Children's home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509452 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. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2019 and has the required qualifications.

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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: 2509452 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Good 10/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509452 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home and benefit from positive relationships with the adults that support them. They make good progress in relation to their individual starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from highly individualised care that meets their needs effectively. Staff provide children with consistency and stability in their lives. A child said, ‘It’s good and the staff are really nice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in relation to their education. One child attends a mainstream school regularly, and another child is temporarily home tutored until they move to a new educational provision at a local mainstream school after the half-term holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Eligible care leavers are supported to explore their training and career options for the future. Staff are supportive of children’s learning and promote their educational achievements. Staff consistently have high aspirations for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and have access to these services, when they need them. Staff ensure that children with additional needs receive support to promote their emotional well-being. A child said, ‘Staff always ask me how I am and check in with me to make sure that I’m ok.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with the home’s therapist to develop therapeutic support plans to meet the specific needs of children. Staff are trained in playfulness, acceptance, empathy and curiosity, which enables them to form positive attachments and trusting relationships with children. A social worker said, ‘[The child] has come on in leaps and bounds. The staff have been able to parent her. They comfort her and mother her. If I could replicate what they are doing, I would do it in abundance.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their friends and families. As a result, children sustain their familiar relationships with the people that are most important to them. Staff provide children with positive activities and encourage their interests and hobbies. A child said, ‘I have done cinema, horse riding and enjoy cooking and baking.’

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

Staff place the safety of children at the centre of their practice. They have a good understanding of the needs and emerging vulnerabilities of children. The use of risk management plans and safe working practices promotes the safety and well-being of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509452 4 There have been no complaints since the last inspection. Staff are trained in child protection and know how to protect children from abuse. Allegations of abuse are managed effectively. This ensures that children are protected from harm.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. On the rare occasions that a child has gone missing, staff actively look for them, and follow the home’s procedures to locate children quickly and secure their safe return.

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

There have been no restraints or sanctions since the last inspection. Staff are trained in behaviour management and are skilled at managing children’s behaviours safely.

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

Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities charged with a duty to keep children safe. Staff work in close partnership with the police and other safeguarding agencies to protect children and keep them safe from harm.

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

There was a serious incident when a child lit a fire in their bedroom accidentally. Staff took immediate action and ensured that all children were evacuated safely. Prompt actions taken by staff ensured that children were kept safe from harm.

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

The property was then made safe by the fire service and professional contractors. However, the child was moved to another home on a temporary basis until the affected area was completely deep cleaned, refurnished and redecorated. A replacement window and fire doors have been ordered due to smoke damage. Risk management plans have been updated and debriefs held with the children. A fire officer has also completed specific work with a child regarding the dangers, risks and seriousness of fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. They provide a good-quality service for children that secures change and improvement in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff provide children with a highly supportive, caring and nurturing environment. Staff practice is child focused and therapeutically informed. The home’s therapist said, ‘I write therapeutic assessments and support plans and look at the focused work that needs to be done. I provide staff with training and consultation.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. The manager demonstrates strong and effective leadership of the day-to-day operations of the home. The manager is a visible leader and ensures they are accessible to children and staff. A staff member said, ‘The home is well managed and staff and young people are well looked after by the manager.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are passionate about the children. They work harmoniously as a staff team, and maintain highly effective partnerships with schools, social workers and other professional agencies to ensure that children benefit from the best possible all-round Inspection report for children’s home: 2509452 5 support. A social worker said, ‘There is very good communication with me, and weekly reports are provided. The staff really do pull out all the stops for [the child].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s positive experiences are creatively captured by staff in the form of a monthly newsletter, photo albums and the use of memory boxes. These provide personalised keepsake for children and enables them to reflect on their memorable experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager spends time developing the staff team and ensures that staff benefit from regular, practice-related supervision. The manager ensures that staff have access to high-quality training. A social worker said, ‘The manager is great. She is really good at developing her staff team.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They monitor practice and review the quality of the children’s care. The manager produces a six-monthly report to evaluate the children’s progress and experiences. They make effective use of the home’s monitoring activities to tackle shortfalls and secure continuing improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509452 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

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 relates specifically to replacing the fire doors and bedroom window that have suffered from smoke damage. 28 February 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: 2509452 7

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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: Unit 12, Venture House, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509452 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 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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