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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2740122 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 organisation. It provides care for up to 3 children with emotional and social difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out, and one child has moved into the home. Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector spoke with all 3 children about their experiences of living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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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 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

Date of last inspection: 28 October 2025

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2740122 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/10/2025 Full Good 17/03/2025 Full Good 09/01/2024 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2740122 3

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Summary of findings

Children live at a home where they are cherished by managers and staff who celebrate each and every achievement children make. Children thrive in an environment where they are supported to be ambitious about their futures.

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Summary of findings

Managers have embedded a solid foundation of trauma-informed practice. This provides children with the emotional safety they need to make exceptional progress in all aspects of their lives.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have developed deeply trusting relationships with the children. Their care is genuine and authentic, and children recognise that they are cared for and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff offer children unconditional love and acceptance from the moment they arrive at the home. Any anxieties children have about the transition are quickly quelled and they begin their individual journeys of progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff empower children to believe they can achieve their goals and ensure that they have the skills to reach them. They help children to establish what steps they need to take, supporting them to take ownership of their achievements. One child said, ‘Because of the people in this house, I’ve started to build a future that actually excites me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff establish clear boundaries and expectations, which are embedded into children’s daily lives with love and warmth. Children understand what will happen and why. This predictability helps them to feel secure and thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make excellent progress in education due to the persistence of staff. When children struggle to go to school, managers work collaboratively with teaching staff to create an individualised plan to support their return. When children cannot attend school, staff set clear expectations that education will continue each day regardless. Staff engage them in alternative learning activities that children find fun and interesting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children lead busy and active lives. They go on camping trips and holidays with staff, supporting them to explore nature as well as different cultures. Children develop meaningful friendships in the local area by going to their local youth club and enjoying sleep overs with school friends. Children make amazing memories while developing their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There is no doubt that this home belongs to the children. They take huge pride in their individualised bedrooms. The kitchen is currently being refurbished. Managers have Inspection report for children’s home: 2740122 4 plans in place to fit new carpets in the lounges and on the stairs once the new kitchen is finished. Children develop a strong sense of belonging to the home, which helps them to feel settled and wanting to remain living there.

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

When children’s vulnerabilities increase, there is a whole-team approach to understand the reasons. Staff identify strategies to keep children safe. They use interventions that are grounded in research-based practice. This ensures that children receive trauma- informed responses from staff, helping them to feel emotionally safe and supported.

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

Staff have a highly attuned understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities. Although there have been no incidents of children going missing from home, managers regularly discuss potential scenarios with staff in anticipation of changes in children’s risks. This ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills needed to respond to children’s emerging risks and keep them safe.

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

Staff consistently respond with patience and kindness when children are upset. This predictability in response helps children to talk about their worries and find a way to navigate their feelings safely.

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

When staff use physical interventions with children, they ensure that the children’s dignity and wellbeing remain at the heart of their practice. Staff use a grounded approach to support children to calm as quickly as possible. This helps children maintain their trust in the adults caring for them and begin to use their own strategies to self- soothe.

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

Staff ensure that children have positive relationships with each other in the home. Children enjoy spending time together and separately. When children do have disagreements, staff intervene with as little intrusion as possible while still ensuring that the situation is de-escalated effectively. Children learn how to resolve conflicts safely and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager, together with the deputy manager, form a formidable leadership team within the home. They are adored by the children, who cherish having them there to witness and celebrate their key achievements. Partner agencies describe the stability that children experience at the home, and this means that, ‘everything else just falls into place’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have firm ambitions for the quality of care they provide for every child. Managers constantly reflect on their leadership strategies to understand how they can improve their support for staff. This means that children are cared for by a team that is inspired and motivated to improve its practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2740122 5 Leaders and managers embed a firm culture of reflective practice into the home. Staff supervision meetings are of exceptional quality and are used as an opportunity to update staff knowledge and generate new ideas. Staff take ownership for improving their own practice without being prompted. This ensures that staff practice consistently reflects the developing needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have thorough oversight of the home. They consistently review any records for children made by staff, as well as having a supportive and effective presence in the home. Areas for staff development are identified quickly, and the support provided to them is highly effective, which enhances children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Records kept by staff are individualised and child focused. Managers support staff to invest time and care in each document, ensuring that they are written in a way which speaks directly to the child. This means that children’s views and experiences are accurately captured. However, managers on call do not consistently record the guidance they provide or the decisions they make when staff contact them during incidents. Although this has not resulted in a safeguarding shortfall for children, the lack of recording limits senior managers’ oversight and external scrutiny of the advice provided and the decisions made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2740122 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This includes ensuring that managers ‘on call’ record any conversations and guidance provided to staff as well as the rationale for any decisions made when incidents occur. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2740122 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 Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2740122 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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Inspector

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