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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a large private organisation. The home cares for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 2

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Findings from the inspection

Widespread concerns were identified during this assurance inspection regarding the care and protection of children.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. Two children had previously moved out following the provider’s decision to end their placements. These decisions were influenced by poor planning and insufficient consideration of the children’s needs prior to admission. The endings were not positive, as both placements concluded after short durations. Neither child made measurable progress during their time at the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The communal areas of the home are well decorated and maintained. However, the child’s bedroom requires attention. The carpet and walls are stained and worn. During the inspection, staff were observed assisting the child with cleaning their bedroom.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are not proactive in supporting the child’s health needs. Although concerns about weight loss were identified in the child’s looked-after child’s medical assessmen, staff failed to monitor this effectively. Support from health services was only sought after the issue was raised by the independent visitor several months later, resulting in a delay in the child receiving appropriate healthcare.

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Findings from the inspection

The child’s case file does not contain the most recent statutory documentation. Staff have not taken reasonable steps to obtain these documents from the local authority. This limits the ability of managers and staff to provide care that aligns with the child’s care plan and statutory responsibilities.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not demonstrate sufficient professional curiosity in response to self-injurious behaviours. Efforts to remove items that could be used to cause harm are inconsistent and, at times, ineffective. On one occasion, the police were required to attend and remove items from the child’s bedroom that staff had failed to act on. This does not demonstrate effective safeguarding practice.

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Findings from the inspection

When the child leaves the home without permission, staff do not consistently follow agreed protocols. This results in varied responses and delays in returning the child to safety.

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Findings from the inspection

The home has been without a registered manager since the last inspection. Interim management arrangements have been poor and ineffective, involving multiple managers and leaders. Despite the instability, a manager has only been physically present in the home for up to eleven days each month. This has limited the support and consistency available to both the child and staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Monitoring and review systems are ineffective and do not challenge poor staff practice. Supervision is sporadic and, when it does occur, lacks quality and depth. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 3 Managers miss opportunities to address practice concerns and do not provide staff with meaningful reflective space. Notifications of significant events have frequently been submitted to Ofsted following delays, undermining the effectiveness of external oversight and safeguarding assurance.

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Findings from the inspection

Management oversight is not consistently robust. Leaders failed to respond appropriately to concerns raised by the child about a staff member’s practice. These concerns were not explored with the child or shared with relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer and the child’s social worker. Action to investigate the concerns was only taken after they were raised by the independent visitor more than two weeks later.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff sometimes implement punitive measures when managing behaviour. On one occasion, the child reported being ignored by a staff member following an incident, which caused them to feel unsafe and anxious. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/11/2024 Full Good 18/06/2024 Full Inadequate 22/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 5

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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 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—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)) 20 October 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

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 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality 20 October 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 6 of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to poor planning and impact consideration when children move in and out of the home. 20 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to managers and staff not having regular and meaningful supervision. 20 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This refers to children’s most up-to-date local authority documents not being available or on their case file. 20 October 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; 20 October 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 7 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))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to notifiable incidents being referred late into Ofsted.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that —

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

any form of corporal punishment; any punishment involving the consumption or deprivation of food or drink;

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Requirement Due date

any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on—

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Requirement Due date

a child’s contact with parents, relatives or friends; visits to the child by the child’s parents, relatives or friends;

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Requirement Due date

a child’s communications with any persons listed in regulation 22(1) (contact and access to communications); or a child’s access to any internet-based or telephone helpline providing counselling for children;

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Requirement Due date

the use or withholding of medication, or medical or dental treatment;

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Requirement Due date

the intentional deprivation of sleep; 26 September 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 8 imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation;

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Requirement Due date

withholding any aids or equipment needed by a disabled child;

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Requirement Due date

any measure involving a child imposing any measure against another child; or

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Requirement Due date

any measure involving punishing a group of children for the behaviour of an individual child. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff using punitive measures to implement consequences on the children.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 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: C/O DWF Company Secretarial Services Limited, 1 Scott Place 2 Hardman Street, Manchester M3 3AA

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Inspector

Latoya Morgan, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2578355 10 regulates and inspects 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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