Children's home run by Lantern Care Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 1 Registered provider: Lantern Care Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

One child is currently being cared for in this home.

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Information about this children’s home

Although there has been no registered manager since 28 June 2023, an acting manager has submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child likes where they live and has built trusting relationships with staff. The manager and staff team are nurturing and care about the child’s well-being. The child had a positive introduction to the home. They met staff and came for tea. On the day that the child was due to have a formal admission, they left school early and said that they were ‘coming home’. The child feels settled and wants to stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is facilitating the child remaining at their own school. This is because the manager recognises that this is important to the child. Staff continue to encourage the child to have a routine and engage in activities. Throughout the school holidays, staff have worked hard to find activities that the child enjoys. Staff give the child lots of praise. Children’s records are personalised and include the views of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making progress. For example, the child has increased the variety of food in their diet. Furthermore, staff have supported the child to improve their personal hygiene. Staff support healthy routines and encourage the child to take part in activities, such as art and music. Staff encourage the child to maintain safe relationships with family and previous carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a good standard. The child is involved in the decoration of the home. For example, staff moved the location of the study after the child requested this change. The child enjoys art, and staff are supporting them to use this activity to decorate their bedroom. The manager recognises that the garden area would benefit from improvement. There is a plan in place to address this.

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

Leaders and managers are reflective and actively learn from their experiences. For example, they recognised that they did not have sufficient information or sufficient staffing to meet the needs of a child previously living at the home. This contributed to a poor experience for this child. Leaders and managers implemented a new system to prevent this from happening again. When considering the admission of a new child, managers now gather necessary information about children’s vulnerabilities, behaviours and risks. The manager also considers the impact of a new admission on the child living at the home .

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

Managers ensure that assessments are updated when there are indicators that a child may be at increased risk of harm. Staff are aware of the need for the child to learn to manage their own risks. The acting manager is advocating for a reduction in the number of staff supporting the child to increase their independence skills.

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

Staff understand what action to take if a child is missing from home. When a child who previously lived at the home went missing, staff were proactive in looking for Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 4 them. They alerted the appropriate agencies. Leaders and managers reflected and learned from this incident. There have been no missing-from-home incidents for the child now living at the home.

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

Staff understand the risks posed by social media. They support the child to know what is appropriate and how to keep themselves safe online. Staff have worked with the child on an agreement for the safe use of the internet.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some difficulties with the management of the home. Staff raised some concerns regarding historical managerial practice. When this happened, the responsible individual took immediate action to safeguard children. There has since been a change in management, with the current acting manager joining the home. The acting manager has good oversight of the care that staff provide to the child. The acting manager is well supported by an experienced deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff are recruited safely. There is a robust induction programme, and new staff receive enhanced supervision during this period. Managers use supervision to encourage staff to think about improving outcomes for children. Managers have a permanent staff team and do not use agency staff. Staff feel well supported and enjoy working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose has not been kept up to date. Staff are not provided with training to meet the model of care described in the document. Ofsted are not kept informed of staff changes. This prevents the regulator from having oversight between inspections. The manager updated the document during the inspection and sent this to Ofsted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 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, The 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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 30 September 2023

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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 for children’s home: 2713335 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lantern Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cranbrook House, 287/291 Banbury Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX2 7JQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Hodgkins

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Inspector

Alli Tandy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 7 regulates and inspects 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 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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