food and music. This ensures that children do not miss out on key milestones.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are enrolled in education. Communication between staff and the children’s schools is positive, and education staff said that they feel supported by the team. When children have struggled to attend school, the manager and team have been proactive in finding solutions and providing different opportunities for children. This has meant that children were still able to sit their exams. However, staff and children do not have structured plans to follow when children are not attending school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s time with family when this is part of their plan. They support children to understand their family tree and they involve family members in children’s lives. However, not all children’s cultural identities are explored and supported. This means that children do not have all opportunities to embrace their culture should they wish to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with age-appropriate targets. Children’s progress is monitored closely and targets are reviewed as necessary. Some children have independence plans to help prepare them for adulthood. There is a clear process for this. This means that children are given the best chance to succeed and flourish. Inspection report for children’s home: 1261138 4

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

Staff understand children’s individual risks and there are robust risk-management plans in place, which are reviewed and updated regularly. This means that staff always have the most up-to-date information to keep children safe.

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

When children are missing from home, staff actively look for them and work with other agencies to return them home safely. However, management evaluation of missing-from-home records does not identify gaps in staff knowledge, training or skills. This is a missed opportunity to reduce the risk of children being reported missing from home.

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

Children have access to services that support them with their individual risks and needs. The team has used the local offer to source specialist intervention for children, which has been successful. Children who misuse substances engage well in support sessions with external agencies. Children also have access to mental health and advocacy support. This multi-agency approach keeps children safe.

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

Health and safety in the home is well managed and there is strong oversight of this. However, there are alarms on children’s bedroom doors without a clear reason or review process. This can affect children’s privacy.

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

Staff are recruited following safer recruitment processes. This means that staff employed at the home are suitable to care for children. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. As a result, children are kept safe.

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

Children have clear behaviour support plans in place that detail the de-escalation techniques staff should use during an incident or to help prevent one. When restraint has been used, records have been evaluated by management and children have engaged in debriefs with the staff. As a result, relationships are repaired quickly.

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

The manager did not notify Ofsted of one significant incident, which means that the regulator did not have full oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team is suitably qualified and experienced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has good oversight of the home and uses monitoring systems well. As a result, the team is able to review the quality of care provided and evidence the progress that children make effectively. However, a number of children have moved out in an unplanned way, which affects their experience of care and also has an impact on the other children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and staff supervisions take place regularly and the staff are encouraged to be fully involved. Staff said that they feel supported and are Inspection report for children’s home: 1261138 5 developing in their roles. As a result, children are supported by staff who feel motivated and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have clear roles and responsibilities, which they understand and enjoy. This ensures that everyone contributes to the development of the care provided and has a positive impact on children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team is confident in escalating concerns and advocates well for the children. However, not all children have current local authority care plans, which are needed to inform the children’s plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have access to a wide array of training to develop their skills and knowledge. However, they have not received training around a specific condition, which could provide them with a better understanding and strategies to support children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1261138 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 registered person must ensure that— children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) In particular, this relates to the manager removing the locks from internal doors. This also relates to using bedroom door alarms for specific reasons only, which are assessed and reviewed regularly. 29 December

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 29 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1261138 7 In particular, the registered person should ensure that current local authority care plans are used to inform the placement plans. In addition, the registered person should ensure that the home can meet the needs of the children who are living there, to avoid further unplanned endings for children. The registered person must notify HMCI and each other

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Requirement Due date

relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)) 29 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet specific individual health needs arising from a child’s disability. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)  The registered person should provide care that meets children’s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account children’s cultural and linguistic background. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should ensure that the evaluation of missing-from-home records is undertaken to identify any gaps in staff training, skills or knowledge and to record and retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should ensure that, when children are not attending

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Recommendations

education, they are engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: 1261138 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 154-156 Buxton Road High Lane, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 8EA

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Inspector

Kerri Lynch-Mahoney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1261138 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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