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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2804979 1 Registered provider: New Horizons NW Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of several homes owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection of the home. However, when the home was registered with Ofsted, in December 2024, the manager and staff moved to this home from another home owned by the provider.

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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

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2804979 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy living in the home. They are supported to make exceptional progress in all areas of their lives. The manager and staff have created a warm, friendly and welcoming home where children thrive. The quality of the relationships between staff and children is demonstrably strong and nurturing, forming a secure base for children. The ethos of the home is deeply rooted in creating a strong sense of belonging where the staff and children refer to the home as, ‘My [name of home] family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Educational engagement and progress for children are outstanding. Staff have high expectations for the educational achievements of each child and are committed to ensuring their attendance and punctuality. Beyond formal education, children benefit from targeted tuition and a wide range of activities to address any learning gaps. This demonstrates a holistic approach to their educational development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Moves into the home are managed well by staff; they help children settle well with intensive support. One child’s social worker said, ‘[Name of child] has made massive progress and has formed strong trusting relationships.’ One child has returned home, and the significant steps taken by staff to achieve this were evident, including a full celebration held for them returning home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are supported to enjoy positive relationships with their friends and family. Staff maintain a high level of communication with children’s family members and welcome family and friends coming to the home. Children benefit from well-planned overnight stays with their friends at the home. This understanding of children’s support networks ensures that they safely maintain relationships that are significant for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff actively encourage children to continue their hobbies when they arrive at the home, and to explore new ones. Children benefit from a wide range of activities both in and outside the home. This helps their personal growth, their well-being and their social interaction with peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are actively involved in decisions concerning their care, and staff ensure that they understand the rationale behind the decisions even when they may be challenging. Staff are exceptionally strong advocates for children and consistently communicate positively about them. Staff take pride in children’s achievements, and this is evident in their interactions and documented records.

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

Children’s voices are central to the culture of the home. Children say they feel genuinely heard and actively seek support from staff when they need support or guidance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804979 3 Children’s risks are proactively managed through clear planning and the consistent application of agreed strategies by staff in their approach to children’s behaviours. Staff demonstrate a strong awareness of the impact of trauma on children’s development and consistently apply this understanding to provide sensitive and effective support, often underpinned by research that is shared and understood by both staff and children.

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

Staff demonstrate an exceptional commitment to helping and protecting children through embedded, research-informed practice. This evidence-based work is integrated into individual and direct work sessions, ensuring that interventions are tailored and highly effective in addressing each child’s needs and vulnerabilities.

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

Staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of children’s risks and have the skills and knowledge to provide highly effective support. They proactively access support from external professionals to ensure that children’s needs are consistently met. Each child benefits from individualised risk and care plans which are regularly updated in collaboration with the children. This ensures that children have a better understanding of their care and of how staff can support them in a meaningful way.

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

There has been a significant reduction in the number of incidents of children going missing from the home and the need for physical interventions. When incidents do occur, children and staff receive comprehensive support from managers. A thorough and reflective oversight of all relevant documentation is carried out, and lessons learned are embedded into practice.

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

Staff place a significant emphasis on preparing children for adulthood through robust independence plans that are aligned to children’s individual needs. Staff are skilled in balancing this with a thorough understanding of each child and their plans for the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has high aspirations for each child. She has created a culture of positivity and a shared sense of collective responsibility to ensure that children achieve positive outcomes. The manager is supported by a highly capable deputy manager who shares the manager’s vision and actively champions children’s progress and development, ensuring that the home’s core ethos of care and aspiration remains consistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from children, staff, external professionals and family members. Staff describe the manager as exceptionally supportive. They say she is committed to going above and beyond for both the team and the children in their care. This supportive leadership results in high levels of job satisfaction and contributes to the family-like atmosphere within the home. Several staff members say that the manager is the most supportive they have encountered in their careers, which demonstrates the exceptional quality of leadership and its positive impact on the team and children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804979 4 External professionals and family members consistently commend the high standard of care provided and the significant progress made by children. The manager proactively champions children’s best interests appropriately with external agencies, ensuring that

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

children receive the best possible care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Regular supervision and team meetings ensure that there is consistent and reflective practice among staff. The manager’s and deputy manager’s oversight of all areas in the home has effectively embedded a culture of continuous learning, which drives staff development and promotes a commitment to ensuring that children receive exceptional care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s views are genuinely and actively valued and they contribute to the staff appraisal process. This demonstrates a commitment to child-centred practice and continuous improvement. This inclusive approach empowers children and ensures that their views directly influence the development of the staff who care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are exceptionally well trained to meet the diverse and complex needs of the children. Additional and specialist training is provided to address individual children’s needs. Staff learn from each other, and the outcomes from training are shared across the team effectively to ensure a consistently high standard of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There were no requirements or recommendations made at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804979 5

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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: 2804979 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons NW Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Horizons (NW) Ltd, 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

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2804979 7 to 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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