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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2490996 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 home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for two children, and both children were spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager in post registered with Ofsted in October 2025 and is working towards his level 5 qualification.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2490996 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Good 16/01/2024 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good 22/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2490996 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is nicely decorated with lots of space for the children. The children’s bedrooms are personalised with their belongings, which makes their rooms feel homely. The garden is spacious, and it provides the children with lots of space to play and relax in, weather permitting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be polite and well-mannered by staff. Children say that they like living at the home. They are comfortable around staff and demonstrate a sense of belonging. Children speak positively about the staff and confidently seek them out for support to share everyday experiences. Warm, trusting relationships exist, and staff engage with the children in a nurturing way that helps children to feel safe and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend their routine health appointments and are supported by staff to do so when needed. When there is uncertainty about a child’s physical health, staff act appropriately and book a doctor’s appointment without delay. This approach helps children to feel cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s learning remains a priority for staff, despite its challenges. During these times, the manager works proactively with education professionals, schools and external agencies. The manager works to adapt learning resources and to maintain routines that promote children’s engagement and progress. Staff help children to stay motivated and overcome barriers to learning through consistently reinforcing the importance of education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child’s documents and plans do not reflect their cultural background or their first spoken language. This limits the child’s opportunities to celebrate their diversity and to receive fully inclusive care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has not consistently made appropriate referrals to specialist services for children who require additional support. As a result, some children have not received early intervention that could better meet their individual needs. Delays in seeking external guidance limit the effectiveness of children’s care plans and hinder their progress.

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

Staff know the children well and have a clear understanding of risks that affect them. Risk assessments are detailed and easy to follow. They provide staff with clear actions to manage risk effectively. Children respond positively to their safety plans. Staff are skilled in verbal redirection to prevent escalation in incidents to avoid the use of physical intervention. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490996 4 Children rarely go missing from the home. They spend time in the community with friends and ensure that staff are aware of their whereabouts. For one child, positive engagement with their plans has led to increased time in the community, reflecting the trust that has been built. Staff are familiar with the missing-from-home protocols and understand the steps to take should a child go missing.

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

Staff educate children about how to keep themselves safe online. Regular mobile phone and internet use checks help staff to ensure that children remain increasingly safe when using their devices. Staff also speak with children about sensitive topics in a non- judgemental and supportive way, providing them with a safe space to talk openly.

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

When serious incidents occur in the home, the manager and staff act appropriately and work closely with the child’s social worker, the police and the school. This collaborative approach ensures that all professionals are working towards the same plan.

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

The manager has not consistently notified Ofsted of all serious incidents that have occurred, both within the home and while children are at school. This limits the regulator’s ability to gain a clear understanding of how safeguarding concerns are managed and how the manager oversees these matters. Furthermore, notifications that are submitted occasionally lack all relevant information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is new to the home. In the short time he has been there he has built positive relationships with the children. Staff spoke highly of his commitment to the role and said that it has been a smooth transition with little disruption to the children. The manager has a clear development plan for the home and how the plan will move the home forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. This insight is based on regular monitoring and feedback from children, their families and professionals. This enables the manager to recognise what works well and where practice needs to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All professionals and one parent said that there are no concerns about communication with staff at the home. One parent said, ‘My son is making great progress, and that is because of the help provided by staff.’ One child’s social worker said, ‘The manager is a keen advocate for [child’s name] and will often send prompts asking for information and documents.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not demonstrated professional curiosity regarding one child’s emerging behaviours. The manager has put the behaviours down to the child’s diagnosed condition rather than exploring any underlying causes. This lack of curiosity has limited opportunities to identify changes in a child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions are reflective and focused on practice. They support professional development by providing staff with opportunities to adapt their approach to Inspection report for children’s home: 2490996 5 better meet children’s needs. Leaders and managers acknowledge staff’s good work and commitment, helping them to feel valued and supported in their role. Supervision sessions offer a safe space for staff to discuss personal circumstances.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have completed their mandatory training, which ensures they can meet children’s basic needs. However, they have not yet received some of the child-specific training required to support the complex needs of the children currently living at the home. This gap limits staff’s ability to provide fully informed and individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s auditing tools are ineffective. This is because some targets, aims and objectives in children’s statutory plans have been overlooked by the manager. This means that referrals to other services have not been followed up, prolonging one child’s waiting time for support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not consistently challenge one child’s inappropriate language. On occasions, the manager feeds into it, rather than modelling clear expectations. This limits the child’s understanding of acceptable boundaries and reduces opportunities for them to learn more respectful ways of communicating. As a result, inappropriate language can escalate or become normalised within the home, and staff miss important chances to reinforce positive behaviour and promote respectful communication. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490996 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that referrals for specialist services are made in a timely manner, that children’s needs are understood and that appropriate support is put in place. 2 January 2026

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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, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h)) 2 January 2026

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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 other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 2 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2490996 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that any safeguarding notifications sent to Ofsted contain all relevant information about the incident.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that each child’s cultural and linguistic background is documented in the children’s care plans. This is important so that staff can talk to children about their ethnicity and background so that they can better understand their identity. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should set an example of positive role modelling and not encourage inappropriate comments made by children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should ensure that they are familiar with the aims and objectives set out in the children’s statutory documents so they can guide staff in accordance with these and ensure that all staff are working towards the relevant plans for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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: 2490996 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

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2490996 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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