Children's Home run by New Horizons NW Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 1 Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children with social, emotional and learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2024.

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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

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2022

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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: 2670262 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a highly nurturing environment where their needs are prioritised and consistently met. All the children have been living at the home for over a year and they all said they are happy. Staff are caring in their approach and have developed positive relationships with the children and understand their needs. As a result, children are making progress in most areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s health needs. Staff work in partnership with other professionals to help children understand and manage past traumas that effect their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive time with their families and other significant people that are important to them due to the support given by staff. Staff invite family members to attend important events, such as a child’s prom. This enables family members to feel part of their child’s daily life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have high expectations of children attending education. Children have individual education plans in place to meet their needs. One child is currently undertaking an apprenticeship in a local nursery. Staff have supported a child in acquiring a full-time job until they start at a local college. Children are supported to attend both formal and informal learning sessions to help develop their skills and to help the older children to prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements are celebrated with certificates and trophies being displayed in the home. Staff have created an electronic memory device which captures the achievements of children, which staff keep updated. This is then given to the child when they leave. This enables children to have a record of their positive memories and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support children in developing independence skills to prepare them for adulthood. This includes independent travel, budgeting, shopping, household tasks and cooking. One of the older children has started having driving lessons. This gives children the confidence to prepare for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said that they enjoy activities both inside the home and in the community. Children are regularly attending clubs in the local community or spending time with friends. This is helping children to develop their social skills, health and well-being.

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

All children said they feel safe and they can identify a staff member they would go to if they had a concern. Staff have a good understanding of the risks to children. Staff respond appropriately to incidents and take action to protect children. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 4 know and follow the clear risk assessments in place, and these are reviewed regularly.

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

Staff respond appropriately when children are missing. Staff take prompt action and work with the police and other safeguarding agencies to locate them and ensure that they return swiftly. There has been a reduction in the number of times one child has been missing from home. This is due to staff supporting the child to engage in more positive activities in the local community.

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

Children’s safety is at the centre of staff’s practice. Room searches are only carried out when there is a recognised risk. Staff ensure that these are handled sensitively and the child is informed. There is clear management oversight of these searches to consider any follow-up action required.

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

Staff are calm and caring in their approach. They use preventative behaviour management techniques and positive relationships when helping children to manage their anxieties and frustrations. Overall, children respond positively to this approach. However, not all consequences given to children are reviewed by the manager to ensure that they are effective and fair.

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

Restraint is used as a last resort and only ever used to keep children safe from harm. Staff support children after the incident to reflect on why the hold was necessary to keep them safe. There is clear management oversight to look at ways to support the child in expressing their frustrations in a safer way.

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

Health and safety checks have been carried out and this ensures that the children are living in a safe environment. However, the front electric gate that leads onto a main road has not been fixed in a timely manner, increasing the risk of a child potentially running onto the busy road.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new registered manager has had a positive impact and has made a number of improvements to the care provided to children. The manager has an in-depth understanding of children’s individual needs and the progress that they are making. She is child-centred and has high aspirations for the children to lead fulfilling and independent lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has clear oversight of the day-to-day running of the home. The quality of care review report is used to identify the strengths and areas that need improving. However, the manager has not sought feedback from staff members to enable a well-rounded overview. This is particularly important due to there being a number of staffing changes at this time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads a stable and committed staff team. They share the same aspirations for the children, providing them with consistency. Staff are positive about their roles and the support that they receive from the manager and the wider team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 5 All staff receive a comprehensive training and induction programme before working at the home, along with ongoing training available once they start. The manager also arranged additional training from the in-house child psychologist to support the team in meeting the individual needs of children. Staff said they valued the training and it gave them the skills and knowledge they need to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. New staff benefit from additional supervision during their probation periods. There is clear, reflective practice taking place, which allows staff to develop their knowledge and skills and identify any additional training to support them in meeting the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meetings are taking place regularly and give staff an opportunity to share knowledge. Children have input into the meetings as the manager shares their views from their weekly meeting. The child psychologist also attends the staff meetings each month to give advice and support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the front electric gate is fixed to reduce the risk of a child running onto the main road. 12 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when completing a quality of care review, staff’s feedback is taken into consideration and included in the report. 1 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all consequences are reviewed to ensure that their use is fair and effective. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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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: 2670262 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 17 & 18 Navigation Business Park, Navigation Way, Ashton-On-Ribble, Preston PR2 2YP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Natalie Waterhouse

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 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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