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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2586943 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 registered in June 2020 and is owned by a large private provider. It provides care and support for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since August 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 requires improvement to be 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: 2586943 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2586943 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build meaningful and trusting relationships with children. These relationships help staff to understand children’s individual needs very well. All children informed the inspector that they feel safe and cared for by staff in the home. In addition, the inspector observed positive and good-humoured interactions between staff and children. These positive relationships help children to make good progress in the important areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to make progress at school and with their education. They set boundaries and have good routines in place to support children to attend school. Children spoke positively to the inspector about school and their attendance is very good. Consequently, children are making good progress and aspire to do well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are respected and valued in the home. They encourage children to express their views and be involved in their own care planning. For example, two children spoke positively about how staff are helping to prepare them for moves to foster care in the future. In addition, all children said that staff listen to them and act on their views and wishes. The ethos promoted by staff means that children feel valued and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a range of leisure activities and connect well with the local community. One child spoke proudly of their success playing for a local football team and described how staff attend matches to support them in the team. Other children are encouraged to spend time with their friends and one child is preparing to attend a ‘take over day’ as part of a local authority engagement programme. These connections help children to become more socially aware and enhance their self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s transitions into and on from the home are well managed. Staff advocate for children and ensure that they are provided with important information about the home before moving in. This ensures that children’s moves into the home are well planned. Also, since the last inspection, staff have supported some children to successfully return to foster care. As a result, most children feel supported during important transitions in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from professionals working with children in the home is positive. One professional said, ‘I believe the young person I am currently supporting has made great leaps in developing and overcoming some of the obstacles faced.’ Another added, ‘Staff have made meaningful connections to the young people in their care and have great knowledge of the young people.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2586943 4

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

Staff and leaders respond effectively to incidents when children make allegations. They ensure that senior leaders and the relevant professionals are informed so that prompt assessments can be made. Internal investigations are thorough, and children are always spoken to. These responses mean that leaders make efficient and effective decisions which protect children’s well-being and safety.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident. During this incident, staff responded effectively and worked with the relevant professionals to return the child quickly to the home. Furthermore, staff ensure that protocols are in place which provide guidance and clarity on what to do should an incident occur. As a result, staff know what action to take should children go missing from the home.

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

Overall, staff support children to manage their anxieties effectively. Staff use the positive relationships established with children to de-escalate incidents. This means that for some children, the number of incidents requiring physical restraint significantly reduces. Also, staff ensure that children are spoken to, and work is carried out to repair the relationship with staff. Consequently, staff promote positive behaviour, which helps children to feel safer in the home.

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

Despite staff knowing what action to take to keep children safe, children’s plans are not always recorded effectively. They are not routinely reviewed or updated after incidents have taken place. In addition, staff do not always record that they have carried out searches of children’s bedrooms when they have a safeguarding concern. On one occasion, staff failed to inform the child for three days that their bedroom had been searched and items removed. The manager has failed to identify these shortfalls or take action to improve this practice. Poor oversight and review of children’s records by leaders has the potential to impact on the quality of care that children receive.

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

Since the last inspection, the home has experienced a period where there were a high number of complaints raised by children. These complaints were often made by children against their peers. Staff and leaders responded and made sure that children’s views were listened to and acted on. In addition, staff have worked with children to develop their understanding of positive relationships. As a result, the number of complaints has recently reduced, and children have learned to resolve conflict. However, the manager does not always ensure that he records all conversations held with children and he has failed to consistently provide children with records of outcomes following complaints.

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good

The home has been without a registered manager since August 2022. The current manager of the home started in August 2022 but has failed to register with Ofsted. This is because he has not communicated effectively with Ofsted and his responsible Inspection report for children’s home: 2586943 5 individual. For example, the manager has failed to respond effectively on four separate occasions when asked to chase references to support his application to register. This has led to delays in the manager registering with Ofsted.

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good

The manager’s oversight and monitoring of the home’s environment are ineffective. While some areas of the home are homely and personalised, other areas require significant improvement. The manager has failed to take efficient action to improve the home environment despite being asked to do so following audits carried out by the home’s responsible individual and the independent person. These delays do not maintain or improve the physical environment that children live in.

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good

The manager does not always ensure that monitoring and review systems consistently result in improvements to the home. For example, management oversight and reflection following incidents with children are short and lack detail. In addition, the manager’s systems have failed to identify or act on several shortfalls in children’s records. Consequently, the monitoring systems used do not always improve the quality of care for children.

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good

Staff training is up to date and relevant to the specific needs of the children. Staff are able to explain how they use training to inform and develop their practice with children. However, the manager has not ensured that all staff complete the qualification required to work in the home within the compulsory time frame. This means that not all staff who care for children are trained or qualified to do so.

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good

A real strength of the home is the team of staff and the passion they demonstrate for caring for children. There is a stable and consistent team of staff, who work well together and have worked hard to cover gaps in the home’s rota. The manager is also recruiting to the staff vacancy in the home. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals, and they feel supported in their role. As a result, a committed and child-focused staff team ensures that children have consistent and predictable care.

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good

The home’s responsible individual provides good support to the home. For example, she has led on and carried out investigations following safeguarding concerns. Furthermore, she has ensured that actions from investigations are completed to safeguard children. Senior leaders are also aware of the shortfalls and are starting to make changes to improve the leadership and management systems. For example, a new training programme for staff is to be introduced. Inspection report for children’s home: 2586943 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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they have effective oversight and monitoring of children’s risks and staff’s response to significant incidents in the home. It further relates to the manager’s oversight of the quality of care children receive in the home. Leaders must also have clear monitoring and review systems in place to improve practice and understand children’s progress and experiences.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 27 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character. 27 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2586943 7 (Regulation 28 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that they communicate effectively with Ofsted to register in line with the legislation. Furthermore, the manager should ensure that they are transparent and share relevant information to their role with senior leaders and Ofsted.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the home’s environment is well maintained and that work is carried out to repair damage to areas of the home. 27 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, have obtained the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant time frame listed in regulation 32(5). The registered person may extend the time frame if the member of staff has not worked in the role for a prolonged period, for example due to sick leave or maternity leave, or if it is not reasonable to expect the member of staff to complete the qualification within this time frame due to the nature of the hours they work. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2586943 8

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rebecca Grimshaw

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2586943 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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