Children's Home run by Searchlight Care Services Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2490939 1 Registered provider: Searchlight Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for one child who has lived through adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager has been in post since July 2019. She holds a diploma in leadership and management at level 5.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: 21 January 2020

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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: 2490939 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2490939 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has returned home to the care of their parents. The child was able to make this transition successfully due to the support and guidance from staff. One new child has been welcomed into the home and has settled in well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made good progress because he benefits from well-planned care which is adapted to his changing needs and priorities. Staff provide a stable and supportive environment for the child. They are enthusiastic about the child’s progress as this has led to a significant reduction in incidents within the home, specifically behaviour management episodes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has personalised care and risk-management plans that staff keep under review. These plans take account of the full range of the child’s needs and identify his daily support requirements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a clear health plan and is registered with relevant primary healthcare services. He understands the importance of good health and is supported by staff to attend physical and psychological health appointments. The arrangements for the controlled storage and administration of the child’s medication are safe and effective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the child attends an educational setting according to his needs and abilities. Staff work in partnership with education departments and other relevant professionals to ensure that the child has every opportunity to increase his academic ability and reach his full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child is able to spend time with his family and friends. Staff facilitate this time and regularly provide transport so that important connections are maintained. Staff also support his friendships in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A variety of community activities based on the child’s individual interests are encouraged. Examples include swimming and trampolining. The child also enjoys playing on his games console, which is monitored effectively by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is mainly well maintained and decorated. However, the front door is damaged and a curtain in the home is torn. This is not setting good standards for the child to aspire to now or in the future.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s individual vulnerabilities. Staff complete safeguarding training as part of their induction to the home and they Inspection report children’s home: 2490939 4 demonstrate that they are familiar with the procedure for reporting and managing safeguarding concerns.

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

Individualised risk-management plans are in place for the child. These plans help the staff to safeguard him by identifying his risks and vulnerabilities and setting out strategies to minimise risks. Review and development of the plans are ongoing as risks change, to ensure that the plans remain effective.

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

There are clear boundaries in place in respect of managing challenging behaviour. Although the child’s behaviour can be challenging, staff are consistent in their responses and use the quality of their relationships with him to manage these situations. This means that staff rarely need to use physical restraint to manage behaviour.

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

The child lives in a physically safe environment. There are measures in place to ensure that the home is free from hazards. Regular fire drills are carried out to ensure that the child knows what he needs to do in the event of an emergency.

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

An appropriate vetting and selection process is used when staff are recruited. This ensures that the child is protected from adults who may pose a risk to his safety and welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and the manager have high aspirations for the child and advocate on his behalf. They are passionate and committed to the work that they do. They ensure that the child has access to services that can help him, both now and in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have either completed or are enrolled to complete a diploma in residential childcare at level 3. Staff benefit from an effective training programme that helps to equip them with the skills that they require to look after the child in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. This helps them to reflect on their practice and to develop their skills and knowledge to provide a high-quality service to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Strong and positive relationships exist with families, the police and other professionals. This ensures that good all-round support is provided to the child to promote his progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have worked hard during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the impact on the child’s quality of care has been kept to a minimum. For example, the manager rearranged the staff rota when children tested positive for COVID-19. This helped the child to have continuity of care. Inspection report children’s home: 2490939 5

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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 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) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the front door and the curtains in the home. 23 December

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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: 2490939 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Searchlight Care Services Limited

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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

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2490939 7 to 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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