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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2586951 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

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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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: 2586951 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2586951 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a nurturing environment where staff spend time getting to know them and are aware of their individual needs and personalities. This informs the consistent care and support staff provide to children. Consequently, children feel safe and secure to build trusting relationships with adults where they live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make measurable progress from their starting points. One child initially struggled to adjust to living in the home and refused to leave their bedroom. During the inspection, the child spent time in the living room playing board games with staff and helped prepare the evening meal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with their family members in accordance with their plans. This allows children to retain a sense of identity. Staff establish positive relationships with children’s families and work collaboratively with them to achieve positive outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are carefully considered and acted upon. Children have regular opportunities to attend children’s meetings, where they are encouraged to express their views. Children choose the activities they want partake in and the meals they want to eat.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take the health needs of children seriously. Children are registered with a GP, dentist and optician, and are supported to attend health appointments. The home has a therapist who regularly consults with leaders and staff. children benefit from therapeutically informed care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to progress academically in accordance with their ability. When children are not in school, staff support them to partake in educational activities, such as visiting museums. However, leaders and managers do not consistently take effective action to ensure that all children attend school. This means children are not being given every opportunity to succeed in education.

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

Children feel safe and can identify an adult that they can speak to if they are worried. Staff provide advice and guidance to children to help them understand the impact of bullying. They quickly intervene, using strategies such as mediation to prevent children experiencing further harm.

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

Risk management plans are comprehensive and set out clear strategies on how to respond to children’s known risks. Incidents of children going missing from home are Inspection report for children’s home: 2586951 4 rare. However, staff know how to respond when incidents do occur, and take effective action to support children’s safe return home.

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

Managers follow safe recruitment practice. Before staff can work at the home, checks are thoroughly completed. Potential areas of concern are robustly investigated to ensure that children are not placed at risk of harm.

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

Leaders and managers treat allegations made by children seriously. They carry out a thorough investigation and take swift and effective action to reduce the risk of harm to children. As a result of this, children feel valued.

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good

An interim manager is now in place. However, there has not been a registered manager in post since May 2023. This resulted in a lack of management oversight and leadership of the team. Partners such as social workers commented on the negative impact that this period of instability had on children’s outcomes.

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good

Staffing arrangements in the home have not been sufficient. There has been a large amount of agency staff used, which means that children have not been able to form positive relationships with those who care for them. Leaders and managers have now recruited a team of permanent staff. To cover staff shortages, the interim manager now ensures that any agency and bank staff workers know the home and the children.

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good

Systems in place to monitor the quality of care are now effective. Leaders and managers are identifying shortfalls and working jointly with staff to address areas for improvement.

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good

Relationships between leaders, managers and staff are positive. Staff receive regular supervision that is child-focused and reflective. Staff say they now feel supported by the manager.

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good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff complete mandatory training. There are opportunities through practice-led team meetings for managers and staff to reflect on their own practice and areas of development.

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good

Children know how to complain. Leaders and managers take complaints seriously and complete a robust investigation. Children are routinely made aware of the outcome of complaints. One child confirmed that when they have complained in the past, they received a response to their complaint.

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good

Leaders and managers do not consider the needs of children moving into the home, and the impact on the children already living there. Impact risk assessments are generic and not child-led. Inspection report for children’s home: 2586951 5

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders, managers and staff should support children to attend school. When children do not attend, leaders and managers must work with partner agencies to help children receive an education. 30 November

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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

promotes their welfare. 30 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2586951 6 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the home is appropriately staffed, and that there is a consistent team whose members know the children and can meet their individual needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)) 30 November

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Recommendation

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph, 11.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: 2586951 7 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: 2586951 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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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2586951 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 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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