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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 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

This home is part of a large private organisation. Staff provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted for this home since August 2022. They have their level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2024 Full Good 04/09/2023 Full Good 15/06/2021 Full Good 10/03/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Shortfalls in safeguarding practice and ineffective management oversight have placed children at risk of harm. Leaders have not ensured that systems and processes are sufficiently robust to protect children or promote their welfare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, five children have moved out of the home. Their experiences have varied. Three children left as part of their planned care arrangements and made some progress during their time at the home. Staff have maintained contact with some of these children, and there is evidence of trusting relationships having been formed. However, outcomes have been poor for children who presented with more-complex needs. The impact of these children’s behaviours on others has not been adequately considered and risk assessments have not been sufficiently thorough. As a result, two placements ended prematurely, contributing to children’s experiences of instability and placement breakdown.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Daily routines are not consistently implemented. The child’s day lacks structure and purpose, and staff do not effectively encourage engagement in education when the child refuses. Educational activities are rarely offered outside of limited online learning hours, and there has been no measurable progress in the child’s education since moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Although the child is registered with appropriate healthcare professionals and attends health appointments, staff do not demonstrate sufficient diligence in managing medication. In one instance, a child was able to conceal aerosols, which were later used to self-harm. This indicates a serious lapse in supervision and risk management.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is spacious but requires improvement. Areas of peeling paint and a lack of attention to the child’s bedroom environment reflect poor standards of care. Staff have not consistently addressed these issues, although some efforts were made during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support the child to maintain contact with family and friends, even when they live at a far distance. Positive relationships have been formed with those people who are important to the child, and staff have facilitated reconciliation where relationships have been strained. This has helped the child to maintain a sense of identity and connection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child is supported to engage in extracurricular activities of their choosing. Staff respond to changes in the child’s interests and make efforts to accommodate their wishes. However, this aspect of care is not underpinned by a broader, structured approach to promoting positive outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 4

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

Gaps in safeguarding practice have compromised the child’s safety and welfare. Staff responses to risky situations are often hesitant and lack authority. On several occasions, police assistance has been required because staff were unable to manage behaviours safely. This undermines the child’s sense of security and confidence in the staff’s ability to protect them. The child told the inspector that they feel safe ‘sometimes’, which reflects a concerning lack of consistency in the home’s approach to safety.

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

Risk assessments are not consistently available to guide staff practice. Where they do exist, they are not reliably followed. This has placed children at risk of harm. Following an incident of self-injurious behaviour, staff failed to conduct a room search to remove potentially harmful items. Staff do not consistently demonstrate professional curiosity when the child is distressed, which limits the emotional support and safeguarding response provided.

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

Supervision of the child is poor and has resulted in ineffective safeguarding. In one incident, staff failed to adequately supervise two children, leading to both requiring hospital treatment following aerosol inhalation. This reflects a serious failure in basic care and supervision.

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

There has been a recent increase in missing-from-home incidents. Staff do not consistently make timely efforts to locate the child. Protocols are not followed reliably. In one incident, staff failed to pursue the child on foot and instead drove past them to a location they assumed the child would go. This resulted in staff losing visual contact, significantly increasing the risks posed to the child.

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

Managers’ responses to allegations have been weak and delayed. In one case, no action was taken for seven days following an allegation. Relevant safeguarding agencies were not consulted promptly, delaying the initiation of an investigation and increasing the child’s vulnerability. This failure impacted the child’s trust in the complaints process and further undermined safeguarding arrangements.

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

There are persistent delays in the recording of incidents by both managers and staff. This has led to inaccuracies and unclear documentation. Records lack detail and are not subject to effective management oversight. Shortfalls are not addressed, and staff responses are not challenged. This has contributed to the continuation of poor safeguarding practice and a lack of accountability within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is suitably qualified, child focused and committed to ensuring that children have positive experiences. Their patient and calm approach is well received by the child and contributes to the development of a trusting relationship. However, due to poor staff practice and ongoing challenges within the home, the manager has spent the majority of their time directly supporting the child. As a result, key management tasks have been neglected, which has significantly impacted the oversight and running of the home. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 5 manager has not had the capacity to maintain an effective monitoring system, limiting their ability to identify and address emerging issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervision is sporadic and inconsistent. Managers have missed opportunities to challenge poor staff practice and support professional development. This has hindered staff’s ability to reflect on incidents and improve their responses. While some team meetings include consultation with the company’s therapist, and advice is offered to support the child’s needs, staff do not consistently implement these strategies in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been a high reliance on agency staff, many of whom are unfamiliar to the child. These staff members often lack prior knowledge of the child’s needs, resulting in inconsistent care and contributing to the child’s experience of instability and poor practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to notify Ofsted of several significant incidents in a timely manner. Some notifications lacked essential details, which were only discovered during the inspection. These delays and omissions have hindered external monitoring and review, reducing the ability to ensure the child’s safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite these concerns, professionals report that the manager communicates well and is supportive of the child and their needs. However, this strength is not sufficient to mitigate the wider shortfalls in leadership, oversight and safeguarding practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(v)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to having plans that identify children’s needs and how staff can help children, ensuring that staff are consistent in addressing children’s behaviour, and that managers provide the supervision to help staff to do this. 25 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 4 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 7 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that records of incidents are clear, detailed and demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 25 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 4 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 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: 2490729 9

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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

Latoya Morgan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2490729 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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