Children's home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to four children who may have special educational needs and/or social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2025. He is suitably experienced and is working towards his level 5 leadership and management qualification.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Good 18/03/2024 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 25/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate confidence in implementing the home’s therapeutic model. They place children’s well-being at the forefront of their practice. Both children were spoken with during the inspection and said they felt loved, well cared for and safe. This creates an environment where children can comfortably express their feelings and share any worries they might have.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of activities. One child enjoys attending a local youth club, which provides them with opportunities to make friends. Children also experience fun holidays. Staff create personalised photo books that capture these special moments. This helps children to build positive memories and a sense of identity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with education professionals. Both children are making good progress with their learning. One child has progressed from home tuition to attending college. An education professional said, ‘I can’t thank the staff enough, they have been really supportive throughout the child’s transition to college.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are supported by staff, who ensure that children are registered with universal health services and attend routine health checks. This practice means that children’s health needs are understood by staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and their families are supported by staff, who facilitate visits to relatives who live at a distance. This consistent support has helped one child develop confidence in travelling, enhancing the quality of time spent with loved ones. A family member commented, ‘We can now go out for meals and enjoy activities together.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are actively involved in making decisions about changes to the home. They have chosen furnishings and decoration for the games room. However, damages that occur in the home are not always repaired in a timely manner, and there were shortfalls in the cleanliness of one child’s bedroom.

p.3

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

Staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and demonstrate confidence in raising and escalating concerns when necessary. Any concerns about staff are taken seriously, and managers work closely with other professionals to ensure that thorough investigations are completed. This approach promotes children’s safety and welfare.

p.3

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

Incidents where children hurt themselves are managed effectively, with staff working closely alongside other professionals. Consistent support and engagement in art therapy have significantly reduced incidents for one child. This has helped the child develop healthier coping strategies and improved their emotional resilience. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 4 Staff understand the risks to children and spend time talking with them to help them to develop skills to keep themselves safe. Staff have spoken with one child about online safety. This practice allows children opportunities to benefit from using the internet in a safe and supported way, promoting learning, communication and positive experiences.

p.3

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

When physical intervention is required, it is used as a last resort to keep staff and children safe. All incidents involving physical intervention are reviewed by the manager. Opportunities are provided to both children and staff to talk about incidents and to reflect and learn from them.

p.4

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

One child uses a restrictive vehicle harness when travelling. This restrictive measure has not been reviewed by the manager and other professionals. This impacts on the manager’s ability to know if the vehicle harness is appropriate and the least restrictive option.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced manager and deputy manager, who know the children well. Staff feel supported, valued and listened to, which contributes to children’s positive experiences of living in the home. Staff speak about the children with pride and passion. One staff member said, ‘We are here to help them, make them happy and feel safe.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A priority for the manager and staff is understanding the needs, wishes and feelings of children. For example, when children’s weekly catch-ups take place, the manager ensures a direct, personalised response to their requests. This helps children to feel listened to.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s clinical lead holds monthly reflective sessions with staff. These provide opportunities to discuss children’s needs and explore strategies that help staff to support children. Additionally, there are opportunities for staff to speak with the clinical lead about their own emotional well-being.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When new staff join the home, they receive a thorough induction. This introduces staff to the home’s therapeutic model and helps them to understand their responsibilities. This approach ensures that new team members develop an understanding of the home’s ethos and their role from the start.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals and parents involved with the home provide positive feedback about the manager and staff. One social worker said, ‘Communication is good, I am welcomed into the home when I visit, [name of child] is happy and well cared for.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

p.5

Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

p.5

Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child);

p.5

Requirement Due date

or a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any mechanical restraints used for children, such as vehicle harnesses, are reviewed regularly. Appropriate professionals must agree with the use, which is assessed as the safest and least restrictive option. 4 December 2025

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are provided with a welcoming and homely domestic environment. This specifically relates to staff checking and supporting children to clean bedrooms and ensuring that any damage in the home is rectified in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 6

p.5

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: 2612115 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O DWF Company Secretarial Services Limited, 1 Scott Place, 2 Hardman Street, Manchester M3 3AA

p.7

Inspector

Kirsty Truesdale, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2612115 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8