Children's home run by Searchlight Care Services Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 1 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 one young person who has social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. The current manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2018 and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: 29 January 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2018 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 2

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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

In meeting the quality standards if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 10/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; and help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(iii)(iv)) 10/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met; and children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)) 10/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(ii)) 10/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14(1)(b)) 10/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers 10/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 3 the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(b)) 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 includes the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(vii) 10/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 10/03/2019

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improvement to be good

Between January and July 2018, no children or young people resided at the home. Since then, two young people have lived at the home.

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improvement to be good

The home is well presented. Repairs required to be made to the home are quickly addressed. This means that young people live in a homely and comfortable environment.

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improvement to be good

A new young person has recently moved into the home. The young person informed the inspector that, ‘The home is alright and staff are okay.’ He is beginning to settle and build positive relationships with some staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff help young people to see their families. This helps young people to maintain contact with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

When young people arrive and leave the home, they do not always experience a well- planned transition. For example, the decision to accommodate one young person was based on out-of-date information and there is little evidence of how managers satisfied themselves that they fully understood and could meet the young person’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not fully support young people to reach their potential. Although one young person is accessing education, another young person did not for the duration of his stay at the home. This young person was not provided with adequate structure or routine during this time. Although staff provided him with some support, no work was undertaken with him to understand his barriers to learning or to help him to understand the importance of education. As a result, the young person was out of formal education for some months and only had limited engagement with a tutor during this time. Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 4 Staff do not full promote young people’s health needs. For example, although one young person accesses health services, one young person was not registered with the dentist or a GP. While the young person was offered appointments, he refused to attend. There is little evidence that staff discussed key health issues with him or effectively helped him

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improvement to be good

to overcome his reluctance to engage in health services.

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improvement to be good

Staff only use physical restraint as a last resort and use successful de-escalation strategies instead. Only two restraint incidents have occurred since the last inspection. Managers have good oversight of such incidents to satisfy themselves that the use of restraint is proportionate and safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond appropriately when young people go missing from home. They work closely with the placing authorities, police and family members to ensure that young people are found and returned safely. When young people return to the home, they have the opportunity to talk to someone independent about why they went missing and what happened while they were away from the home. One young person’s missing episodes reduced over time.

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improvement to be good

Management oversight of consequences is not always effective. For example, staff continued to use the same consequence in response to a behaviour even when this did not bring about positive change. The staff’s lack of creativity in relation to consequences, and managers not acting quickly enough to rectify this, means that young people do not learn how to change their behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide young people with key-working sessions. These sessions give young people the opportunity to express their wishes and feelings. However, young people do not get enough support in key areas of need to address some of their risk-taking behaviours and discuss their well-being.

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

The last registered manager left in February 2018. Following the admission of a young person in August 2018, the home was managed by a registered manager from another home within the organisation. A new manager was appointed and was registered with Ofsted in December 2018. She has developed a good understanding of the needs and strengths of the home and is committed to bringing about improvement to the home.

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

Managers and staff develop some positive relationships with partner agencies, for example when managing missing from home episodes. However, partnership working is not consistently good. For example, the staff do not always challenge the placing authority sufficiently or escalate their concerns. When a young person was not in receipt of any formal education, the delay was not sufficiently challenged. Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 5 Staff report that morale within the home is good. They feel supported by the registered manager and staff receive regular supervision. This means that they have the opportunity to discuss their practice and development.

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

The current young person’s case file does not contain all required information to ensure that they receive well-coordinated care.

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

When there have been changes within the staff team, the statement of purpose has not always been updated to reflect these. As a result, it is not always clear which staff are designated to work at this home.

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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: 1249034 6

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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, Parkhall Road, Longton, Stoke on Trent ST3 5XA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Denver Underwood

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Inspector

Sarah Junor-Fitzpatrick, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 7 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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