Children's home run by Searchlight Care Services Ltd in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 1 SC411074 Registered provider: Searchlight Care Services Ltd

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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 children‟s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company. The home currently provides care to one young person.

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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

Date of last inspection: 3 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not judged

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Resilient and committed staff support the young person to make exceptional progress in respect of his social, behavioural and emotional development.  Staff develop positive relationships with the young person. These relationships are nurturing, sensitive and caring. This helps the young person to feel well cared for.  Staff use incentives and rewards to help the young person make remarkable improvements in his behaviour.  Proactive staff ensure that the young person is able to maintain his excellent attendance at school.  Staff act as positive role models to help the young person to develop his self- care skills.  The staff reassure and encourage the young person to take responsibility for his health. With support, he is accessing health services and so is accepting help to improve his emotional and physical well-being.  Staff develop good relationships with a wide range of services. This ensures that

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Key findings from this inspection

the young person benefits from well-coordinated and personalised support to meet his needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered provider has not ensured that staff only use physical restraint techniques that they are trained to undertake.  On one occasion, staff did not record that medication had been administered to the young person.  Parts of the home are in need of redecoration, to ensure that it offers a homely and pleasant environment for the young person to live in throughout.  Staff have not yet developed a plan with the young person to help him to keep himself safe in the community or when using the internet.  The registered provider does not use the quality of care review report to develop a clear plan about how to maintain and improve the standard of care provided to the young person. Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/02/2017 Interim Not judged 27/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 4

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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, 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 make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicine received into the children‟s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23(1) and (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, staff should adhere to the medicine administration policy and make a record of medicine administered without delay. 30/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which include details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35(1)(b) and (3)(a)(iv)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should only undertake restraints for which they have been trained. The registered person must review and take action when staff have not done so. 30/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care 30/08/2017 Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 5 provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(c)(3)).

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Recommendations

 For children‟s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of the children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children‟s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations; however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than „institutional‟ impression. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children feel safe and are safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with a range of partner agencies including the police, school, and child and adolescent mental health services. This enables the staff to provide tailored, multi- agency support to the young person. As a result, the young person has made significant progress during the relatively short period of time that he has lived at the home. Specifically, the young person‟s behaviour has dramatically improved, he is engaging with staff, he appears happier and calmer, and he is starting to manage his emotions better. The affection that staff have for the young person is clear, and they are proud of the achievements that he has made so far. A social worker told the inspector, „[The staff] have been absolutely fabulous. [Name of child] says he is happy there. He has formed some good relationships. They have done a marvellous job with him. I am just grateful about how hard they have worked with him.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Patient, caring and sensitive staff recognise the young person‟s need for lots of reassurance and emotional warmth. One professional told the inspector, „We have been really impressed by how they manage him, the amount of empathy they show him and Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 6 how much emotional warmth they give him. We are overwhelmed by the level of support that they offer.‟ As a result, the young person is showing signs that he trusts the staff. He will seek their support when he needs it rather than resorting to self-harming behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supporting the young person to overcome his fear of professionals so that he can access the support he needs. For example, where appropriate, staff ask visitors to come to the home in casual dress. They also arrange for important health appointments to be completed at the home so that the young person feels comfortable and less anxious. This approach is helping to empower the young person. A recent request by him to visit the doctor shows the progress that he is making. Staff provide the young person with a sense of security. Because of this, he is able to engage with support to meet his physical and emotional health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supportive staff use positive role modelling, encouragement and praise to help the young person develop his self-care skills. For example, as part of the morning and night- time routine, staff brush their teeth with the young person and praise him when he remembers to wash his hands without them needing to prompt him. The young person responds well to the clear routines in place and is making good progress with his personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the young person to engage in a range of activities. The staff use these positive experiences to develop their relationship with the young person and incentivise good behaviours. One of the young person‟s favourite activities is to go out with staff to get a monster milkshake! He also enjoys trips to the beach and to the park. The young person‟s enthusiasm for these activities motivates him to make positive choices about his behaviour, continue to attend school every day and to engage well with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported the young person to re-establish contact with one of his parents, facilitating and supervising the contact. This ensures that the young person is able to maintain his relationship with important family members and not feel isolated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the young person with lots of opportunities to share his views and be listened to. Daily chats with staff and key-work sessions are supplemented by a child- friendly monthly review. These interventions help the young person to reflect on his achievements, receive positive feedback and comment on how he feels he is doing. The young person‟s voice is heard and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is representative of a family home, with staff encouraging the young person to personalise his bedroom and put up photographs in his bedroom and lounge areas. Some areas of the home need redecorating to ensure that the young person is provided with a pleasant and homely environment throughout. Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 7

