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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 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 is a privately owned home that provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is experienced, and she holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children live at the home. One child moved out into their new home on day 1 of the inspection.

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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 outstanding

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2023 Full Outstanding 09/03/2022 Full Good 05/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 03/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 3

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outstanding

Children experience exceptionally high standards of care that is sustained by the continuity of care provided by a child-centred, committed and established staff team.

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outstanding

The staff provide a nurturing approach, which has significantly helped the children to form close attachments and bonds with the staff. They invest good-quality one-to- one time with the children. In turn, the children say this makes them feel cared for.

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outstanding

Children have a real sense of belonging. One child described living at the home as the next best thing to living with their birth family.

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outstanding

Children make continued progress, relative to their starting points. They have progressed, and they are now able to build positive relationships and attachments to those around them. Children’s educational attendance and independence skills have increased, and they are now better equipped to regulate their emotions. Children’s confidence has improved so they are now able to take up new interests and access social activities in the community. As result, children present as positive, self-assured individuals.

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outstanding

The children benefit from accessing a variety of social and leisure activities. These reflect their individual interests, such as going bowling, going out on trips and to the cinema, and attending Scouts. All the children have enjoyed a summer holiday. This enhances their childhood experiences and social skills and helps the children to make happy memories.

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outstanding

Children routinely see their families and others who are important to them. Staff recognise that this is essential for the children and so the staff maintain highly effective communication with all of the children’s relatives. A parent said: ‘The staff provide excellent care to my child. They have been very supportive, and this is invaluable.’ This maintains crucial support networks for children.

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outstanding

The manager and staff give very careful consideration and plan well for when the children first come to live at the home or when they leave. Introductory visits ensure that the children can meet with the staff who will care for them and help the children to gain valuable information about what it will be like living in the home. This helps children enormously to feel more reassured, as it reduces their anxieties and helps them to feel welcomed into their new home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 4

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outstanding

Children respond well to the parent-like, therapeutic approach of the staff, who act consistently as good role models. This provides the children with the right examples that enable them to learn and gain the skills that help them to be socially aware. Over time, most children become increasingly settled, and occurrences of events that could potentially put them at risk of harm have reduced.

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outstanding

Children state that they are always listened to, and that their views are taken seriously. Children say that they feel safe and that they are really well cared for by all of the staff. The staff know the children and understand them well. Children know that the staff are there to help them. Children are able to talk to the staff about any concerns they may have.

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outstanding

Children are kept safe. When there are serious incidents, the staff take instant action. Staff put protective measures in place immediately to keep the children safe.

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outstanding

The staff’s responses to the children’s behaviour help to better protect the children. The children’s risk assessments are thorough, intuitive and highly individualised. They include clear strategies that the staff implement to reduce or prevent risks to children.

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outstanding

Children are helped to understand risks, and this keeps them safer. Staff complete exceedingly reflective direct and key-work sessions, and have regular discussions to help the children. Children now have a better understanding of the risks associated with stranger danger, the consequences if property is damaged, and of aggressive and violent behaviour. This increases the children’s awareness of risk-taking behaviour, and also helps the children to make more positive choices to keep themselves safer.

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outstanding

Missing-from-home events are rare. When these occur, the staff have followed all the protective measures necessary to locate the child quickly, resulting in their safe and swift return home. The children thrive in response to having clear routines, boundaries and rules. They know that the staff, like any parent, want to know where they are, and who they are with, to ensure their safety.

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outstanding

Children understand and respond well to the staff explaining the house rules and boundaries. The children thrive as a result of consistent care and the frequent praise that is part of everyday life. The incentives in place are individualised to each child’s needs. These focus on supporting each child to make continued progress. The children respond well to the therapeutic approach staff use. As a result, the children feel valued, safer and secure.

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outstanding

The use of physical interventions is rare and these are used as a last resort. Staff use diversion, distraction and de-escalation to help the children to calm before events escalate. This approach is successful. Low-level physical intervention hold incidents are well recorded, and these are swiftly reviewed by the manager. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 5 manager’s evaluation of physical intervention is excellent. This has helped to identify different approaches and strategies to better support the child in the future. This continues to minimise the instances when physical interventions are required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is highly motivated and dedicated to her role. The staff team embraces the ethos promoted by the manager, to provide high-nurturing care to the children. This ensures that high-quality care is consistently provided to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from the manager’s extremely positive and open ‘can do’ style to provide the best care to the children. This is enhanced with regular routine supervision sessions and staff meetings that have a strong focus on the care of the children, their care practice, development and training. This extends the staff knowledge and skills. In turn, this enables the staff to continue to deliver excellent care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is passionate about achieving the very best opportunities for the children. She advocates strongly on behalf of the children when required. This is achieved through immediately organising meetings with professionals, and at the children’s looked after reviews to address safety, health and education concerns. This makes certain that children receive the best care and support. This elevates the children’s progression.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff retention is good and new staff experience an in-depth induction and probationary period. Continuous professional development is encouraged, using researched childcare approaches. This increases the staff’s skills, which further improves the care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s case records are meaningful and child-centred. These records reflect the wonderful work that the staff undertake with the children. Focused key-working sessions assist the children to reflect and increase their understanding of themselves, and the world around them. The children’s voices and their thoughts about their care are clearly recorded. This enables them to make continued progress. However, on occasions, the language used in these records is not always child-friendly as the terms ‘peers’ and ‘sibling’ are used. This detracts from the otherwise exceptional practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s hands-on approach ensures that she is well informed about everything that is happening in the home, and this ensures that the staff and the children feel well supported and safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has established excellent collaborative working with other professionals and agencies. This ensures that there is a genuine team around the child that provides the children with the very best support and care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 6

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Recommendation

 The staff should encourage the children to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ that support them to view and contribute to the record in way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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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: 2494962 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Oliver Scrimshaw

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Inspector

Debbie Foster, Social Care Inspector Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector – shadow inspection Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 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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