Children's home run by Horizon Transitional Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 1 Registered provider: Horizon Transitional Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home, owned by a small company. It is registered to care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties and complex needs, including learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has worked at the home since 13 June 2022. She has the relevant experience and qualification for the role and has applied to Ofsted to be the registered manager. She is currently awaiting her interview.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 3

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outstanding

Three children live in the home. Two children have lived in the home for more than one year, while one child has more recently moved into the home. Five children have moved out of the home during this inspection period. Three children moved out in line with their plans, and two children moved onto placements more suited to their individual needs.

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outstanding

Before children move in, they have the opportunity to visit the home, view their bedrooms, and spend time with staff and children. This helps them understand where they will be moving to and helps to ease potential anxieties. Where appropriate, families have visited the home and spent time helping children to settle into their new surroundings. For one child, this meant a family member would occasionally help with their bedtime routine.

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outstanding

The house is a large home. It is homely and welcoming and has plenty of space for children to spend time together and alone. There is a sensory room that children like to spend time in. This provides visual and textual interest for children. Children have personalised their bedrooms, and their photos are displayed in the home. Children said that they like to look at these. Children have an array of toys and games suited to their personal interests and likes. During the inspection, one child was observed doing a magic trick for a group of staff. The staff all engaged with this and ‘ooed and ahhed’ and clapped the performance.

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outstanding

Children spend time inside and outside of the home enjoying activities with staff. They have been to various activities centres and been on day trips, which have widened their experiences. Children are involved in community activities such as being part of a local scout group and football coaching team. This helps children build on their self-esteem and confidence. Children attend swimming for fun, and this helps build on their confidence in the water. For one child, this positive experience has meant they are no longer afraid to get their face wet.

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outstanding

Children attend schools and colleges and are making fantastic progress. One teacher said that, ‘[child’s name] is making very good progress… staff directly help us to support our learners.’ Another teacher said that the child has made ‘really positive progress academically and socially since being at [the home]’. Another teacher said that the child has been ‘making significant progress’ since living at the home. Educational professionals report that children have strong relationships with staff, and that children are ‘happy to see them at the end of their school day’. Staff use communication books with school to ensure that they are aware of how children have experienced their day and can offer additional support where needed.

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outstanding

Staff support children to develop age and developmentally appropriate independence skills. For example, staff initially stayed with one child during their Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 4 scouts’ meetings. Once they felt comfortable in the setting, the child had the confidence to ask staff to leave them. Another child has been supported to learn how to budget, cook and learn important life skills to help them as they develop into adulthood. They now feel ready to live independently, and professionals echo this. The manager has visited with one child to view their new home, and has helped the child consider what things they might need to buy to move in.

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outstanding

Staff celebrate a host of world celebrations with children and teach them about the meaning of these. For these occasions, the home is decorated accordingly, and children will share foods from different cultures. Children spoke of the fun they had at Christmas with ‘elf on the shelf’ getting up to lots of mischievous things. One child said they particularly liked it when the elf had wrapped their headphones and other items up in tinfoil. Staff capture these moments in photos that help children look back at their memories and support them to understand their journeys.

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outstanding

Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. A family member told the inspector that staff see children as individuals and ‘see [them] as a person, not a child with [a disability]’. One family member said that their child ‘loves their carers and speaks highly about them all’. Another family member said that their child has ‘come on leaps and bounds… and is happy living there’. Families recognise they have struggled to care for their children’s individual needs, and that their children are being provided with care that meets their needs, by staff who care for them.

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outstanding

Children, families, staff and professionals have all shared that children are making progress since living in the home. They use phrases such as ‘fantastic’, ‘very good’, ‘really positive’, ‘lots of progress’ and ‘significant progress’ to describe how well children are doing.

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outstanding

Children and staff share strong relationships. Staff know children well and understand their individual needs. Children’s known risks are identified and staff support children to help them stay safe. Children’s plans help staff understand what action to take should a risk arise, and how to support children to prevent risks and deescalate situations.

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outstanding

Children that live in the home do not go missing and they are not involved in behaviours that put them at risk or in danger. One child who has been subject to deprivation of liberty orders has excelled. Staff have supported the child to be safe and they have responded well. As a direct result, orders have been ceased. Staff have built trusting relationships with the child, and consequently the child has steadily built up independent time away from the home.

