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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2554918 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

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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 provider. It is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke to all the children about their experiences of living at 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2554918 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/05/2025 Full Good 17/07/2024 Full Good 17/04/2023 Full Good 20/04/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2554918 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 2 children have been welcomed into the home and one child has remained living there. The home has recently been registered to provide care for children with learning disabilities.

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Summary of findings

The children are making positive progress in all areas of their lives. Leaders, managers and staff demonstrate a sensitive, committed and supportive approach to meeting children’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a comfortable, personalised and well-maintained home. Toys, activities and games, including a new trampoline, are accessible. This helps to create a warm, homely atmosphere that contributes positively to children’s enjoyment and shared time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff engage children in purposeful conversations that promote understanding and progression. Children benefit from child-centred key-work sessions that focus on issues affecting them. Staff are confident in talking to children about sensitive matters, and this helps children to feel emotionally safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel happy, safe and listened to. One child said, ‘It [the home] is amazing, I love it.’ Another child said they are pleased that they live with their brother, and the staff are amazing and understand their needs well. One child’s teacher said that although the child cannot communicate verbally, their body language shows they feel safe and secure with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care through the home’s effective partnership working with external professionals. Education is prioritised and plans are regularly reviewed, with children’s views carefully considered. One child is supported to travel out of area to attend school, to maintain consistency and friendships. This arrangement is having a positive impact on the child, and the importance of this has been echoed by their social worker, who confirmed that maintaining the school placement is important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with family and friends as detailed in their plans. Staff work hard to ensure children have opportunities to enjoy a variety of social activities, both together and on their own. This includes specialist swimming lessons, horse riding lessons, going to the gym and visiting the fair. As a result, children are gaining new social and leisure experiences while developing new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a clear understanding of one child’s individual communication needs and consistently engage with them effectively. The child is well supported to develop their non-verbal communication skills, using a range of techniques and support strategies. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2554918 4 manager has sought support and guidance from education, health services and relevant training providers to further develop and strengthen this practice.

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

Risks to children are well understood. Staff benefit from clear plans that guide their practice and support safe, proportionate responses to risks. These plans are strengthened by effective partnership working.

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

Allegations made by children are taken seriously and investigated promptly. Children are consulted and kept informed. Staff carry out appropriate planned follow-up work, prioritising children’s needs.

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

Staff respond promptly when there have been near misses and minor incidents. This ensures that children feel safe and confident that staff will take appropriate action when needed. As a result, children go directly to staff when they feel worried or concerned. One child said that staff make them feel 100 per cent safe and they understand that the boundaries in place are to keep them safe.

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

Incidents involving physical interventions are rare. When staff do intervene, this has been to keep children safe, and once all other de-escalation techniques have been exhausted. Post-incident debriefs for both children and staff are consistently carried out and ensure children’s voices are heard. As a result, children’s relationships with staff are effectively maintained.

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

Staff take a consistent approach to encourage positive behaviour. One social worker said that staff consistently respond to incidents appropriately and always update them immediately. Rewards and consequences are personal and encourage positive choices. This means children are helped to reflect and learn.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a confident and experienced manager. He knows the children well and their happiness and progression are a priority. The manager’s ethos is shared by the staff team, creating a warm, caring, and nurturing home environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported. The manager recognises the importance of staff wellbeing when caring for children. As a result, staff morale is high and children benefit from a stable and experienced team. Staff bring a range of skills and interests that positively impact children. A social worker commented that children enjoy a wide range of experiences with staff, adding, ‘I can only praise the home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access ongoing training and professional development opportunities. The manager has acted promptly to source specialist training to meet the needs of one child who has a learning disability. This has ensured that all staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to support the children they are caring for. One member of staff has been Inspection report for children’s home: 2554918 5 delayed in completing their restraint training. The manager has appropriately put measures in place to manage this and to ensure the safety of children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly. They are valuable and well attended, with a strong focus on meeting children’s needs and promoting staff wellbeing. However, appraisals of staff performance and fitness for their roles have not been carried out for over a year. A requirement has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working with multiple agencies is a notable strength of the home. External professionals speak highly of the manager and staff. One social worker said, ‘Their communication is fantastic.’ And one class teacher said, ‘I have nothing but positive feedback to give about the care that [name of child] receives from the carers, They greet him with warmth and care.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2554918 6

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c) 8 July 2026

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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: 2554918 7

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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

Julia Edwards, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2554918 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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