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

Inspection report for children's home: 2573144 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

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024 and is working towards a level 5 qualification. The manager was present during the first day of the inspection. The deputy manager was present during the second day of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home. The child did not want to speak to the inspector.

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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: 2573144 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2024 Full Good 15/11/2023 Full Good 01/02/2023 Full Good 06/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2573144 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been living in the home for over a year. They have formed positive, trusting relationships with the staff and have experienced a period of stability and developed a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are well supported. Staff encourage the child to attend routine appointments at a pace that meets their needs. The child is making positive improvements with their own self-care because of the use of positive praise and incentives to encourage progress. As a result, the child’s independence skills are improving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how the child’s life experiences influence their feelings about self- esteem. They have been able to use internal therapeutic support to reflect on times when they have found some of the child’s behaviours difficult to manage. The therapist and staff have worked together to understand what approaches will suit the child’s individual needs. This has supported the child’s emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with their family. They have formed positive relationships with a family member, who speaks highly of the staff and assists with arrangements for family time. This ensures that the child continues to build relationships and attachments with those people who are significant to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and homely. Staff have ensured that the home provides a nurturing and comfortable environment for the child to live in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is now in education and, until recently, maintained positive attendance. When the child struggled to attend school, staff continued to promote the importance of education and provide positive encouragement for the child to receive education virtually. This ensures that the child has continuity in their learning. As a result, the child’s confidence has grown, and they have formed peer relationships.

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

Staff know the child extremely well. They are attuned to the child’s vulnerabilities and needs. Staff ensure that there are clear plans in place, which are detailed and regularly updated. This ensures that staff have up-to-date guidance on how to effectively promote the child’s safety and well-being.

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

Staff support the child to help them understand and identify their emotions and develop strategies to help them when they feel upset. There have been incidents of self-injurious behaviour for the child. When incidents occur, staff use their knowledge of the child to talk to them, provide reassurance and follow the plans in place to support them. As a result, the child feels cared for. Inspection report for children's home: 2573144 4 Staff’s use of consequences is minimal; the manager and staff focus on implementing natural consequences so the child has the best opportunity to learn. When used, they are fair and proportionate and linked to the child’s behaviour. This enables the child to understand and learn socially acceptable behaviour.

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

Staff manage the child’s behaviour well. They use positive reinforcement and clear, consistent boundaries. They are effective in using de-escalation techniques, such as using empathy to defuse the child’s worries. As a result, there have been no incidents of the child going missing from the home, and there have been minimal physical interventions.

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

The manager and staff ensure that there are effective systems in place to keep the child safe online. Staff complete regular checks on the child’s devices. Staff have regular, meaningful conversations with the child about how to keep themselves safe online and about positive, safe relationships. When concerns are identified, staff react promptly to install robust monitoring and safety apps on mobile devices to ensure the child’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff are enthusiastic and committed to caring for the child and keeping them safe. The staff team is stable, experienced and shares a strong team identity. This supports the child to receive consistency in respect of their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the support they receive from the manager. Staff receive training and regular reflective supervision that is focused on the child’s experiences, needs and plan. This supports their practice and development. Staff say that their training helps them to care for the child well. This includes training in relation to the therapeutic model of care used and bespoke training relevant to the needs of the child. This actively improves the quality of care that staff provide for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of all written records in the home through scrutiny of the home’s electronic recording system. He has supported staff to write the child’s records in child-friendly, nurturing language. This will be useful to aid the child’s understanding of their experiences later in life. The manager has suitable systems in place to review the quality and safety of care. These systems help the manager maintain oversight of the child’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work closely with other professionals, including social workers and education and health providers. Feedback is generally positive. One professional said, ‘The stability, structure and nurturing environment provided by the staff has supported [name of child]’s emotional development.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has generally advocated effectively for the child. However, there have been occasions where the manager has failed to challenge and escalate concerns when professionals have disagreed about what is best for the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2573144 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home challenges the placing authority to meet the child’s needs. Staff should act as champions for the child, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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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: 2573144 6

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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

Julia Tompson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2573144 7 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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