Children's home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. There were four children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2019.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2023 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good 16/02/2022 Full Outstanding 28/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three of the children have continued to experience stability. One child has moved out due to becoming an adult and another child has moved in. All children say that they are happy to live in the home and said that staff keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with their families and people who are important to them are maintained. Family members are kept up to date with relevant information about their children. Positive feedback obtained about one of the children indicated that there had been opportunities to repair relationships that are important to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive leisure experiences and enjoy activities within their community linked to their individual interests. Children access the local gym, swimming pool, boxing clubs and libraries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have access to bespoke education that has enabled individual progress. Staff advocate for children to ensure that their education provision continues to meet their needs. The manager ensures that relevant professionals are involved to make sure that children have the best chance of success. However, one child’s education, health and care plan has not been reviewed within the appropriate timescales.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At times, the dynamics in the home have been difficult for some of the children. There have been many conversations with individual children, and the children as a group, about how they can live together harmoniously. There are various communal spaces across the home that children can share or spend time away from the other children. Arguments about the use of communal spaces have reduced by implementing a timetable. Children agreed that this has worked. However, there continues to be arguments between some children. This has sometimes resulted in physical altercations. Children said that this was something they did not like.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff facilitate planned and ad-hoc external health appointments when needed. Staff seek out specialist assessments for children when they have specific needs. There has been long delays in children receiving specialist assessments, but these appointments are continuously followed up by managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences of moving into and out of the home, in line with their wishes and expectations. Children who have moved out are supported to maintain appropriate contact with staff in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious, yet homely. The children have their own individualised bedrooms. There is a well looked-after garden, with play equipment where children from the neighbourhood play together with the children who live in the home. This helps to improve children’s social skills. Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and how to support them. Staff invest time and effort into building positive and trusting relationships with children. This means when children are in crisis, staff usually know how to support them.

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

When needed, staff support children to physically separate from each other if there has been a disagreement. This prevents the situation from escalating. However, there are some occasions when staff have not recognised that children’s behaviour is due to them seeking reassurance or attention from staff.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and contain most of the current risks for children. They provide clear strategies for staff to follow for known risks for children. Documents are regularly updated.

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

When children go missing there are well coordinated plans to support a safe return home. However, on one occasion a child left the home without staff being aware. This is despite only just returning from being missing. Staff did not try to engage the child or consider that the child needed their support. The manager did not note this in her oversight. This is a missed opportunity for reflective practice and learning.

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

After children have been missing, they can speak to someone independent when they return to the home. These independent people often contact the children by telephone to undertake these discussions, which means that they are not always successful in engaging children to talk about their experiences while away from the home.

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

When there are concerns that children may be at risk of exploitation, staff respond swiftly. Extensive liaison takes place with other professionals so that information shared means actions can take place to keep children safer. Sensitive conversations take place with children to help them understand the risks. These discussions have supported the development of trusting relationships between children and staff.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. One child has made a complaint. This was taken seriously, investigated and a response provided to the child. This shows children that their voice is important.

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

When allegations are made about staff, or issues are raised about staff conduct, these are managed well by the manager and organisation. Thorough investigations take place and swift decisions are made to ensure children remain safer. However, for one child, one risk assessment in relation to allegation management lacks sufficient detail for all staff to be able to follow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitability qualified and experienced. She knows the children well and has strong and trusting relationships with all the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 5 Staff enjoy working at the home and feel supported by the management team. Staff receive regular, reflective supervision. These sessions address any practice issues and encourages professional growth. This is complemented by good quality group supervision. Team meetings take place regularly and children are discussed in detail, which helps staff to reflect on why children behave in particular ways.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are up to date with mandatory training. There is a clear system to ensure training remains current. However, one member of staff has not obtained the necessary residential qualification within the statutory timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not regularly use consequences. When they do happen, the consequence is not always directly linked to the incident and they are not always restorative in nature. Management oversight of consequences does not always happen and the effectiveness of consequences are not evaluated to consider whether it helps reduce certain behaviours. Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the manager has effective systems to ensure reflective practice is used after all incidents and when staff implement consequences. This will ensure that these are appropriate and to inform and improve the care provided to children. 6 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 6 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 7 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”) or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a child’s education, health and care plan is reviewed at least annually. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.3)  The registered person should ensure that missing protocols and risk assessments contain the most up-to-date information, so staff have a clear understanding of what they need to do when a child goes missing or makes and retracts an allegation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand and respond appropriately when children are displaying connection-seeking behaviour. Staff should have to skills to intervene in a timely way when children struggle to live harmoniously together. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39,

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 8 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: 1249183 9

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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: Oliver Scrimshaw

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Inspector

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1249183 10 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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