Children's Home run by New Horizons (Stockport) Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 1 SC472680

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Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) 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

The children’s home is operated by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 4 children living in the home at the time of the inspection, and they all spoke with the inspectors

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2018.

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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: good Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2025 Full Good 21/01/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/10/2024 Full Inadequate 14/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 3

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Summary of findings

Children living in the home are making good progress from their starting points. Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and provide consistent care, which supports their development, safety and wellbeing.

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Summary of findings

Staff have access to a training programme that provides opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. However, delays in completing mandatory training and required qualifications mean that staff are not always fully up to date with essential learning. The manager is aware of these gaps and is taking steps to strengthen oversight and monitoring arrangements to ensure training compliance improves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have lived in the home for a year or more, providing them with stability and consistency of care. This has enabled them to develop positive relationships with staff and to make progress across all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home on an emergency basis. Although the manager gathered relevant information at the point of referral, it quickly became clear that one child’s needs were greater than initially understood. The manager worked closely with the placing authority to support a planned move to a more suitable environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood. They are supported to access specialist services that promote their emotional wellbeing and help them make sense of their life experiences. Staff work effectively with external professionals to ensure that children’s needs are understood and responded to appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s education and take a proactive approach to supporting learning. They work closely with education providers to ensure that each child is engaged in learning opportunities tailored to their individual needs. As a result, children are supported not only to participate in education but also to work towards and achieve recognised qualifications.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is actively supported and encouraged. Staff work with children’s families and professionals to ensure that children spend meaningful time with their loved ones. This helps to strengthen children’s sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in hobbies and activities that reflect their individual interests. Staff provide opportunities for children to contribute to decisions about meals and activities. As a result, children feel listened to and are actively involved in shaping their daily lives. One social worker commented, ‘The home provides a nurturing and structured environment, with clear boundaries and consistent care. Staff are particularly Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 4 effective in building relationships, offering emotional support and creating opportunities for positive experiences.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The building is large and spacious, enabling children to spend time together or enjoy their own space when needed. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their interests. However, some furniture is showing signs of wear and tear, particularly in children’s bedrooms. This detracts from the overall quality of the living environment.

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

Children have adults in their life who they can trust to help keep them safe. When there is an incident of self-harm, staff ensure that children receive first aid and offer medical attention. When necessary, staff carry out welfare checks to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing.

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

Missing-from-home episodes have been well managed and responded to promptly by staff. Staff search for children and collect them when they are ready to return home. Records document the actions taken and include management oversight.

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

Risk management plans are personalised to children. They are comprehensive, easily accessible and guide staff practice. Plans are regularly reviewed and updated to address any emerging patterns or new risks. This means that incidents involving children are infrequent.

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

Children have support and advice to help them understand how to keep themselves safe online. Staff talk to children about internet safety and encourage responsible use of mobile phones and social media. However, the frequency of phone checks is not consistent. This means that staff cannot be assured that emerging online risks are identified and addressed in a timely manner.

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

Children are encouraged to raise their views or make complaints when they are unhappy. Staff ensure that children understand the complaints process and help them to develop the confidence and skills to advocate for themselves. When necessary, the manager escalates concerns on children’s behalf to ensure that their voices are heard and that appropriate action is taken. This helps children to feel listened to and valued.

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

Staff have regular conversations with children about issues that matter to them, including staying safe, education, feelings, family relationships and hobbies and interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified and keeps children at the centre of practice. She is committed to improving outcomes for children and is supported by a deputy manager. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 5 There is a stable staff team in place, whose members have varied skills and experience. Staff speak positively about the support they receive, and a member of staff said, ‘I receive support in my role, and there is a strong culture of teamwork.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a training programme that supports them to develop the knowledge and skills needed to meet children’s needs. However, oversight of training is not sufficiently robust. Several staff have not completed their required qualification within the expected timescales, and some mandatory training has not been completed or refreshed when due.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains oversight of all aspects of the home, but this oversight is not always applied consistently or with sufficient evaluation. As a result, some opportunities to fully analyse practice and identify learning are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision and appraisals are carried out in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Team meetings take place regularly and provide a forum for information-sharing and discussion. External agencies are invited to attend these meetings, which supports effective multi-agency working and promotes a coordinated approach to meeting children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is maintained to an acceptable standard and that children’s furniture is replaced when showing signs of wear and tear. 26 July 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 26 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 7 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(g)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff complete relevant training so that they have the required knowledge and understanding to meet the needs of children. This includes completing their qualifications in the appropriate timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that oversight is routinely recorded, reviewed and evaluated to drive improvement and consider any possible learning outcomes

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and the placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day- to-day basis, and the arrangements for social media and phone checks should be recorded on plans in agreement with placing authority and kept updated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC472680 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (Stockport) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 154–156 Buxton Road High Lane, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 8EA

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Inspectors

Shauna Morley, Social Care Inspector Claire Foster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC472680 9 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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