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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 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

This privately run children’s home 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 registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home. Both children spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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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: 1 November 2023

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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: 2509269 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2023 Full Good 11/10/2022 Full Good 09/06/2021 Full Good 03/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The two children that live in this home say they are happy and settled here. Staff have continued to build positive, trusting relationships with the children since the last inspection. The staff spend quality time with each child so that they better understand the children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As the inspection took place during the summer holidays, different trips had been planned. For example, one of the children wanted to visit theme parks, and a pass was purchased to allow them to visit different sites across the country. The other child was visiting places of interest that they had highlighted to staff. A holiday abroad is planned for later in the year. These experiences help children to build their self-esteem and interact with other people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are accessing education; one child is in a school that meets their needs full time, and the other child is on a part-time timetable with other educational activities. Different life skills are offered by staff, which helps to support this child. There has been appropriate challenge to the placing authority to help the child access full-time education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. They are registered with local health agencies and attend all of their appointments. One child has additional needs and has recently been to see a podiatrist; this was noted as significant progress. Staff worked very hard to prepare the child for this appointment, and the child’s mother was extremely positive about this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff help children have a positive time with their families, keeping the children’s views and wishes at the heart of all plans. They handle family time with care and collaborate with other homes where siblings are living to ensure that children have the right level of support they need to have positive experiences.

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

Staff have built strong relationships with children, and as a consequence, children feel safe and secure in the home. These bonds make children feel at ease when sharing their concerns and seeking help and advice.

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

The staff and the registered manager understand the risks to each child, and there are comprehensive risk management plans to manage them. These plans are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that staff have access to the information that they need to keep children safe.

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

Children rarely go missing from this home. When they do, staff follow each child’s plan, which includes trying to locate the child. The manager works with external Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 4 professionals to address safety concerns. This helps coordinate a response to keep the child safe if they go missing from home again.

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

Children’s individual sessions with staff help them to understand issues that are important to them, and this helps them to keep themselves and others safe. Staff tailor their approach to each child’s needs and learning styles. The discussions are sometimes sensitive; however, staff are creative in helping children feel at ease, which leads to reflective and educational discussion.

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

Staff only hold a child when they need to keep the child or others safe. Staff and children are given the opportunity to talk about the incident afterwards to understand what should be done to prevent a recurrence. The recording of incidents is good; however, a form that was revised for a child’s particular learning needs did not include a staff signature. The form was revised during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post for just over a year and has demonstrated strong leadership by efficiently and effectively managing the home. She consistently makes child-centred decisions that are in the best interests of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good monitoring systems in place and has good oversight of the home. She regularly comments on staff’s work with children and evaluates incident records so that staff can learn from these. The manager is supported well by a senior manager who audits the home and provides guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides staff with regular and meaningful supervision. Practice issues are discussed in these supervision sessions. The manager provides a good blend of direction and support in these sessions to improve staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are committed to ongoing learning and are up to date with the training required. The manager responds well to the learning needs of staff, and these are identified in appraisals. This includes specific training so that staff are skilled to meet the needs of the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has sufficient staff to meet the needs of the children. There has been some change in the staffing list, and new staff are being onboarded. Staff are suitably vetted and qualified, and this ensures that only people suitable to work with children are employed at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have strong relationships with professionals such as social workers and independent reviewing officers. Information is shared regularly, and one social worker stated that the updates are helpful for her to know the child is progressing well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are no requirements or recommendations made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 5

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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: 2509269 6

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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

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509269 7 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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Inspector

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