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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post for 2 years.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living in the home. The inspectors spoke with 2 children.

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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 October 2024

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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: 2494962 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/10/2024 Full Good 17/10/2023 Full Outstanding 14/02/2023 Full Outstanding 09/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care from the staff in the home, who are committed in their roles. Staff promote children’s individual needs, and all children are making progress. Professionals were complimentary about the care provided to children in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a large, welcoming environment. The home is well maintained, with the communal areas reflecting the interests of the children. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and children choose what they would like their rooms and the home to look like. Children can have pets in the home. Through the experiences of having pets, children learn the responsibility of caring for an animal, and ways to positively express their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are prepared well for their futures and transitions are managed well. When children come to live in the home, they are given a warm welcome. Children visit the home and meet staff and the other children before moving in. This helps children to settle quickly in the home. The manager is considerate of the children’s contrasting needs and how the home would be able to meet the needs of all of the children in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well, advocate on their behalf, and work hard to build positive, trusting relationships with the children. Where there are barriers to building relationships, staff are curious to understand and overcome these. Children, their families and professionals are positive about the relationships that they have with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can share their views regularly and share any worries or wishes they may have with the staff. One child recently attended a football match for the first time, something they had always wanted to do. Staff listen to what children say and go the extra mile to ensure that they are provided with positive opportunities and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress educationally and are supported and encouraged by staff to attend their learning. Staff advocate for children’s educational needs, and they work closely with education providers. Staff support children in choosing their next steps in developing their future aspirations.

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

Children say they feel safe in the home and professional feedback supports this. Safeguarding arrangements for children are effective and risks have reduced for children since living in the home. The staff and managers are strongly involved in multi-agency working and seek support and guidance when required from other professionals, to ensure children’s needs are met. A psychologist works with the home to further staff’s understanding of the children and provide tailored therapeutic support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 4 Children have up-to-date individualised risk management plans that reflect their needs. Children’s risks and behaviours are well understood by staff. Children have bespoke behaviour plans, identifying potential triggers and how to respond to de-escalate situations. This helps children to understand their behaviours, and staff to know how to best support children.

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

Where risks are identified, this is addressed well in children’s plans, and staff have discussions with children to address the identified risk factors. Children know how to make complaints and are given regular feedback so that they know what is happening and why.

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

Staff are equipped to manage and support the children well. Staff are trained in a therapeutic approach, and children are supported to understand their emotions and behaviours. As a result, the use of physical intervention is exceptionally rare, and there have been no missing-from-home episodes for the children since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed and focused on achieving good outcomes for the children. The manager is experienced and provides the home with stability and continuity. Feedback from staff was consistently positive about the support and management provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children very well and effectively advocates on behalf of children to ensure their needs are met. The manager and staff celebrate all the children’s achievements and provide an array of experiences and opportunities for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions for staff are reflective, and staff say that they find this regular support helpful for their practice. Staff also say that they access training that has a direct and positive impact on their practice. The manager provides opportunities for staff to have specific training tailored to the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent staff team, who are committed to the children. The manager and staff care deeply about the children and are excellent advocates for them. Professional feedback is positive about the impact that this has had for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems in place to ensure the effective running of the home. However, this oversight is not always replicated consistently in staff practice. There have been some incidents when the home’s policies and procedures have not been adhered to, particularly when the manager is not present in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safe recruitment practice is not fully embedded for all staff who come to work in the home. One new employee did not have their most recent reference. This means the manager is unable to be assured that all checks have been completed before new staff come to work in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home. In particular, there should be clear plans in place to maintain the effective management of the home when the manager is absent. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure good employment practice. In particular, the registered person should ensure that two written references, including a reference from the person’s most recent employer are obtained for each newly employed worker. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2494962 6

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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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Inspectors

Dawn McCluskey, Social Care Inspector (lead) Amy Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2494962 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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