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outstanding

There have been no incidents of children who currently live in the home going missing. Children who no longer live in the home and had episodes where they went missing were well supported. The manager at that time instigated an extremely Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 5 strong response. Professional meetings were regularly held to try to stabilise the placement and reduce the times the child went missing from the home.

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outstanding

Staff have supported children to make life-changing progress. For one child, this means they now eat food. Staff have supported the child to try a range of foods, and during the inspection staff were talking proudly amongst themselves about how the child had eaten curry and rice the previous night. This progress has allowed the child to attend a residential school trip and be actively involved in the same experiences as his peers. The child recognises his achievements and staff talk proudly of the achievements children make.

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outstanding

Staff help ease children’s anxieties and help them to understand their routines. The use of ‘now and next’ helps children to understand their day. Children have a copy of their daily routines, including activities they have chosen to further support them to know what their day and week looks like. Staff read to children at bedtime to help them settle to sleep, and understand this might be a time when children feel anxious as they are missing their families.

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outstanding

Staff help children to understand how to keep themselves safe. The new manager has introduced child-friendly individual workbooks that children keep. These are individualised to children’s needs. One child shared they liked to look at this and spoke about what they have learned. The workbooks help to reinforce the work staff are doing to help educate children and to understand how to help keep themselves safe. Individual work is developed from children’s plans and targets within these workbooks. Consequently, are making great progress. For one child, this means he now understands personal boundaries and is aware of his body being private. Due to the nature of the children’s needs and development, this is an ongoing area of work that is revisited due to children’s vulnerabilities.

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outstanding

Children are helped to understand their behaviours and successes. Staff celebrate these with children and use instant rewards, for example children choose a small, wrapped gift from a lucky dip. Children’s positive behaviours are reinforced through verbal praise and the use of positivity books. Staff record each day what the child has done and finish with a positive affirmation. Consequences are rarely given to children. When they are, it is to reinforce boundaries that help keep children safe. There have been some inconsistences with consequences. The manager oversees all consequences and, at times, has overridden a consequence implemented to ensure it is restorative. She is currently looking at ways to provide a more consistent approach.

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outstanding

Children are helped to develop their language skills. One child moved into the home speaking little English, as this is not their first language. Staff have supported them to learn English, alongside their learning at college. Consequently, the child no longer requires an interpreter and uses the English language well, and seeks support from staff when needed. Another child told the inspector they speak Spanish, as does one of the staff members. This communication has helped the child feel more settled in the home, as his first language is an important part of his identity. Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 6 Children are receiving specialist help from external agencies where required to support their individual needs. One child’s nurse works regularly with staff and provides specific training to ensure that staff can meet the child’s complex health needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Throughout the period of this inspection cycle, there have been three managers managing the home. The current manager is experienced and qualified for the role and is awaiting an interview to be the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about the care children receive. She knows the children well and is child centred in her approach to their care. She cascades her knowledge and approach within the staff team. Staff report that the manager has ‘high standards, she is child focused and person centred’. Staff shared that the manager is hands on in her approach and spends time talking to children on their return from school.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders have reviewed the care and progress of previous children who have lived in the home. As a result of this review, they have decided to focus on providing care to children who have learning disabilities. Considering this, the new manager’s experience of working with children who have learning disabilities is invaluable. Staff have undertaken specific training to support them in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is well organised and has good oversight of staff practice and the quality of care children receive. She hopes to improve this with the addition of commissioning therapeutic support for children and additional training and support for staff. The manager has a clear vision of the service and how she would like to make further improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported in their roles. They benefit from thorough inductions, regular supervision, annual appraisals, and individual personal development plans. Staff share that the manager is aspirational for them and encourages their personal development and growth.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Probation periods and reviewing staff practice help managers make informed decisions about whether new staff are the right fit for the home. Where staff practice has fallen short of the expected high standards, managers have taken action to address this in line with their policies and procedures. Consequently, they only employ staff they assess to be a good match for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders undertake robust investigations when children have reported concerns about their care. Managers liaise with appropriate professionals and follow internal procedures and statutory guidance as required. The LADO stated that they found the manager to be ‘sensible… responsive and supportive’ and that advice is sought when required, followed by investigations. Consequently, there is a robust response and children and staff are safeguarded in these instances. Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 7 Professionals and families spoke highly of the manager and said that communication is ‘excellent’. They feel really well informed and kept up to date with children’s experiences and progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 8

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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: 2597734 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Transitional Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Carthorne Cottage 55 Woodfield Avenue, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV4 4AG

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Inspector

Jodie Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2597734 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 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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