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

Inspection report for children's home: 2670262 1 Registered provider: New Horizons NW 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 children’s home is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to four children with social, emotional and learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 30 January 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2670262 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2024 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2670262 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

During this inspection period, two children have moved out of the home. One has successfully moved to a semi-independent provision, while the other has returned to the area where they were raised. Two new children have moved into the home and are making excellent progress from their individual starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children benefit from an outstanding quality of care that promotes their needs effectively and results in sustained improvement to their lives. Staff are committed to making a positive difference. Staff are trained and skilled in delivering therapeutic parenting in accordance with the home’s therapeutic model of care. This ensures that staff can establish secure attachments with children and develop trusting and meaningful relationships with them, which has contributed to children making exceptional progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children's opinions are actively sought and play a significant role in shaping their care plans. Each child has a personalised high-quality care plan that outlines their starting points, strengths, and aspirations. A summary of the plan is presented in a child-friendly format. Additionally, a daily living plan provides staff with detailed guidance on the child's routines. These plans take into account each child's perspective on their individuality, ensuring that care is tailored to meet their unique needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make excellent progress educationally. Some children have secured college places and are proud of their achievements. Managers and staff take a proactive approach in finding appropriate education for children who arrive without school placements, ensuring that a child’s educational needs are addressed. A social worker said, ‘One of the most impressive aspects has been the staff’s role in supporting [name of child]’s educational transition. After being out of school for two years, the staff worked hard to ensure a smooth reintegration into education. The transition process was amazing and a testament to the staff’s commitment to providing the right environment for [name of child]’s academic and personal growth.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s health needs are effectively addressed through the consistent implementation of comprehensive care plans by the staff. Documentation and discussions highlight the staff’s dedicated efforts to secure essential specialist support for individual children. One child reflected that without the staffs unwavering support, her situation could have been significantly worse. Another child shared that she felt deeply supported in all aspects of her life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from a structure and purpose to the day. They have part-time work and enjoy physical activities and sports clubs. This is despite barriers caused by health issues, anxiety and risks. Staff’s can-do approach has meant that children continue with their interests and pursuits. These routines and structures provide many benefits that increase children’s confidence and well-being. Inspection report for children's home: 2670262 4 Children follow a thorough semi-independence programme that helps them to build their skills in preparation for adulthood. Some children have secured part-time jobs and taken up volunteering opportunities that have further enhanced their life skills. One child is also being supported to take driving lessons, where the aim is to gain their licence before they move on to semi independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy a wide range of activities, such as arts and crafts, cinema and holidays. The children have shown acts of kindness by raising money for a local charity. One child said, ‘Best memory was my holiday to New York.’

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

Incidents involving children are responded to well. There are detailed records, with clear incident reports and additional work with children and staff following an incident. This includes direct feedback from the child on how staff could help them earlier and stop an incident escalating. This helps staff to learn how to help and support each child in specific ways.

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

Excellent planning and forward thinking mean that children benefit from a coordinated and individualised approach to their care. Staff create opportunities for children to grow and develop by identifying how they can best support them. They consistently implement well-informed strategies and carefully review the impact. One family member said, ‘staff are supportive and dedicated. They stayed by the children’s sides and are there in both the good and difficult moments.’

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

A therapeutic consultation offered by the provider creates opportunities for practical support and reflection which fosters a deeper understanding of children’s individual needs. This promotes positive relationships between children and staff. The psychologist who supports the home said, ‘One of the most valuable aspects has been the therapeutic parenting consistently offered by the home daily, which has played a pivotal role in [name of child]’s development.’

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

Children rarely go missing from this home. However, when missing incidents occur. The manager and staff acted swiftly in accessing the support and carried out the appropriate action to support their safe return. Independent return home interviews take place.

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

Children’s positive handling plans are detailed and help staff to understand how to respond appropriately to children’s individual needs. Physical intervention is appropriately used and only when necessary to keep a child or others safe. The deputy manager is a trainer in de-escalation and intervention techniques and ensures, by their oversight of the home, that this is being used effectively.

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

Children’s complaints and allegations are always taken seriously. The manager works closely with the child and safeguarding professionals. The manager writes directly to the child and meets with them to help them understand the outcome. This ensures that children feel listened to and feel safe while investigations are carried out. Inspection report for children's home: 2670262 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a child-centred and experienced registered manager. The manager encourages high standards of care from her staff and is ambitious about what they and the children can achieve. Staff feel exceptionally well supported and speak positively about the manager’s high expectations and professional values.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff value the supervision that is provided to them. They are given a range of opportunities to reflect on their practice. They find the discussions with the psychologists beneficial to review children’s targets and discuss the support to help each child achieve. This ensures that targets set are still appropriate and achievable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is dedicated to ensuring that staff attend training opportunities. All mandatory training is up to date. Additional training is also encouraged, particularly in relation to gaps in staff learning or to support them in meeting children’s specific needs. The manager recognises staff capabilities and advocates for staff progression. As a result, staff are enthusiastic to learn new skills and develop their knowledge, which is beneficial to the children. This is reviewed in regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager knows that the children are happy and making exceptional progress. Children have grown in confidence and are comfortable about having their friends come over to visit. Consequently, they have settled in well and are thriving from the care provided to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is creative in promoting learning opportunities for staff. They work closely with the wider network to develop staff skills in supporting children in understanding their life story. Monthly team meetings are carefully planned, and the manager provides knowledge that staff can take away and put into practice. This promotes a culture of continuous learning to ensure that staff remain motivated in delivering a high quality of care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are no shortfalls identified following this inspection and no breaches in regulation. Consequently, there are no requirements or recommendations made. Inspection report for children's home: 2670262 6

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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: 2670262 7

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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 Village, 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

Mathew Morris-Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2670262 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 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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