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

Inspection report for children's home: 1226975 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 national provider and is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified and experienced. They were present throughout 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: 7 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: 1226975 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/02/2023 Full Outstanding 25/01/2022 Full Good 30/01/2020 Full Outstanding 16/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1226975 3

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outstanding

Since the last inspection, the same children have continued to live in the home. Some children have lived together for several years and as a result they have good relationships with each other and the staff.

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outstanding

Children are happy, settled and making progress because of the excellent quality of care provided. They have trusting, supportive and positive relationships with the staff in the home and are treated with dignity and respect. The staff know and understand the children well and provide them with consistent, playful and nurturing care. As a result, children feel safe and secure, and they are being helped to improve their life chances.

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outstanding

Positive relationships between staff and children form the foundation of the home. This provides children with a happy, supportive and welcoming environment to live in and, as a result, children have developed and are now more able to discuss their worries and concerns.

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outstanding

All the children have education in place, although this has been a challenge at times and the manager has had to be creative in supporting children with their educational needs. Children have individualised education plans and the manager has worked with external professionals and agencies in adapting and creating suitable plans. There has been some progress and success, with some children taking exams or engaging in practical skills courses.

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outstanding

Children have friendship groups in the local area and their friends regularly come and spend time in the home. This adds to the welcoming and family feel to the home, with children’s friends comfortable spending time there. Children are given opportunities to participate in activities in the local area and went on a holiday abroad last summer. This was positive for the children and provided them with lots of happy memories and experiences.

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outstanding

Care planning is excellent and children benefit from having highly individualised, holistic and creative plans. These plans are reviewed regularly. Children’s views are sought and they are given opportunities to reflect on the positives and where additional support may be needed. The manager provides a monthly summary to external professionals, supplemented with photos of positive moments from the month. Children are given amazing monthly newsletters, specific to them, which include a pictorial summary of the month with photos and narratives of all the positives from the month. These will provide children with an excellent way of remembering and reflecting on their time at the home in the future.

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outstanding

Children’s health needs are well met and they are supported to develop healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyles. For example, the manager has arranged for Inspection report for children's home: 1226975 4 weekly healthy food boxes to be delivered to support children to expand their menu choices and learn more about healthy food options. Children’s emotional health and well-being have improved due to the positive relationships they have in the home and the additional support provided by the therapy team when needed.

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outstanding

Children are being well supported in developing their independence skills and preparing to move into adulthood. Transition plans are clear and detailed and staff have worked with children to develop their knowledge and learn essential life skills. Staff have also created a book for children to take with them when they leave, with essential information such as important telephone numbers, finance and budgeting information and where to access help if needed.

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outstanding

Children are kept safe because staff know and understand the children and their needs. Children are provided with clear and consistent boundaries and as a result they feel safe, as they are receiving predictable and nurturing care. Risk assessments and support plans are individual to the child and provide staff with clear guidance on how best to support the child. Children have been consulted about their plans and have helped staff to understand how best to help them.

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outstanding

Incidents are rare but when they occur, they are well managed by staff and the manager provides good oversight and evaluation. Children have not gone missing from the home because they are settled and secure. Complaints have been addressed appropriately and children have been supported to understand how to live positively with others. Children have a clear voice in the home and are confident that they are being listened to.

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outstanding

There have been no allegations about staff, but there are systems in place for reporting any concerns. Staff are knowledgeable and confident in how to report any concerns that may be raised. Historical disclosures have been well managed and relevant professionals have been informed.

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outstanding

Children are cared for by staff who are deemed to be safe and there are comprehensive systems in place for ensuring safe recruitment practices are followed. There has been some use of agency staff and appropriate checks have been carried out prior to them working in the home.

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outstanding

Safeguarding children is a real strength of the home. Staff have received additional training and guidance which cover wider safeguarding issues such as contextual safeguarding. There is an allocated safeguarding lead who creates staff workshops to look at case reviews and current research to further develop staff knowledge and awareness.

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outstanding

Children are provided with a safe and well-maintained home environment. Regular health and safety checks are carried out and any issues are addressed in a timely Inspection report for children's home: 1226975 5 way. Children are kept safe when online and staff have supported them to understand the risks online and how to safely manage these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate in their role and has created an ethos and culture in the home where children are at the heart of everything. They are inspirational and aspirational for the children, staff and the home and provide excellent leadership and act as a positive, child-centred role model.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

They are well supported by a staff team who are invested in the home, the children and the manager’s vision in improving the lives and outcomes for children. The manager is well respected by the team who describe them as ‘amazing’. Staff highlighted how they have developed and been inspired by the manager, which has led to them being confident and happy in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has created a range of systems to support quality assurance and monitoring and this means they have clear oversight of the home. The manager knows and understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the team and has implemented a creative development plan to support ongoing progress and improvement. Current research and creative thinking have been used to good effect in developing staff knowledge and children’s care experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are well supported and have regular informative and reflective supervisions. These provide staff with opportunities to reflect and learn from practice and there is a strong focus on supporting learning and understanding of their roles, linked to legislation and current research. Staff have annual appraisals and are set constructive development targets.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is stable. Staff work together to provide consistency of care to the children. There is a strong emphasis on teamwork and in using staff skills, hobbies and interests to provide children with opportunities to learn new things and have positive experiences. For example, staff and children have a shared interest in wild camping and staff have arranged a camping trip to try out some of these skills. Staff are encouraged to be creative and actively contribute to the ongoing development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All the staff have undertaken mandatory training and other relevant training to further develop their skills and knowledge. There is a strong emphasis on safeguarding. Current research and case reviews are used to good effect in providing training workshops to highlight areas such as contextual safeguarding of children. Most of the staff have the relevant childcare qualification, with some staff having additional qualifications that support their knowledge and understanding of their role and the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a strong advocate for children and has used external children’s rights services to challenge decisions. As a result, additional educational support is Inspection report for children's home: 1226975 6 going to made available for one child which will help them to re-engage with education. The manager has positive relationships with external professionals and has worked well with multi-agency teams. External professionals were unanimously positive about the care and progress of the children and the home’s role in improving children’s outcomes.

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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: 1226975 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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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1226975 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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