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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC362170 1 SC362170 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

A private provider operates this home. It provides care and accommodation for up to three children who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours. The manager was registered with Ofsted in 2012 and is suitably qualified.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC362170 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2017 Full Good 01/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/11/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC362170 3

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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

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16(5)) In particular, ensure that managers receive supervision in line with the statement of purpose. 10/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children‟s home, or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 30/04/2019

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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, are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. Case records must be kept in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(d)) 30/04/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC362170 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently provide young people with personalised and nurturing care and this ethos permeates throughout the home. Continual verbal praise and understanding from staff mean that young people learn to build strong and healthy relationships with adults. This supports their development, and they grow in confidence and self-esteem. Staff support young people to attend school. When young people have alternative education provisions, staff work hard to promote learning. This proactive approach helps young people to achieve and they make great progress from their starting points. Staff are very ambitious for young people and continually celebrate their achievements. Consequently, young people are ambitious for themselves. One young person developed an interest in cooking and healthy eating, and this was supported by staff. This young person is now undertaking an apprenticeship to become a chef. Staff follow young people‟s health plans, which are detailed and individualised. For

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

example, one young person who had a sight impairment was provided with bespoke support to ensure that she was able to live as full a life as possible. Another young person, recently admitted to the home, had historically refused to attend medical appointments. Staff have successfully supported him to attend. Staff make sure that young people‟s views, wishes and opinions are central to the formulation of their care plans. Staff work closely with young people to help them to understand their specific targets and the support available to achieve them. This approach means that young people make sustained progress. Young people enjoy spending time with their families when this is appropriate. Staff understand the feelings of loss that some young people associate with living away from their families and the impact that these feelings can have on their progress. One young person has been able to return to the care of his family. Staff were committed in

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

supporting the young person to spend time with his family, even though this involved a significant amount of travel. The social worker for this young person told the inspector that the support provided by staff was an integral part of the success of this plan.

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

Young people say they are safe, and they are safe. Staff use comprehensive and effective risk assessments to ensure that risks reduce. The registered manager and staff ensure that assessments emphasise young people‟s vulnerabilities rather than focusing on negative behaviour. Young people benefit from being supported to identify strategies that help them to manage their own behaviours and risks. This approach means that young people begin to take age-appropriate responsibility for their own safety and recognise the triggers that influence their actions. Managers ensure that there is a strong safeguarding culture in the home. Safeguarding policies are clear and succinct. Staff understand their own responsibilities for protecting young people. This means that any incidents are quickly investigated. This good practice promotes young people‟s safety. Staff promote a positive culture of praise and reward and are highly skilled in using de-

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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC362170 5 escalation strategies. Staff maintain consistent boundaries so that young people are clear about what is expected of them. As a result, incidents are rare and physical intervention has not been required since the last inspection. Young people benefit from living in a home which provides them with stability. Staff receive excellent training that equips them with the skills that they need to support young people and understand the risks that young people face. A wide range of topics are covered, including gangs and county lines, the risks of radicalisation and how to support young people who are at risk of sexual exploitation. Staff use this knowledge in their work with young people, particularly during key-working sessions. These sessions are highly effective and help young people to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, one young person was able to understand that he had been criminally

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

exploited. As a result of this understanding, he has been able to make informed choices about his friendships and associations.

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

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified. Staff report that they feel supported in their roles. They say that managers are approachable and freely give advice and support. The registered manager undertakes practice-related supervision with staff. However, the registered manager is not provided with monthly supervision as detailed within the home‟s statement of purpose. This shortfall means that the registered manager is not provided with the opportunity to reflect upon her own practice and the needs of the young people in her care. Most staff are suitably qualified for their role, with others working towards gaining these qualifications. As a team, staff are skilled and knowledgeable, with several years‟ experience of working with young people. However, the registered manager has not ensured that full and satisfactory recruitment information is available in respect of one member of staff working in the home. When new information comes to light this is not

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

sufficiently reviewed and risk assessed. Following feedback about this during the inspection, the registered manager started to take steps to address this. Records are comprehensive and maintained to a high standard. The registered manager has implemented good monitoring systems, which include seeking feedback from young people and acting on their wishes and feelings. This drives improvement in the home and helps young people to feel valued. However, managers have not ensured that when young people leave the home, their records are stored securely. The current system of transferring information onto a memory stick is not in accordance with data protection principles. This means that sensitive and important information could be lost.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC362170 6 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: SC362170 7

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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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Inspector

Annemarie Parker, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC362170 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 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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