Children's Home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited in Walsall

Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 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 home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post is vacant following the previous manager leaving on 7 November 2023. A new responsible individual came into post in October 2023, following the previous responsible individual leaving in July 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean the care and experiences of children and young people are poor.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 8 February 2023

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2023 Full Outstanding 11/01/2022 Full Good 05/11/2019 Full Good 12/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 3

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inadequate

In October 2023, the provider informed Ofsted that significant concerns had been shared with them regarding staff’s practice, a rodent infestation and the condition of the environment. Once the provider became aware of the concerns, they took action to temporarily close the home and suspend the manager and staff team. As a result, the three children living in the home experienced unplanned endings.

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inadequate

Following the provider’s decision to temporarily close the home, the provider informed Ofsted of their intention to investigate the concerns that had been identified and undertake works to address the environment. This provider informed Ofsted that the works at the home were due to be completed in December 2024.

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inadequate

Since the previous inspection, there has been a change in the leadership and management of the home. The previous registered manager left in November 2023, following significant shortfalls being identified. This post remains vacant. The home has a new responsible individual who recently joined the company and acknowledges the failures in the care that had been provided to children. Leaders have been unable to successfully recruit a new manager and staff team. Following this inspection, the provider took the decision to voluntarily cancel the registration for this home.

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inadequate

At the time of this inspection, no children were living at the home. The inspection identified serious and widespread failures in the care planning and safeguarding arrangements for children and the leadership and management of the home.

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inadequate

Children lived in an unsafe and unhealthy environment. Managers and staff did not take action to address a rodent infestation, significant damage in the home and children’s intermittent access to hot water as a result of a faulty boiler. Senior leaders were unaware of these concerns until they were raised by a whistle-blower. They have since taken action to improve the quality of the environment.

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inadequate

The previous manager did not always adequately assess if staff were able to meet the needs of children before they move into the home. This resulted in one child being placed in the home when their needs were not fully known. This contributed to another child, who was settled, becoming unsettled, and this all consequently had a negative impact on both children’s experiences, progress and safety.

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inadequate

Staff supported children to access education and attend full time.

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inadequate

Staff supported children to maintain important relationships with family members, relatives and carers and understand the importance of children spending meaningful time with their families. They communicated with external professionals to review and update the family time arrangements for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 4

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

The previous manager did not have sufficient oversight of staff practice in the home. Children were exposed to unnecessary restrictions. Staff had been locking doors, restricting children’s movements around their home. There was no information within children’s plans or risk assessments to reflect the need for this restriction. As a result, children’s liberties had been deprived, and they had not been supported well when they become distressed.

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

The previous manager failed to ensure that all staff working in the home had undertaken the mandatory training needed to respond to children’s needs. As a result, three members of staff had not undertaken the home’s mandatory physical intervention training, one of whom has been involved in restraining children. This practice potentially compromised children’s safety.

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

The previous manager did not consider all the risks relevant to each child. For example, the manager failed to consider the impact of one child living in close proximity to family members. As a result, risk assessments did not reflect the potential risk to the child, and staff were not provided with relevant information and guidance to keep children safe. This poor approach to the assessment of risk prevented actions from being put in place to protect children and negatively impacted on the stability of children’s placements.

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

Staff records of safeguarding incidents did not contain full information of all actions taken. For example, no records were available to review at this inspection of incidents that led to doors being locked within the home.

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

Children were not always made aware of the outcome of the allegations or concerns they report. This does not reassure children that managers hear and understand their concerns and will take action to address them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and the previous managers’ monitoring of the home was insufficient. They have failed to consistently identify shortfalls in practice and in the quality of care delivered to children. This means there were missed opportunities to develop practice and improve the care that children receive. Leaders and managers’ ineffective oversight contributed to the significant deterioration of the quality of care and environment. However, once senior leaders became aware of the concerns they made the decision that the home was unfit for children to live in and that the children had to leave their home. Leaders and managers have since undertaken an investigation into the deterioration of the quality of care and environment to learn lessons and they have implemented an action plan to improve the environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders did not provide the previous registered manager with regular supervision sessions in line with the home’s statement of purpose. No supervision sessions were undertaken for six months. This was a missed opportunity to have oversight of the Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 5 quality of care provided to children and to reflect on development needs that ensure that the competency of staff was adequately assessed. As a result, some staff did not had access to specific mandatory training that ensures that they had the skills needed to understand and meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have been unable to successfully recruit a new manager and staff team. Following this inspection, the provider took the decision to voluntarily cancel the registration for this home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 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, 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 requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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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)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should:

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Requirement Due date

 ensure that full information is requested before children transition into the home. This will enable 23 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 7 associated risks to be considered and risk assessments to be put in place to reduce the risk of harm to the child and children living in the home  ensure that the health and safety and fire risk assessments are kept up to date to ensure that the home remains safe for children to live in  ensure that staff are trained in the agency’s model of physical intervention to enable them to have the required knowledge and skills to respond when children are at risk of harm and/or to reduce the risk of harm.

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to —

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

 staff complete the agency’s mandatory training to ensure they have the skills to meet children’s needs  they have systems in place to monitor, review and update practice to ensure the quality of care and the home environment continue to meet the needs of children living there. 23 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home. 23 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 8 Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children are not restricted from areas of their home and deprived of their liberty without the agreement of a court order.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(vii) (4)(b)) 23 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that children’s records, including risk assessments and safeguarding incidents, contain accurate, up-to-date and legible information. 23 February 2024

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 9 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: 1258434 10

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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

Sharon Bourne, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1258434 11 regulates and inspects 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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