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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2655345 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

The home is owned by a private company and provides care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home, and both contributed their views for the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the registered manager was absent from the home. An interim manager, who has applied to register with Ofsted to cover the registered manager’s absence, is currently overseeing the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2655345 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Outstanding 13/09/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2655345 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and welcoming home. Photos displayed throughout celebrate the children’s achievements and life experiences, reinforcing their place at the home. Children’s bedrooms are thoughtfully personalised and decorated to reflect their individual personalities, helping them feel valued and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build trusting relationships with children. Children can identify adults they feel comfortable approaching if they have worries or concerns. Children say they feel safe in the home and that staff listen to them and take their views seriously. One child specifically identified the interim manager as someone they feel well supported by, describing how the manager helps them to ‘work through things’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with the people who are important to them. Staff actively advocate to ensure that children maintain these relationships, helping to strengthen their sense of identity and belonging. A child’s family member described staff as ‘pretty amazing’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent and effective advocacy for children in relation to their education. When children experience difficulties settling in school, staff work proactively with education providers to ensure that appropriate support is identified and put in place. Management requests regular multi-agency meetings to promote effective collaboration and ensure that children receive the support they need to engage positively in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive some support to develop their independence. However, this is limited and lacks consistency. Opportunities for regular and meaningful discussions with children about independence skills are not embedded in practice. As a result, children are not consistently helped to develop the skills they will need for the next stage of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements, both large and small, are consistently recognised and celebrated by staff. This positively supports children’s self-esteem and confidence. One child proudly displays their certificates in their bedroom, demonstrating a strong sense of pride in their accomplishments and the value placed on their efforts by staff.

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

Children feel able to approach staff and openly express when they have harmed themselves. Children trust staff and feel safe seeking support. Children are responded to with sensitivity and are praised for speaking openly. Where required, children are offered appropriate medical attention. Following any incidents of self-harm, risk assessments are reviewed and updated promptly to ensure that they remain current and reflect the child’s ongoing needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655345 4 Staff have a good understanding of the risks faced by children living at the home. Despite staff’s understanding of children’s risks and their prompt action in response to concerns, opportunities to help children understand these risks for themselves are limited. As a result, children are not consistently supported to build their own knowledge, confidence and resilience in managing risk. When discussions occur, they tend to take

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

place after incidents and are largely reactive rather than part of proactive safety planning.

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

Not all risk assessments are sufficiently detailed or robust. Some assessments do not clearly identify the specific actions staff should take to support children in managing known risks. Additionally, there is a lack of clarity regarding agreed thresholds for escalation, such as when a child should be reported as missing. This creates inconsistencies in staff responses and represents an area for further development.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff take appropriate and timely steps to maintain contact with them and to try to locate them. Relevant individuals are notified in line with procedures. On their return, children are given time and space to share their reasons for going missing. These discussions help staff to better understand the child’s experiences and offer more tailored support.

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

Children’s concerns about staff are taken seriously and addressed promptly. Staff speak to children in an age-appropriate way and keep them informed about any actions taken. Concerns are managed in line with safeguarding procedures, including notifications to the local authority designated officer where required. All concerns are thoroughly investigated by management, and appropriate action is taken to ensure children’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager can identify strengths and areas for development effectively in the staff team. They are proactive in supporting staff practice, ensuring that staff are well equipped to meet the needs of the children and provide effective care and support. Management has thorough oversight of the home, which allows any areas for development to be quickly identified and addressed in the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are fully up to date with all mandatory training. They receive additional, specialist training that reflects the individual needs of the children in their care, including training in supporting children who self-harm. Staff benefit from regular reflective practice sessions led by an in-house psychotherapist. This enables them to reflect thoughtfully on their practice, deepen their understanding of children’s emotional needs, and continually strengthen the support they provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management and staff consistently advocate for children, including with external professionals. They demonstrate a strong understanding of how early childhood experiences can affect children’s emotional wellbeing and behaviour, and they use this knowledge to inform their approach to care and support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655345 5 Staff benefit from regular team meetings, during which children’s needs and progress are discussed in detail. These meetings provide an effective forum for identifying areas for staff development. Managers use this opportunity to offer guidance and targeted support. In addition, staff receive tailored workshop sessions that further strengthen their skills and professional development, ensuring that they are well equipped to meet the evolving needs of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655345 6

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Statutory requirement

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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children receive consistent support from staff to provide them with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe. The registered person should also ensure that risk assessments include detailed steps the staff should take when there are safeguarding concerns. 21 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2655345 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care or living independently. This includes helping the child develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support, as well as practical skills for independent living, such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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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: 2655345 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

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Louisa West, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2655345 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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