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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2531921 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

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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 and have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 8 March 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2531921 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/08/2022 Full Good 07/09/2021 Full Good 17/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2531921 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. One child was visiting their family. Consequently, only two children were spoken to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is homely and communal areas are nicely decorated and furnished. Overall, the condition of children’s bedrooms is good. Most are clean and tidy and personalised to reflect children’s individual interests. However, one of the bedrooms was untidy and dirty plates had been left in the room for several days.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care. Staff know children well and are physically and emotionally available. Staff listen to children and respond to them in a non-judgmental manner. This assures children that they are safe to express their feelings freely. An external professional commented, ‘Staff have supported [name of child] to take on board some sensitive information and they have found somewhere they can relax.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress academically. There is a strong ethos around education. Staff teach children to understand the importance of going to school. Children receive praise and reward for their academic achievements. One child has completed 11 GCSEs and others have successfully completed the school year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making measured progress. They are confident to express their views about their care. Children have opportunities to contribute to decisions about the care they receive. They take part in regular meetings where their views about the home are sought. There is a good system for notifying children of the outcome of their requests. However, this is not used consistently. Because of this, one child was not aware of the outcome of their request relating to decorating their bedroom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain meaningful relationships with people who are important to them. They are helped to spend time with family and friends, in and out of the home. A member of one child’s family said, ‘I have no issues with the home, they are brilliant. They have been there for me as well.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain good physical and emotional health. They are registered with health services and staff work jointly with health partners to ensure that children receive effective treatment based on their needs. Staff ensure that children are supported to take their prescribed medication so that their health remains stable.

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

The safeguarding culture in the home is good. Safer recruitment practice is followed to ensure that harmful adults do not have the chance to care for children. Leaders, managers and staff work with partners in response to safeguarding incidents, to help children access expert services to manage emerging risks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2531921 4 There has been a reduction in safeguarding incidents since the last inspection. Records show that when incidents do occur, these are well managed by staff and reviewed by leaders and managers, to consider lessons learned and practice development.

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

Safety checks of the home routinely take place. Children frequently participate in evacuations to ensure that they are aware of fire safety routines. However, some doors are not compliant with fire regulations. Leaders and managers acknowledge this, and plan to replace all fire doors in the home.

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

Children learn how to keep themselves safe and are supported to understand the possible implications of their behaviour. Children have formed positive relationships with staff. They feel safe living in the home and can identify adults they can speak to if they are worried.

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

Staff are guided by risk management plans that detail children’s individual risks and how staff can respond effectively to these. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. They speak confidently about the whistle-blowing process and the action they should take when concerns arise about staff conduct.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since the home opened in March 2021 and is suitably qualified and experienced. She knows the staff and their capabilities well. They speak highly of her and her ambition for children to succeed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems to support staff are effective. Staff have reflective supervision that is child- focused and considers staff well-being and their support needs. The manager implements an open-door policy. This management approach has contributed to positive staff morale and stability within the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the significance of staff continuing to develop in their roles. Staff have access to a training package that includes training specific to children’s individual needs, to ensure that they are competent to care for children. In addition, team meetings take place monthly and are well attended. The manager uses these as an opportunity for staff to learn from practice and develop their skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good processes to monitor the day-to-day running of the home. The manager has various systems in place to ensure that she has oversight of the quality of care provided to children. Incidents are regularly reviewed and evaluated by the manager, who has introduced a mechanism that encourages staff to reflect on their practice and what they might do differently. However, daily handover documents are not being thoroughly completed to ensure that there is continuity between shifts of safe and effective working. In addition, the workforce plan has not been updated to reflect the training and qualifications completed by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is established. Many of the staff have worked in the home since it opened. They have formed good working relationships and understand each other’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2531921 5 strengths. Rotas show that children receive consistent care from staff they are familiar with. On the rare occasion that agency staff are used, leaders and managers ensure that these are people who regularly work at the home and have a good understanding of the children and their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children receive carefully assessed care. Leaders and managers work effectively with partners and the staff team to determine whether they can meet children’s needs, before accepting children into the home. Care planning for children living in the home is effective. Joint working with professionals ensures that leaders, managers and staff support children in line with their placing authority plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 2531921 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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to leaders and managers ensuring that fire doors in the home are compliant with fire regulations. 15 August 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s handover document is completed on each shift. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged and supported to keep their bedrooms clean. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan includes the experience and qualifications of the staff team, as well as any new training and qualifications completed while working at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that when children make requests in children’s meetings, they are always provided with a response explaining if the request can be met, along with time frames for completion. If it is not possible to meet their

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Recommendations

requests, children should be notified in a timely manner, along with reasons why the decision has been made. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10) Inspection report for children’s home: 2531921 7

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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: 2531921 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: Venture House, Prospect Business Park, 12 Prospect Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Gemma Waddington

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2531921 9 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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