Children's Home run by Young Horizons Limited in Sandwell

Inspection report for children’s home: 2783784 1 Registered provider: Young Horizons 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 privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in May 2024. He is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. They spoke with 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2783784 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2783784 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have warm, nurturing relationships with staff. This helps them to feel safe, valued and emotionally secure. Staff spend quality time with each child, building meaningful connections and developing a strong understanding of their personalities, preferences and lived experiences. This enables staff to provide consistent, individualised care. Children are confident in seeking support, knowing they will be listened to and helped, which promotes a culture of trust and emotional resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and making progress in all areas of their development. Since moving into the home, both children have established improved daily routines, which have positively impacted their sleep and physical presentation. One child is now more able to express their feelings and regulate their emotions with staff support. For example, the introduction of ‘safe words’ to help the child communicate their emotional state enables staff to respond appropriately. The other child now engages confidently in one-to-one time with staff and has meaningful conversations, both of which were previously challenging for the child to do. As a result, both children are developing greater confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised by staff, who provide consistent encouragement and practical support to help children attend school regularly. Staff maintain high aspirations for children’s learning, which has contributed to improved routines and a more positive attitude towards education. Both children now attend school consistently, having previously struggled with attendance before moving into the home. As a result, they are engaging in learning and developing social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are valued by staff and inform day-to-day life in the home. Staff regularly seek children’s views through both planned and informal opportunities, including discussions about activities, meal choices and daily routines. Various methods are used to gather their wishes and feelings to ensure all children can contribute in ways that suit them. Children receive clear responses to their requests and are informed of outcomes, helping them feel heard and respected. This inclusive approach promotes children’s confidence and reinforces their role in decision-making that affects their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain meaningful relationships with those who are important to them, including friends and family. They make thoughtful arrangements to ensure regular contact, such as facilitating sibling time and enabling friends to visit the home. For example, staff arranged for a child’s friend to attend a surprise celebration, helping the child feel valued and connected. These efforts promote children’s emotional well- being and contribute to a strong sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement in activities, hobbies and new experiences is limited. While children often choose to remain at home using their electronic devices, staff are not consistently proactive in encouraging or supporting them to participate in a variety of Inspection report for children’s home: 2783784 4 meaningful or enriching activities. As a result, children spend extended periods on devices, missing opportunities to develop new interests, build social skills and benefit from varied experiences.

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

Staff generally have a clear understanding of the risks for each child and take appropriate action to manage these effectively. For example, where there are concerns around mobile phone use, staff carry out regular checks and restrict online access to help keep the child safe. Risk assessments are thorough, regularly reviewed, and updated in response to changing needs or behaviours. As a result, children are protected both within the home and in the wider community, and they feel safe and supported.

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

Physical intervention is rarely used as staff rely on their strong de-escalation skills and positive relationships with children to manage challenging behaviour. When physical intervention is necessary, it is used safely, proportionately and only as a last resort. Children are supported to understand why the intervention was used, helping them to reflect and learn. These approaches ensure that both children and staff are kept safe when children are unable to regulate their emotions.

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

Missing-from-care episodes are generally well managed, with effective multi-agency working and efforts by staff to maintain contact with children while they are away from the home. Staff respond promptly when children go missing and will initially search for them. However, when children disclose their location staff tend to rely on the police to retrieve them due to concerns for their own safety rather than continuing to actively locate them. This limits the home’s direct role in safeguarding during these incidents. Children are well supported on their return and are welcomed back with care.

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

Although staff demonstrate a good understanding of the general risks associated with children going missing, some lack a strong awareness of the specific indicators of child sexual exploitation. This gap in knowledge may limit their ability to recognise and respond to emerging safeguarding concerns effectively.

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

Consequences are used proportionately and are restorative in nature. When children cause damage, they are encouraged to take responsibility by contributing to or completing repairs. This helps them understand the impact of their actions and promotes accountability. If a child is not ready to accept a consequence, staff revisit the matter when the child is emotionally able to engage. This approach supports learning and reflection while maintaining positive relationships.

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

One-to-one work with children is routinely offered, including in response to incidents, and contributes to the overall support provided. However, this work is not yet consistently reflective or therapeutic in nature. At times, sessions can feel procedural and overly focused on consequences, rather than being rooted in a nurturing and emotionally informed approach. This limits opportunities for staff to develop a deeper understanding of children’s emotional experiences and can reduce the effectiveness of the support Inspection report for children’s home: 2783784 5 being offered to help children make sense of and manage their behaviour. Leaders are aware of this and are beginning to take steps to strengthen the therapeutic quality of direct work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a registered manager who is clearly child focused and committed to securing positive outcomes for children. The registered manager demonstrates a good understanding of each child’s individual needs and has established warm, trusting relationships with them. This contributes to a nurturing environment where children feel valued and supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Multi-agency working is a strength of the home. The manager shares information effectively within the professional network and advocates confidently on behalf of children when needed. Feedback from external professionals is consistently positive, particularly in relation to the home’s strong communication practice. As a result, children benefit from well-coordinated and consistent care across the professional network.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from support provided by the home’s leadership team. Regular supervision and team meetings offer structured opportunities for reflection, information-sharing and collaborative discussion. This promotes consistent and effective practice and ensures that staff feel confident in raising any challenges they encounter in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment practice is strong. Thorough checks are carried out to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. As a result, children are cared for by adults who are safe and appropriately vetted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have established a positive safeguarding culture within the home. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities and take appropriate action to protect children. However, there have been delays in submitting notifications to Ofsted, which has limited Ofsted’s ability to maintain effective oversight. Leaders are aware of this shortfall and are taking steps to ensure that future notifications are submitted promptly .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the operation of the home and uses robust auditing systems to monitor the quality of care provided to children. These systems help to ensure that practice remains safe and consistent. However, oversight is not yet consistently reflective or analytical. As a result, opportunities to maximise learning from practice and further enhance staff development are sometimes missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2783784 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that Ofsted is informed of any incidents that involve children coming to potential harm or that are deemed serious by the manager in a timely manner. 29 August 2025

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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 staff have the experience, training and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff enhance their knowledge on areas of risk that impact on children living in the home. The manager should also ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to ensure their practice 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2783784 7 is underpinned by a child-centred approach that is nurturing and reflective, particularly in relations to focused work and debriefs.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they are skilled in reviewing incidents and identifying shortfalls. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good staff practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside the home and that staff are proactive in encouraging children to participate in those activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)

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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: 2783784 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Horizons Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 356 Birchfield Lane, Oldbury B69 1AE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Mohammed Zulfiqar

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Inspector

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2783784 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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