Children's Home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 26 March 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 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: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/04/2023 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Good 21/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 3

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improvement to be good

Children are having mixed experiences of living at the home. One child has made progress from their starting point, resulting in fewer instances where they struggle to manage their behaviour towards staff. Another child has regressed in some areas of their development. One child has recently moved into the home.

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improvement to be good

Children lack routine in the home, which has resulted in them going to bed late and then staying in bed during the day. This then affects their willingness and ability to engage in education. One child, who is of college age, has withdrawn from education. The other child refuses to attend school. Furthermore, staff were unaware that the education provision for one child was about to end, and no plans have been made for after the Easter break.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are not always met. Staff speak to children about the importance of attending appointments, but this has little effect. However, the staff successfully addressed a child's fear of the dentist through effective interventions. Following this work and support by staff, the child had a tooth extracted and is now free of pain.

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improvement to be good

Children are not encouraged to participate in activities either with their peers or staff. It is accepted that children just want to be in the community with their friends. This prevents children from developing relationships with staff. However, staff discuss a range of topics with children that are tailored to their specific needs. Children’s wishes and feelings are captured in discussions with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children in seeing their families. Family members said that staff keep them up to date about important events in their children’s lives. Those spoken to said that staff are supportive of them and the children.

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improvement to be good

The home is well maintained and furnished to a high standard. It is warm and welcoming, and children’s bedrooms are personalised and reflect their likes and interests. All but one bedroom was clean and tidy at the time of this inspection. The deputy asked the child to assist in tidying up, and the child agreed.

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

Children say that they feel safe living at the home and that staff are trying to keep them safe. Children’s risk assessments and plans are clear, regularly reviewed and easy for staff to follow. Staff have helped children to develop better coping strategies when experiencing difficult emotions, leading to a reduction in the children’s risks. This has resulted in fewer occasions when staff need to hold or guide children to keep them and others safe. When staff use consequences to support children’s understanding of the impact of their behaviour on others, these are fair and proportionate. Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 4 Staff promptly respond when children go missing. They follow the plans and ensure that the relevant agencies are notified. Staff warmly welcome children when they return and offer them the opportunity to speak with someone independently. This ensures that children can share the reason they felt the need to go missing. Family members are kept

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

updated, with one saying, ‘I really appreciated the deputy keeping me up to date because I was so worried.’

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

Complaints made by children are thoroughly investigated and dealt with appropriately. Children are informed of the action taken. Internal investigations into staff practice are promptly carried out. Actions taken are proportionate and balanced.

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

Staff are professionally curious and engage in conversations with children who may be vulnerable to criminal exploitation. Furthermore, they seek advice and support from external agencies. Meetings with other professionals provide the opportunity for multi- agency working and the sharing of information. There is an agreed safety plan to ensure that staff can keep the child safer.

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

There have been significant changes to the staff team since the last inspection. This includes the registered manager, who has recently left the home. The responsible individual and two managers from sister homes are providing management support. Staff said that they appreciate the support they receive.

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

There has been a heavy reliance on agency staff. This is because there is not always enough permanent staff to care for the children. Staff said that they have struggled with the shortages, and it has affected their care of the children. There is also a lack of experience across the staff team. Furthermore, the non-permanent staff members mainly work during the night, which is when children are most vulnerable, particularly when they abscond from the home.

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

The manager’s monitoring has not always been effective, resulting in a lack of oversight of the children’s plans. Staff have access to a wide range of training that is relevant to the needs of the children living at the home. However, the home has allowed some training to lapse, and one member of staff has not attained a relevant qualification in line with regulatory timescales. This shortfall was raised at the last inspection and will be restated.

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

Staff now receive improved supervision sessions. Additionally, team meetings take place regularly, and staff are given opportunities to reflect and discuss the needs of all the children. However, the non-permanent staff do not receive supervision from the home’s manager.

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

While communication is good with external agencies, there is a lack of challenge to professionals when decisions are made that have a negative impact on children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 5

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 28 May 2025

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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; 30 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 6 promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment; 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)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(ix)(x))

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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

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)) 30 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)) 30 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home challenges them to meet the child’s needs (see regulation 5(c)). Staff should act as champions for the children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. The registered person should consider the use of an independent advocate (see paragraph 4.16) if the child’s needs are not being met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.10)

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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: 1245572 8

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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: 17 Wolverhampton Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 1AP

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Inspector

Angela Ross, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1245572 9 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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