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

Inspection report children's home: 2572133 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group 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

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024 and has the relevant experience and qualification suitable to the role.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 23 September 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2572133 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/09/2025 Full Good 05/11/2024 Full Good 08/08/2023 Full Good 09/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2572133 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, four children have moved out of the home, and two children have moved in. Some moves were planned and in line with children's care plans, while others occurred following the provider serving notice on children's placements.

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Summary of findings

Children are supported to make progress in education.

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Summary of findings

The home has experienced a prolonged period of instability. There has been an increase in complaints, allegations and incidents of children going missing from home. Management oversight has not consistently been effective in identifying and responding to practice shortfalls in a timely manner.

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Summary of findings

The home is fully staffed, and no staff have left since the last inspection. However, team morale is low, and staff practice does not always demonstrate a consistent or therapeutic approach to meeting children's needs.

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Summary of findings

Five requirements and one recommendation have been made as a result of this inspection.

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improvement to be good

Both children said that they feel safe living in the home. They were able to identify trusted staff members whom they would approach if they were upset, demonstrating that children have developed positive relationships with staff. One staff member had a meaningful and child-friendly discussion with a child about racism. They used affirming language that encouraged the child to value themselves and their identity.

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improvement to be good

Children's cultural needs are not consistently understood or promoted. Staff do not always demonstrate sufficient awareness of, or respect for, children's individual identities. Children spoke about not enjoying some of the food provided and missing cultural foods since moving into the home. This does not adequately recognise or celebrate their heritage and identity and has the potential to negatively affect their sense of self and emotional well-being.

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improvement to be good

Children's education is valued, and staff work effectively with schools to support attendance and educational progress. Managers and staff are ambitious for children and encourage them to develop aspirations by building on their strengths and interests. For example, children attended a college open day, which broadened their awareness of future education and career opportunities.

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improvement to be good

Children's experiences of moving out of the home are not always positive. One child, who had lived in the home for a significant period, did not receive any celebration or Inspection report children's home: 2572133 4 opportunity to say goodbye to staff when they moved on. In another instance, a child's belongings were transported without sufficient care and attention, resulting in some clothing being stored in unsanitary conditions. This does not reflect the respect, dignity and thoughtfulness that children should experience when leaving the home.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home are tired and worn and require redecoration to provide a more welcoming and homely environment. Children's bedrooms are suitably furnished, and they are encouraged to personalise their rooms. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging within the home.

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improvement to be good

The home has experienced a prolonged period of instability, which has contributed to low staff morale. This has affected staff's ability to consistently provide nurturing and therapeutic care and has, at times, influenced their responses to children and reduced their patience when children are distressed. Despite these challenges, there has been no staff turnover, and staff have remained committed to ensuring that children continue to receive care from familiar adults.

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improvement to be good

There have been a high number of allegations. Most have been managed appropriately, with suitable action taken to safeguard children. However, on one occasion, the manager did not follow up an allegation thoroughly. This weakens safeguarding oversight and reduces assurance that all concerns are explored fully.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond to children who go missing from the home in line with their individual safety plans. They make appropriate efforts to locate children and work effectively with the police when children's whereabouts are unknown. However, practice to prevent children from going missing during the night has not been sufficiently robust. On one occasion, staff were unaware that a child had left the home until they were alerted by another child. This delay reduced staff's ability to respond promptly and increased risk to the child.

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improvement to be good

When physical intervention is necessary, staff adopt a calm and reassuring approach to help reduce children's distress. Holds are ended at the earliest safe opportunity. Following incidents, staff prioritise repairing relationships with children. This helps to minimise feelings of guilt and shame and supports children to regain a sense of emotional safety.

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improvement to be good

At times, staff have felt unable to manage children's behaviours, resulting in the police being called for assistance. This highlights the need for staff to further develop their skills and confidence in responding to challenging behaviour. Safeguarding notifications are not always submitted without delay, which reduces opportunities for timely external oversight and scrutiny of significant incidents. Inspection report children's home: 2572133 5

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

Management oversight has not always been effective in identifying shortfalls in practice and recording. There are gaps in supervision, and supervision has not consistently taken place in line with the organisation's policy. This limits opportunities to support staff development, improve practice and reduce the likelihood of repeated concerns.

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

On one occasion, staff were unaware that children had left their bedrooms during the night despite door alarms being in place. Records did not clearly evidence whether the alarms had been activated. As a result, managers were unable to determine how this oversight occurred or identify the learning needed to prevent recurrence.

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

Team meetings are held regularly and provide opportunities to discuss children's changing needs. However, the manager does not consistently use these meetings to address identified practice shortfalls. This is despite incident reviews identifying learning that should have been shared with the wider staff team. As a result, opportunities for reflection, learning and improvement are missed.

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

The manager speaks about children with warmth and affection, reflecting a genuine commitment to their welfare. She is a reflective and dedicated leader who is committed to providing children with safe care and positive experiences. A child-focused responsible individual has recently joined the leadership team and is already strengthening management oversight. Together, they demonstrate a clear understanding of the home's strengths and areas for development. They have identified appropriate actions to address shortfalls and are committed to improving the quality of care and outcomes for children.

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

Staff report feeling supported by the management team and describe the manager as approachable and available when needed. Feedback from external professionals praises staff's communication and commitment to supporting children's care and education. Inspection report children's home: 2572133 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 children receive care that meets their cultural, religious, linguistic and identity needs. This includes ensuring that staff actively support children to understand, value and maintain their heritage and identity.

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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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring children's identities and cultural needs are met, respected and valued. 12 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 12 August 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2572133 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to the registered person ensuring management is effective in highlighting and addressing shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children experiencing positive and planned moves in and out of the home. 30 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to he registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to supervision of staff taking place in line with the home’s policy of a minimum of six weekly. 30 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 12 August 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2572133 8 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii) (e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring notifications are sent without delay.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to their behaviour. Homes must also meet children's basic day to day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the child's basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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 children's home: 2572133 9

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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

Latoya Morgan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2572133 10 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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