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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2532036 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 children’s home is privately owned. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. All children spoke to the inspector about their experiences living in the home.

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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: 2532036 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/07/2022 Full Good 29/09/2021 Full Good 25/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2532036 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. The manager and staff are nurturing towards children. They all sit together to eat meals, which allows staff and children to engage in meaningful conversations. This has allowed good relationships to develop with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children who lived at the home for a long period of time have moved to semi-independent living. These moves were well planned and staff maintained contact for an appropriate time afterwards to ensure the children settled into their new home, demonstrating the caring nature staff have towards children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved into the home. The needs of the children already living there were taken into account. Moves into the home are planned in advance and children visit several times for meals and overnight stays. This means that they can become familiar with the staff and other children before moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy access to a range of social and sporting opportunities in the local community. One child recently completed the Three Peaks walking challenge and raised over £900 for a motor neurone disease charity. This helps children build positive experiences and have age-appropriate social interactions to help them to build skills for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school regularly, when they did not do so before living in this home, and the staff stay connected with the relevant education professionals. For two children, their move into further education has been well supported and the children have been helped to make important decisions for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work with placing authorities and families to promote meaningful time for children and their families, in line with agreed plans. This means that children are able to maintain relationships that are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has had some investment since the last inspection, for example, there is a good-sized all-weather garden that is well used. However, the home is in need of some maintenance to ensure it continues to be safe for children. The manager has logged issues to the provider group but these are yet to be acted on, despite being escalated.

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

Children say they feel safe in the home. Their risk management plans address known vulnerabilities and staff understand them well, which supports children to feel safe and cared for. Inspection report for children’s home: 2532036 4 The manager and staff document children’s journeys well. This was evident during the inspection, as one child was on a planned move back home. A journey planner with key milestones and photos was given to the child. This demonstrates the positive impact that living at the home has had on individual children’s progress.

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

Staff are appropriately trained to hold children when it is necessary to keep them safe. When physical intervention is used, the views of children and staff involved are documented well and the manager reviews these to understand patterns. A new system that helps one child tell staff how they are feeling has been successful in reducing duration of any holds. the time they have had to be held.

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

Staff impose consequences when required and these are reasonable and proportionate. However, the effectiveness of these consequences is not always evaluated, so it is not clear if they are having the intended effect.

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

Staff engage children who are reaching adulthood in age-appropriate independence work, such as budgeting, using public transport and household tasks. This helps to prepare them for adulthood.

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

The home has taken on two new members of staff since the last inspection, and generally the safer recruitment processes have been followed. However, on one occasion, reference checks were not fully verified by the provider’s central team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post a number of years. She is experienced and has high expectations of staff and children. Staff are positive about the manager and say she is supportive and helpful to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Significant incidents rarely happen, as children are happy and engaged. However, one child attempted to burn a photo in their bedroom. The manager was quick to engage the local fire service to help the child understand the dangers of this. The fire service has offered to maintain contact with the staff and children to prevent any further incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses internal and external monitoring systems well to ensure that the home is managed effectively. She has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses, which enables her to take effective action when required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are up to date with their training and the home’s practice model is embedded and clear to see during the inspection. For example, staff model positive behaviour and are skilled in diverting children from having inappropriate conversations. This is important to enable children to build appropriate relationships in and out of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. However, this is not always reflective and practice related. The opportunity is sometimes missed for staff to fully understand how they Inspection report for children’s home: 2532036 5 can look after the children in a meaningful way, and supervision does not include the therapeutic input from the clinical team that attends team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has remained consistent. This provides stability for the children and means that children are always cared for by staff who are familiar to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose does not include details of the therapeutic team that comes into the home or state how they are clinically supervised. Inspection report for children’s home: 2532036 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, The 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

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 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 28 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 28 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2532036 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the statement should include details of the management and staffing structure of the home and arrangements for the professional supervision of staff, including staff who provide education or healthcare. 28 September

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to ensuring that the clinical interventions used by the staff are discussed during their supervision. 28 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. The staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report for children’s home: 2532036 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: 2532036 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: Unit 12, Venture House, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2532036 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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