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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1234243 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 privately operated home provides care for up to three children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is away from work. A second manager is applying for registration.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. One child was not in the home during the inspection. One child was spoken to during the inspection.

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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: 1234243 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/12/2023 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Good 08/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1234243 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. One child said that they get on well with all of the staff and can talk to them if they are worried or upset. Staff work hard to help children to build their self-esteem. Children are able to manage social situations with more confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children have education places. A tutor is impressed with the staff’s persistent encouragement for children to engage in lessons. One child attends school regularly, and one has recently reintegrated into school. Two children are now showing progress. One child has increased attendance at their alternative provision and has applied for college in September. Staff understand the barriers to education and have worked through these with the children. This has included supporting children in tutoring sessions to help reduce their anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children spend time with family and friends who are important to them. Staff travel significant distances to ensure that children spend time with their family. One parent is impressed with how happy and settled their child is, and that the manager has advocated for additional family time. Parents feel assured that their children are well cared for and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a range of activities, including sports and trips to the seaside, wax museums and the zoo. One child regularly spends time with their friends, which includes overnight stays. The children are planning a summer fete to raise money for charity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved out of the home. One child is due to move on from the home soon. The manager has advocated for the child to live near their family. The child has been involved in the decisions about care planning and has visited a semi-independent home. Continued support is in place to help the child settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are generally well considered. Staff have helped one child, who has a health condition, to be able to address their health need sensitively. The child has become more confident as a result. Children attend routine appointments. However, one child has difficulty managing their weight and has been allowed to regularly consume unhealthy food and have unhealthy eating patterns. Not addressing these health concerns could have an impact on the child’s physical and emotional well-being.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1234243 4 Staff have appropriate safeguarding training. They understand procedures and implement them. Social workers and parents feel assured that safeguarding is effective.

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

There have been some incidents of children going missing from home. Staff manage these well. Children are always welcomed back to the home. Staff always explore why children have gone missing from the home. Listening to children and understanding them has helped keep incidents minimal.

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

One child previously had regular self-injurious behaviours. Positively, the child has not had an incident for over a year. The social worker attributes this to the trust the child has built through positive relationships with staff and that they feel safe at the home. Staff have ensured that the child has safer ways to manage behaviours, including self-soothe boxes.

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

Staff help children to understand risks. Children are helped to understand online safety and grooming. They understand how to keep themselves safe, which helps reduce the risks to children.

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

The staff have training to hold children safely. Holding children has been used on one occasion and it was not in accordance with the training received. However, the hold was necessary, brief and proportionate, and the child was not injured. The manager identified this and ensured that staff had effective reflective debriefs. Learning from incidents helps to reduce the likeliness of reoccurrence.

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

Since the previous inspection, one consequence has been used, which was fair, proportionate and relevant to the behaviour. However, the manager has delayed reviewing the consequence for proportionality and effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is on an agreed period of leave. The interim manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted. She is working towards an appropriate qualification and is supported by a competent deputy manager. Staff morale is high, and children benefit from a stable and consistent staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the interim manager and are proud to work at the home. One staff member said, ‘I would do anything for the children, it doesn’t feel like a job. It is such a lovely home.’ Staff put the children’s needs first.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is good quality, and staff receive regular supervision. Staff either have, or are working towards, a level 3 diploma within agreed timescales. They benefit from a psychotherapist who provides therapeutic training. Staff said that training helps them to understand and meet the children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 1234243 5 Two social workers spoke highly of the staff and manager. One social worker said that the interim manager and staff ‘go above and beyond for children’. They said that communication is good and that care planning is excellent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has good oversight of the home. The independent person’s reports and the reports on the review of the quality of care are good quality. The interim manager uses feedback from external people and actions from her review to make continuous improvements at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1234243 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children eat a healthy, balanced diet, take part in regular exercise and are not spending prolonged periods of time in their bedrooms. 1 October 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that consequences used to address behaviour are reviewed for effectiveness in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and Inspection report for children’s home: 1234243 7 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: 1234243 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: C/O DWF Company Secretarial Services Limited, 1 Scott Place 2 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AA

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Inspector

Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1234243 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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