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

Inspection report for children's home: SC483710 1 SC483710 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 privately run home provides care for up to three children who experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced registered manager.

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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: 30 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC483710 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2021 Full Outstanding 03/12/2019 Full Outstanding 18/02/2019 Full Good 24/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC483710 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress from their starting point. Children who had struggled to go to school are attending. As a result, children have had good academic outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for in a warm, nurturing environment. Children enjoy being with staff and have positive relationships with them. Children say they are happy, feel safe and are cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to explore their individuality and to be who they want to be. This improves children’s confidence and self-esteem. Children are supported to engage in activities and to socialise in the community. Children are happy and motivated, and they make exceptional progress because of this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given tools to express and share their emotions. For example, one child was supported to understand their feelings by giving a description of the weather and associating the weather to their emotions. This has allowed the child to explain how they are feeling and for staff to provide support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are supported to gain new experiences to promote their confidence. There are plans for one child to be supported to attend regional meetings to discuss their experience of living in a children’s home. Another child, who had not had any prior experience of using public transport, was independent supported to travel to their education provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met and they are healthy. Medication is stored safely and securely. The manager reviews any inaccuracies appropriately. Children are supported to administer their own medication in readiness for when they transition to independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not actively encourage children to read their records and to add further information to them. Children are not regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them, or be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life.

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

Children have benefited from being looked after by a stable and secure staff team. Children feel able to speak to staff about their worries, which enables support to be offered. Staff work with the children to help them reduce risk-taking behaviours.

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

Any risks associated with children are understood by the staff. Staff work with the children to help them reduce risk-taking behaviours. The manager has not ensured that risk assessments are always shared with agencies such as schools. Schools have Inspection report for children's home: SC483710 4 not always been given the most up-to-date information about children’s risks. This is a missed opportunity to protect children.

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

Children do not go missing because staff are always available to children. Staff understand children’s needs. They do not restrain children to manage their behaviours. They use less-restrictive measures such as talking to children to understand their behaviours.

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

Staff receive clinical supervision from the home’s therapist to better understand children who self-harm. This has enabled staff to understand children’s vulnerabilities and provide problem-solving strategies to reduce risk.

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

Thorough recruitment processes are followed to help ensure that only those adults who have been assessed as safe to work with children are employed to work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate about the home. She has provided a supportive environment for children and staff. Consequently, children make good progress. Staff retention is good, which results in children having consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of the relationships between staff and professionals is excellent. Staff and professionals spoke to the inspector and stated that they are confident about the care provided to the children. They also said that the manager is a good advocate for the children. Multi-agency working is positive. A social worker spoke positively about a child’s progress. They stated: ‘This is the perfect place for children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders ensure that staff always work in a sensitive manner with the children. For example, room searches are always conducted sensitively by staff. This only happens when staff are aware of any risk to children. Children are informed of room searches and their views are obtained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Matching processes in the home are thorough. The management team considers children’s experiences and background, alongside the skills of the staff team, before any children are admitted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some weaknesses in the management monitoring and oversight of risks. There has been an opportunity missed to work with education professionals to reduce risk for a child. Inspection report for children's home: SC483710 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff actively encourage children to read their records and to add further information to them. Children should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them, and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.6)

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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: SC483710 6

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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

Corline Parker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC483710 7 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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