Children's Home run by New Horizons NW Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 1 Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) 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 provider. It provides care for up to 4 children with emotional and/or social difficulties and/or special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 4 children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Two children have moved out of the home, and 2 children have moved in. The inspector spoke to 5 of 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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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 staff in 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2025 Full Outstanding 04/02/2025 Full Outstanding 30/01/2024 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 3

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Summary of findings

Children make exceptional progress in the care of staff, who care for them unconditionally. Staff are skilled at implementing routines for children which mirror their developmental needs. This helps them to make outstanding progress in engaging in formal education, especially children with more complex health needs.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers in the home are both highly visible and supportive. The registered manager was on holiday at the time of the inspection; however, this did not impact on the effectiveness of the management oversight of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Care planning for children is exceptional. A child who has recently moved into the home said, ‘I have made so much progress and only been here a short time.’ Another child, who has now left the home, said, ‘They [staff] pulled me out of some tough times.’ This child has successfully moved out of the home to live on their own and attends college, with firm plans to establish a career in public service. The unconditional commitment to children’s progress by managers and staff helps children to flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff focus on helping children to stay connected to the people who are important to them. Parents say that thanks to the outstanding support of the staff, they now have positive relationships with their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff skilfully build routines into children’s daily lives. This has supported children to thrive in their educational settings. As a result, all the children attend education and have firm ambitions for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff’s relationships with children are built on trust. All children speak highly of the staff, and they love spending time with them. Children seek them out to chat about their day or talk about things that are worrying them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support children to lead on activities, which are based on their individual interests. Children say that when they suggest an activity, it is met with enthusiasm by staff. Staff help children to build their confidence, and one child said, ‘That’s what they do, they push you so that you are able to do more stuff.’ Children enjoy water fights in the summer and days out horse riding as well as regularly attending local youth clubs and Police Cadets. Children’s confidence flourishes from the moment they begin living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The kitchen is the heart of the home, where children naturally gravitate to spend time with each other as well as staff. However, some areas of the home require minor repairs. In addition, there are repairs that are not always completed quickly and to a Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 4 high standard. Managers have identified that a child’s bedroom needs to be repainted and the floor replaced, but this has not yet been done.

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

Staff support children to build positive relationships with each other. Children enjoy spending time together with staff supervision, which is unintrusive. When children do have arguments, staff take appropriate steps to help them calm and resolve their disagreement. This means that children develop important social skills safely within the home.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff take immediate action. They skilfully evaluate the right time to follow up and speak with children about the risks, so that children can talk openly without feelings of shame. As a result, the number of missing- from-home incidents for one child has reduced significantly.

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

Staff attune to children’s emotions and help them to understand and process their feelings when they are upset. Staff introduce children to new techniques that not only help them to self-soothe but also promote positive mental health.

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

Staff have received training tailored to the needs of the children. Managers are persistent in identifying training that reflects the children’s changing needs. This has created a staff team that is confident and equipped with skills that reflect the children’s emotional and health needs.

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

Staff empower children with the knowledge they need to understand and manage their health needs. One child with a serious health condition struggled to take their daily medication. This resulted in frequent emergency involvement from medical professionals, which the child found intrusive. Managers and staff went on a learning journey alongside the child to understand their condition and what the medication is for. The child now proudly talks about how calm things are as they take their medication regularly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is meticulous in her organisation and planning of the home. Together with the deputy manager, staff are led by a leadership team which is highly motivated and child focused.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers embed research-based practice in the home. This helps staff to develop a high level of curiosity, particularly when children become upset. They seek to understand the emotions underneath children’s behaviour. This helps children to communicate their feelings without feeling judged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers hold regular supervision meetings with staff, reviewing their practice and checking in on their wellbeing. Staff are supported to explore their own Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 5 thoughts and feelings in a safe space to ensure that their practice remains child focused. As a result, children receive consistently calm and positive responses from the staff caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers respond to allegations made by children effectively. They act without hesitancy to ensure that every allegation is explored and escalated to the relevant safeguarding professionals by managers. Children live in a home where their voices are heard to ensure that they are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are ambitious for the quality of service they provide for children. The registered manager has implemented a system of monitoring that shares positive outcomes with the children as well as driving improvements. Areas of development are identified at the earliest opportunity and acted upon. However, leaders and managers sometimes miss the opportunity to ensure that they fully evaluate if children’s risks can be managed to ensure that they can live together safely before they move in. Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that one child’s bedroom is repainted and the flooring replaced, and that any repairs needed to the home are completed quickly and to a high standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2670262 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 17-18, Navigation Business Village, Navigation Way, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 2YP

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2670262 8 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 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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