Children's Home run by New Horizons (Stockport) Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 1 SC472680 Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is operated by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 9 October 2024. Compliance notices were issued in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 20, the restraint and restriction of liberty standard. A monitoring visit was held on 28 November 2024 when it was found that the registered provider had met the compliance notices. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2024 Full Inadequate 14/06/2023 Full Good 05/07/2022 Full Good 14/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 3

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improvement to be good

Two children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. For one child, this was due to their request to be closer to their family. For the other child, this was a decision made by their placing authority following a sudden change in their needs.

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improvement to be good

The children who moved out remain in contact with the staff and the manager, as have other children who have lived there and moved on. One child had written to all the staff telling each one what they liked and would miss about them. This shows that children had positive relationships with the staff and enjoyed their time living at this home. One child living at the home at the time of the inspection said the home was a ‘five out of five’ and that they had good relationships with all the staff.

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improvement to be good

The home is pleasant and is maintained to a high standard. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and clean. Children now have their own keys for their bedrooms.

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improvement to be good

The two children attend different schools. For one child, school is going well. They are making progress and their attendance is good. However, this is not the case for the other child. Although the manager has requested meetings as a way of resolving the issues, she has not chased up educational assessments that have been agreed at reviews. Additionally, staff do not know the targets the child is working towards, and their views, wishes and feelings on education are not sought. As a result, the child is not receiving an appropriate education.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy activities with the staff, including walks, bowling and going to the cinema. Staff encourage children to have hobbies and provide them with opportunities to make friends and enjoy new experiences. However, children are sometimes left to spend time alone in their bedroom for significant periods of time.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with family when this is part of their plan. This means that children maintain relationships with those people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children are consulted about day-to-day decisions. However, children’s plans and records of conversations do not include the children’s views. Children’s views, wishes and feelings and their contributions to conversations and their understanding of these are not clear from the records. As a result, children are not enabled to play a full and central part in their care planning.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are well met and monitored effectively. Children have access to external professionals to support them with their emotional well-being. Staff also ensure that children attend their routine health appointments. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 4

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been very few incidents in the home and there have not been any incidents of children being restrained. There has been some progress in how children are helped and protected, however, some shortfalls remain.

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improvement to be good

There has been one incident of a child leaving the home and not returning until the following day. This was not usual for the child and was the result of a decision made by the manager to allow the child to spend time with a family member. This decision was not shared with the placing authority. The staff worked with the police to bring the child home and ensured that they were safe and well and that a return home interview was arranged. The child said that while away from the home they had been attempting to start a fire. The manager has made a referral to the fire service for them to speak to the child about the dangers of setting fires.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the manager has worked to develop the staff’s knowledge and skills relating to safeguarding children. As a result, the staff now have a better understanding of the home’s policies on restraint, managing allegations and when children do not return home.

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improvement to be good

The staff ensure that the children receive appropriate medical advice or attention following any accident or emergency. This ensures that children’s physical and emotional well-being are promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. She is supported by a deputy manager. Together, they have worked to be more present in the home and strengthen their oversight of the children’s care. As a result, they are aware of the areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is confident to address any issues with staff practice and uses team meetings effectively to clearly explain her expectations of the staff and to provide opportunities for their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been improvements in the manager’s oversight. However, she has not ensured that children’s local authority plans are up to date to inform her own planning. Additionally, she has not ensured that life-story work has been carried out with a child, despite it being an agreed action in their review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff speak positively about leaders and say they feel they have developed well both individually and as a team in recent months, with appropriate training, supervision sessions and support. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 5 The manager is reflective and has shown honesty and accountability in relation to the shortfalls identified at the last inspection. She has met the remainder of the requirements that were made. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 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

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that staff are aware of children’s educational targets as outlined in their plans.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to the registered person ensuring that children have received the appropriate assessments to ensure that existing education provisions are meeting the children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, this relates to the registered person ensuring that the staff have regular conversations with the children about the importance of attending education and that the records of conversations capture the children’s views, wishes and feelings. 7 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 7 The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; and

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that the staff balance the need for children to have time alone with the need for the staff to engage children and spend time with them.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to the registered person ensuring that children are fully included in all areas of their care planning and that their views, wishes and feelings are clearly captured in their plans.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, this relates to the registered person ensuring that there is evidence of children’s views, wishes and feelings in conversations that staff have with children and that these are not records only of what was said to children. 7 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; 7 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 8 seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that a child’s placing authority is consulted with when allowing the child to take a particular risk or course of action.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to the registered person requesting, and if necessary escalating, the need for current plans and documents so that these can inform the children’s care planning.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, this relates to the registered person ensuring that any agreed assessments or pieces of work are carried out with children.

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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: SC472680 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 154-156 Buxton Road, High Lane, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 8EA

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Inspector

Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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