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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 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 owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children aged between eight and 17 years with social and emotional difficulties. The home has a registered manager. However, they are currently absent from work and are taking parental leave.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/05/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 3

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improvement to be good

There are currently two children living at the home. Both children have moved in during the last few months. Since the last inspection, three children have moved on from the home. Children have varied experiences of moving in and moving on from the home. Some transitions have been well planned and have been a positive experience for children. One child lived at the home for a very short period of time. The care for this child was poorly planned and not well managed, resulting in his time living at the home ending abruptly.

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improvement to be good

Information from specialist health assessments is not used to inform children’s care planning. For example, one assessment states that a child needs an education healthcare plan and that he should attend a specialist school placement. These recommendations have not been acted on. The child is not accessing any education and no escalation procedures have been followed to address this.

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improvement to be good

In contrast, the other child is attending school and is making good progress. The staff have good working relationships with the teachers at the child’s school and communicate with them regularly.

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improvement to be good

Children have positive relationships with staff. Staff encourage the two children to enjoy activities and to go out together for leisure. The children have enjoyed day tips to London and Blackpool recently.

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improvement to be good

The staff ensure that children can maintain contact with their families. Staff give parents regular updates about their child so that they feel involved with their child’s lives. One parent was very complimentary about the care provided at the home, stating, ‘The home is amazing.’

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improvement to be good

The home is very spacious and provides a comfortable environment. The children have chosen the colours for their bedroom decor. Children have games and activities suitable for their age and interests. One child has a collection of guitars, and he told the inspector of his ambition for success with his band. This environment gives children a positive sense of belonging at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s meetings take place on a fortnightly basis. This provides an opportunity for children to express views, wishes, feelings and make choices. Children’s participation and engagement in this is currently limited. One child has previously told staff that the format for the meetings is too long. The response to this feedback was inadequate, resulting in no improvement to the children’s meetings. Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 4

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improvement to be good

Staff spend periods of time in the office with the door locked. If children want attention or help from staff, they must knock on the door and wait for staff to be available. This has resulted in the office becoming a focal point for incidents. Managers have not recognised this as a pattern, so no action has been taken to resolve this.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home or display aggression, staff have a lack of curiosity around understanding the children’s behaviour. Reports about these incidents do not always detail any de-escalation techniques. Therefore, it is not known if techniques are being used, in accordance with the therapeutic model of care.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not taken sufficient action to improve known shortfalls in respect of the arrangements for the fire safety, and health and safety, in the home. An action plan, dated July 2022, includes several priority actions which have not yet been undertaken. This has the potential to compromise children’s safety in the home.

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improvement to be good

The staff do understand risks for the children. Behaviour management plans detail the actions staff must take to manage these risks. Staff know about the risk of child criminal exploitation. Measures are in place to manage this risk for one child, who staff recognise is particularly vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Managers investigate complaints from children. Children receive a written response to complaints. Staff have clear guidance and training on how to respond to safeguarding concerns.

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improvement to be good

There has been a delay in Ofsted being notified about an allegation. This was because of the manager’s absence. This is an isolated example of Ofsted not being notified of relevant information.

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good

The registered manager is not currently working in the home and is on parental leave. At the time of the inspection, an interim manager was overseeing the home. This is a temporary arrangement, and the provider has appointed a new manager to cover the registered manager’s parental leave. Due to the length of time that the registered manager will be absent, the new manager will apply for registration with Ofsted.

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good

There have been times when there has been no manager in day-to-day charge of the home. At other times, there has been a need for managers from other homes operated by the provider to oversee the home. As a result, the home has experienced a period in which it has lacked stable leadership. The appointment of a new manager is likely to address this shortfall. However, in recent months, the lack Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 5 of consistent leadership has had a detrimental impact on the morale and development of the team.

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good

Staff do not get regular supervision from managers. In some instances, staff have not had a supervision session for several months and, when supervisions have been completed, they have been poorly documented. This is a missed opportunity for staff to receive the necessary support to meet children’s needs. In contrast, staff have benefited from regular team meetings. The meetings include input from the organisation’s clinical specialist. This allows the team to reflect on its practice.

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good

The home benefits from a stable and knowledgeable staff team that has worked at the home for a long period of time. The experience of the staff team has minimised the impact of management changes for the children.

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good

The organisation has supported one staff member to undertake his level five qualification. All staff have received training in a wide range of areas. The current manager has good oversight of training needs and is taking action to address any gaps. The organisation ensures that staff are suitably qualified and skilled to undertake their roles. Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 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

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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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 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager escalating concerns around the delay in securing appropriate education placements. 27 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in 27 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 7 the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child.

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to adapting approaches to gather wishes and feelings, in response to children’s needs and preferences.

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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 child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that all actions in the health and safety plan are completed without delay. 27 January 2023

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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

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 27 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 8 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 27 January 2023

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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: 2572133 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: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited, Unit 12, Venture House, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2572133 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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