Children's home run by New Horizons NW Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2797984 1 Registered provider: New Horizons NW Ltd

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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 owned and operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children's home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 12 February 2025

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2797984 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2797984 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are cared for by a highly dedicated and committed staff team. As a result, children living in the home make exceptional progress. They benefit from a warm, nurturing and stable home environment. They interact warmly and affectionately with staff, demonstrating the trusting relationships that they have developed. Staff know the children well and respond effectively to their emotional and developmental needs. Subsequently, children experience a strong sense of belonging and say that they are happy living in this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment is welcoming and provides a family-like atmosphere. Photographs of the children, staff and shared experiences are displayed throughout, reinforcing the children's identity and connection to the home. Children's bedrooms are personalised, well maintained and reflect their individual interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make significant and sustained progress from their starting points. For example, one child who previously required additional staffing now presents with significantly reduced levels of risk and is able to access free time in the community. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the staff support and the consistent high-quality care that they provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff routinely go above and beyond to meet children's needs. A staff member attends work on their day off to ensure that a child attends their therapy session. Such commitment enhances children's experiences and outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are well integrated into the local community. Both children attend the local youth club, and one child has formed positive peer relationships, with friends visiting the home. The children also participated in fundraising at Christmas for a local charity providing gifts to children in hospital, helping them to develop empathy and social awareness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff ensure that the children's educational needs are prioritised. Staff recognise children's educational strengths and abilities and advocate for them to access provisions that will help them to thrive and reach their full academic and social potential. One child, who was not in education before moving to the home, is now attending education full time and engaging well. Another child is preparing to transition from a specialist education setting into mainstream provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff recognise the importance of children maintaining relationships with significant people in their lives. Family time arrangements are well supported and sensitively managed by staff. One child's birthday was celebrated in the home with family and friends attending, helping them to sustain important familial connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Direct work with children is creative, purposeful and tailored to their individual learning styles. Staff use a range of tools, including mind-mapping, social stories and interactive Inspection report for children's home: 2797984 4 worksheets, to help children understand their experiences and develop new skills. Practice is informed by relevant research, ensuring that children receive high-quality guidance and support.

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

There is a strong safeguarding and trauma-informed culture in the home, which is embedded in staff practice. As a result, risks for children have reduced in all areas. Children say that they feel safe and that they are confident in approaching staff with any worries or concerns.

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

Staff have an excellent and detailed understanding of each child's risks and vulnerabilities. Support plans are highly individualised, clearly written and consistently implemented by staff. They are reviewed regularly and provide staff with purposeful, practical guidance that promotes safe and personalised care.

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

There has been a sustained reduction in incidents for children. Staff work with children to develop personalised 'calm-me-down routines', identifying strategies that support children when they feel distressed. These approaches are consistently applied and have been successful in preventing situations from escalating.

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

Physical intervention is rarely used and only ever as a last resort to keep children safe. When incidents occur, staff and managers complete debriefs with children to reflect on incidents and support their understanding of events. This helps children to develop skills to manage their emotions more effectively. Managers also provide reflective opportunities for staff to consider learning and areas for improvement. This promotes a culture of continual development.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. This demonstrates that they feel safe, secure and settled in their environment.

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

Robust safer recruitment processes ensure that only suitably vetted and safe adults work with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a committed and child-centred leader who models positive practice and provides direct support to both children and staff. This has created a culture where children's needs are prioritised, and staff feel confident in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has high aspirations for the children and demonstrates a determined focus on improving their outcomes. Her ambition, enthusiasm and experience contribute to a positive and motivated staff team. Morale is high, and staff speak positively about the support they receive. The manager is a strong advocate for the children and challenges partner agencies when necessary to ensure that their needs are met. Inspection report for children's home: 2797984 5 The manager and staff work effectively with external professionals to promote excellent outcomes for children. For example, when a child struggled in school, the manager attended the school, observed staff practice and provided constructive feedback to improve the child's experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Families and professionals speak highly of the team's dedication. One education professional described the home as the most committed they had encountered in their career.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff say that they feel well supported by the manager. They benefit from regular and meaningful supervision and team meetings that encourage reflection and the discussion of research-informed practice. The in-house psychologist contributes to these meetings when needed, helping staff to understand and meet children's individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff access a broad range of training, delivered both online and in person, which ensures that they have the skills required to care for the children effectively. The manager is proactive in identifying any specialist training that is required to meet the specific needs of the children. For example, she arranged foetal alcohol spectrum disorder awareness training when a child was referred for an assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous improvement. Monitoring systems are in place to review children's plans, staff practice and patterns in incidents. These systems are effective in ensuring that children continue to receive excellent care and support, although one shortfall was identified when they did not highlight that a child had not had an education, health and care plan review within timescales. Inspection report for children's home: 2797984 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that where a child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan that they have EHC plan reviews. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 26, paragraph 5.4)

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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: 2797984 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: New Horizons nw ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: New Horizons (N W) Ltd, Unit 17-18, Navigation Business Village, Navigation Way, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 2YP

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Natalie Waterhouse

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Inspector

Michelle McGrath, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2797984 8 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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