Children's Home run by Lighthouse Southwest Ltd in Torbay

Inspection report children’s home: 2534589 1 Registered provider: Lighthouse Southwest Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by an independent provider and is registered to provide care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 2019.

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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: 7 September 2021

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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: 2534589 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/09/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2534589 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff succeed in building trusting relationships with the children. These relationships form the basis from which the children make progress. Children report that they really feel at home and say that the home is the best place that they have ever lived. Children benefit from the nurturing and positive atmosphere. Routines run smoothly, and the children develop a sense of permanence and belonging from their starting points and their previous experiences of multiple moves and disruption.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children effectively to develop confidence, mature and learn independence skills. The children are carefully matched and have a very positive and supportive relationship with each other. The staff are gradually extending each child’s ‘comfort zone’ so that they gain confidence and learn new skills. For example, one child was recently encouraged to complete a climbing experience and overcome their anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from bespoke education placements and are making progress. The staff have high aspirations for the children and encourage them to reach their educational potential with a view to their future chosen career. The staff strongly advocate for the children. For example, staff have successfully obtained an education, health and care plan for one child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy a varied range of activities that support them to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Activities include visits to the cinema and theme parks, and the children are learning to safely enjoy spending time with their friends, who are welcome to visit the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff promptly obtain appropriate services for the children so that their emotional and physical health needs are comprehensively met. The staff succeed in supporting children to reduce smoking and to learn about sexual health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement plans offer staff guidance about how to meet the needs of the children. However, although the staff are clear about their role, plans do not detail the aims of each child’s placement and how these aims will be achieved and in what timescales.

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

The staff are vigilant. They know the children well and keep them safe. Children report that they feel safe and can speak to all members of staff if they feel worried or upset.

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

Staff demonstrate effective professional curiosity. For example, when a child recently went missing from the home, the staff promptly found out the names of individuals the child may be with, obtained support from the police and found the child through Inspection report children’s home: 2534589 4 using a contextual safeguarding approach. On return to the home, the staff ensured that a return home interview was undertaken.

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

Incidents of children going missing from care are reducing due to consistent boundary setting that supports children to feel safe and secure. The children are helped to learn from their mistakes and are rewarded for their achievements, rather than using a punitive approach. The staff support the children to recognise their feelings and why they feel the need to go missing. They put in place strategies for children to manage their feelings, such as confiding in staff or enjoying activities to channel their energy in a positive way.

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

Any safeguarding concerns are promptly referred to the relevant safeguarding professionals. Staff are aware of the home’s whistle-blowing policy and procedures and are confident to follow safeguarding procedures. This helps to ensure the safety of the children.

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

Recruitment procedures are rigorous, robust and ensure that only suitable people are employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates strong leadership and is respected by the staff, who report that they are well supported and supervised. The manager ensures that all staff are the tenacious ‘pushy parents’ that the children need to help them to make progress and obtain the services they need. Leaders and managers ensure that the ethos and objectives of the home, as documented in the statement of purpose, are demonstrated in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from a clear and comprehensive development plan that is informed by a robust quality assurance system. The manager is aware of the strengths and areas for improvement in the home. Leaders and managers promote a learning environment where the staff are motivated and clear about their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home provides the children with a homely and well-decorated environment. The children report that they really like their bedrooms, which are personalised with photos of the child and their family and friends. This helps the children to develop a sense of belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children benefit from being cared for by a consistent, well-trained and supervised team of staff who have built excellent trusting relationships with the children. The staff are trained in all topics they need so that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge that they need to provide good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from the children, professionals and the staff is entirely positive. Placing social workers value the home, are impressed with the progress their child is making, and state that they would readily place another child in the home in the future. Inspection report children’s home: 2534589 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the relevant plan forms the basis of a child’s care. This particularly refers to the need to ensure that each child has a placement plan that contains clear aims and objectives that are regularly reviewed and document progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1)

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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: 2534589 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lighthouse Southwest Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 St Pauls Road, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 2HP

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Inspector

Tina Maddison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2534589 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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