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

Staff liaised well with the police to respond proactively to the aggressive behaviours displayed by the young person following his initial admission to the home. The impact of this has been dramatic. Assaults on staff, self-harming behaviours and the young person‟s general level of aggression have all reduced considerably. In conjunction with the police, staff effectively support the young person to understand how his behaviour affects others. The young person is also learning how to manage his emotions better.

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

Staff use their positive relationships with the young person to calm him down and prevent situations from escalating. As a result, staff no longer need to use physical intervention to keep the young person and others safe from harm. However, on some of the occasions when physical intervention has been used, staff have used restraint techniques that they are not trained to use. Although this has not resulted in harm to the young person, it has placed the young person at potential risk of harm. Furthermore, the registered person has not evaluated these incidents and taken steps to prevent reoccurrence.

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

Staff use incentives to promote the young person‟s positive behaviour effectively. For example, staff cleverly use a mixture of reward systems. These include a lucky-dip box to provide instant gratification, and weekly targets which can earn the young person rewards such as going to a water park. A social worker said, „They have put some really good strategies in place.‟ Of equal importance is the staff members‟ consistent approach. Instances of the young person trying to play one staff member off against another have been quickly nipped in the bud. The young person responds well to this positive approach, with high levels of engagement and clear signs of improvements in his behaviour within the home.

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

Staff regularly review risk assessments to ensure that strategies to keep the young person safe are effective and proportionate. Due to the young person‟s age and assessed vulnerability, he is currently supervised when he is in the community or when he uses the internet. As a result, the risks associated with child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and bullying are managed. However, staff have not yet planned how they will support the young person to develop the skills and knowledge that he needs to keep himself safe from such risks.

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

Although the young person has not gone missing, staff take a cautious approach to this and recognise his vulnerability should such an event occur. Appropriate levels of staff supervision and a clear missing from care protocol mean that the risks associated with him going missing are well considered.

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

Staff ensure that medication, including controlled medicines, are appropriately stored. However, on one occasion staff did not document the dispensing of the young person‟s medication. This did not result in any harm to the young person. However, the failure to record, in a timely manner, that the medication had been given to the young person could have resulted in a medication administration error. Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 8

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been a change in manager. The new manager is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted. She is currently completing her level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. Of the five staff members, three have completed a qualification equivalent to the level 3 diploma for residential childcare. The remaining staff are either undertaking this qualification or are due to commence this on completion of their induction.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and described the manager as being approachable and available. Staff are up to date with all relevant training, and they receive regular supervision. These measures ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to support the young person to make progress across all aspects of his life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager keeps up to date with events and issues at the home. Overall, she has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager has completed a quality of care review, which reflects the progress that the home has made since the last full inspection. However, the manager has not used this review to identify a clear development plan. As a result, she has not set out how she is going to help the home to maintain and improve the quality of care delivered to the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff develop effective relationships with partner agencies, including the police, local authority, school, and child and adolescent mental health services. Staff coordinate and draw upon the input of partner agencies to ensure that the short-term needs of the young person are met. Staff also work with relevant partners to plan how best to meet the young person‟s long-term needs. Staff are good advocates for the young person, ensuring that his needs remain at the centre of multi-agency care planning.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children‟s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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: SC411074 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Searchlight Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Marcus House Estates, Marcus House, Stoke On Trent ST3 5XA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Denver Underwood

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post vacant/Janice Jacques

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Inspector(s)

Paul Robinson, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC411074 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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