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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 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

This home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous registered manager left in October 2024. The interim manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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: 2612115 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2024 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 25/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at the home were present during the inspection, and both children spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the previous inspection, one child has moved out of the home. This move was managed well and the child had a positive ending, which was supported by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff have positive relationships with children. Children trust staff. They said that they ‘love’the home and are happy living there. Staff have a good understanding of children’s individual needs. Children have fun experiences, such as holidays in England and abroad, and trips to a Christmas village and theme parks. As a result, children feel a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with family members. Leaders have advocated for one child to see more of their family as part of their preparation for independence. This has resulted in the child expanding their support network outside of the home. Staff take children to see family members who live far away. Because of this, some children have developed the confidence to travel to new places.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. They receive regular support by staff to learn new skills, such as personal care, preparing meals and completing laundry tasks. Staff have supported one child to manage his phone independently. This has been achieved through regular discussion and work around keeping themselves safe online.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been developments to the home environment. The sensory room, which was previously bare, has been decorated with new furniture and equipment. Children now use this room regularly as a space to regulate their emotions. Staff are led by children when decorating their bedrooms, which are unique to each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well supported, with children regularly attending their health appointments. Staff consistently follow the home’s therapeutic model and demonstrated that they have a good working knowledge of this. As a result, staff adopt a trauma- informed approach, which has helped them to meet children’s needs more effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make progress in their education. Leaders and staff regularly communicate with education professionals to review children’s needs. Where there is difficulty obtaining an appropriate provision for a child, the manager will work closely with families and professionals to find an appropriate solution. One parent said, ‘I feel the home have been very supportive; they put professional views forward and have fought my child’s corner.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 4 Children’s statutory documents are not regularly kept up to date. Although there have been statutory reviews of a child’s care, the child’s local authority care plan has not been reviewed since 2022 and does not fully reflect decision-making from these reviews.

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

Physical interventions and missing incidents are rare. However, the manager has ensured that there is robust risk management in case these occur, to ensure that these risks are managed safely.

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

Complaints are few. However, the manager has responded well to all complaints that they have received. When a complaint was made by an external complainant, the manager ensured a prompt resolution to the concern. In turn, the relationship was maintained. The complainant was happy with the outcome and praised staff for their conduct.

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

Allegations are managed well by the manager, who ensures that relevant professionals are updated in a timely manner. Children are provided with the opportunity to speak to an independent person during the process, such as a social worker or advocate. As a result, children feel that their voices are heard.

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

Leaders support staff to use natural consequences. When one child had broken a device, staff showed patience and empathy to ascertain the root cause. In doing so, the child was able to reflect on the incident and learned from their actions.

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

Leaders take appropriate action when a child is at risk of self-harming. For one child, the manager liaised with relevant professionals to formulate a safety plan to support potential self-harming behaviour. Staff worked in line with the detail provided in the safety plan well. As a result of this safety planning, there have been no further incidents of self-harm.

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

Leaders do not always respond to comments made by children. On one occasion, a child made a comment suggesting that the previous manager had done something to them. This comment was not explored by senior management at the time. Consequently, it was not confirmed whether the child was making an allegation or not. Since identifying this, leaders have reviewed the incident to see how this can be prevented from occurring again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has adapted to his new position well. He is passionate about the staff and children and has a clear vision for continued progress to be made by children. The sudden change in management has not disrupted the home. The team continues to feel supported. One staff member said, ‘We have a fantastic manager, who not only supports us with our daily duties but also provides us with encouragement to be the best we can be, who has had a positive impact on the home, team and young people.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 5 The manager has implemented key-worker and senior support meetings to support the tracking of children’s progress. These forums also provide staff the opportunity to share knowledge and develop their skills. Regular team meetings occur for the whole staff team. This also allows staff the opportunity to reflect on the progress of children and share best practice, ensuring a consistent approach to supporting children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are enthusiastic about working in the home. They speak highly of the support shown between colleagues. One staff member said, ‘The home is not a residential home, but a home where we are all here to play a massive part for the children we look after; we are here to nurture them, be good role models, to bring out the best in them no matter how big or small it may be.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and high-quality supervision from the manager. This helps their development while supporting their well-being. Staff said that they can speak to the manager more frequently than just in supervisions, should they need to. This enables the manager to track staff progression and provide support consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training in line with children’s needs. This includes training about topics such as cyberbullying, domestic abuse, safeguarding children with learning disabilities and medication competency. Due to consistent training, staff have the skills and knowledge to provide good-quality care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff support children to understand how to build friendships with other children. They should be able to spend time with their friends in the local community, their home area, and by having friends visit them at the home, in line with the child’s plans, age and understanding. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.7)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are listened to and enabled to report any allegations at the earliest opportunity. Staff should report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager within the home. Any allegation of harm or abuse must be addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should evidence what they have done to achieve engagement, including any actions taken to escalate concerns when up-to-date care plans are not received. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3)

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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: 2612115 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: Venture House Prospect Business Park 12 Prospect Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 8 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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