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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1224663 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 privately operated and provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The child was seen during the inspection and contributed by sharing their views.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is currently vacant.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1224663 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/03/2025 Full Outstanding 06/03/2024 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1224663 3

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Summary of findings

Staff build strong relationships with children through time spent with them and show that they are cared for through their interest in them. Through unified care, the child experiences clear routines and boundaries. Staff explore risk with children to allow them to develop their understanding and independence. Relationships are actively built with families and professionals, and staff advocate strongly for children, ensuring that their voice is heard. Due to a lack of leadership, there is inconsistent oversight and limited support for staff, leading to missed opportunities for development. There is inconsistent recording of the care that the child is receiving, which leads to missed opportunities for reflection. The home is decorated to a high standard but lacks personalisation and input from the child to create a greater sense of connection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have left the home to live with their families. Staff advocated strongly for the children and worked closely with partner agencies to ensure that plans were clearly communicated, reducing uncertainty. Staff celebrated the children’s time in the home through photos and shared memories, and they maintained communication with the children’s families following their move to remind children that they are kept in mind.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is well promoted. Staff attend meetings and liaise with relevant professionals to progress provision. The child is encouraged to attend school, and staff support them through consistent daily routines. A mentor has been provided for one child to increase their confidence, which has led to them feeling able to take part in exams alongside their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to access a range of social activities. The child enjoys spending time with animals and dining out, and they have enjoyed a trip away with staff. Staff support the child to develop friendships and encourage them to express their feelings when relationships are challenging. Staff provide opportunities for the child to reflect and learn from difficult situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been changes to the staff team, with some core members of staff leaving to work in another home in the organisation, affecting the child living in the home. However, there are plans in place for the child to maintain contact with these staff members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a good standard and has undergone some renovation, with a new kitchen being fitted. There has been inconsistency in ensuring that the child’s bedroom is clean and tidy. Furthermore, managers and staff have not provided opportunities for the child to contribute to the decor of the home or their bedroom to reflect their personal tastes and preferences. Inspection report for children’s home: 1224663 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s individual needs and take appropriate action to keep children safe. Staff talk to children to help them understand their behaviour, which has created a culture of understanding and helped to reduce behaviours of concern. However, risk management plans do not detail all known risks or provide sufficient written guidance for staff to follow to keep children safe.

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

Staff have worked creatively and collaboratively with children’s parents and involved professionals to manage risks relating to the internet and technology. Staff carefully consider how they approach children to ensure that they create an open and nurturing environment in which children feel able to express their worries. Healthy daily routines are well promoted so that children’s use of media and technology does not disrupt their sleep routines.

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

When incidents occur, the registered manager and staff respond effectively to keep children safe. Room searches are carried out appropriately to ensure that children do not have access to items that may cause them harm.

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

Staff know the child living in the home well. Staff have benefited from time to reflect on their roles with the organisation’s therapist, and this has increased their understanding of the child’s needs. While this has been positive, there is limited evidence in the child’s plans of how this support has informed staff practice.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents of children going missing and no use of physical intervention for children at the home. Appropriate consequences have been used sparingly.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place to ensure that only suitable individuals are employed to work with children at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been changes to the management arrangements since the last inspection. There is currently no registered manager in post, and the responsible individual has been absent from work for a period. Another responsible individual in the organisation has recently been appointed to provide support to the staff at this home. The lack of management oversight has led to ineffective monitoring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are not confident in using the home’s electronic recording system. This hinders staff’s ability to ensure that accurate records for children are maintained. Furthermore, records do not demonstrate sufficient oversight from leaders and managers, meaning that opportunities to reflect on children’s care needs, develop staff practice and address shortfalls have been missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 1224663 5 There is a new staff team in place. Staff are positive about the training they received as part of their induction. However, while staff have received informal support from another manager in the organisation, they have not received formal, reflective supervision. This does not ensure effective oversight of staff practice or support continuous improvement in children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not assessed the suitability of the home’s location in line with regulations. External professionals have not been given the opportunity to express their views regarding the location of the home or any risks in the community. Consequently, staff may not be fully aware of potential risks to children in the community. Inspection report for children’s home: 1224663 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 provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

There is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 3 August 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

ensures that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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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 (2)(e)(g)(h)) 3 August 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are given a choice about how their personal space is decorated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)  The registered person should ensure that the home is suitably located so that children are safeguarded effectively and can access services to meet their identified needs. The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location, along with strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 1224663 7

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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: 1224663 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Dirican

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Inspector

Rebecca Barker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1224663 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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