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

Inspection report children's home: 1249117 1 Registered provider: Searchlight Care Services Ltd 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

Since the last inspection, a new manager has come to manage the home. They have been in post since September 2023. The manager has the relevant experience and qualifications for the role. They are in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1249117 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2023 Full Outstanding 30/11/2021 Full Outstanding 04/02/2020 Full Good 29/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 1249117 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and one has left. The child who currently lives in the home has lived there for five months. The child’s needs were not appropriately considered by managers, and the child’s complex behaviours were poorly understood. As a result, the child experienced poorly attuned care which impacted on their behaviour and their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

The home is poorly maintained. The door to the child's bedroom does not close be- cause it is ill fitting, and the door handle is missing. This is a fire hazard and means that the child cannot have privacy in their bedroom. The wall on the staircase has a large area of peeling paint. A light switch has been re-located and the wall has not been repaired and repainted. Additionally, the door between the lounge and the kitchen has a high-level lock which is inaccessible to the child. This is not conducive to a homely environment and impacts on the child’s self-esteem and sense of pride in their home.

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improvement to be good

More positively, the previous child who left, made considerable progress in all areas and had a well-planned move into semi-independent accommodation.

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improvement to be good

The current child is in good general health. They are registered with local health services and attend routine health and specialist appointments. Managers work with health professionals, including mental health professionals, to ensure that the child’s physical and emotional health needs are understood and well managed.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff work hard to ensure that children access education that meets their needs. The child attends school regularly and is achieving well. A teacher said that communication with the staff is good.

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improvement to be good

Staff have thoughtful and sensitive discussions with the child, which promotes their identity and culture. Additionally, staff understand the importance of maintaining family relationships. They support the child to have regular, safe, and enjoyable time with their family. As a result, the child’s emotional well-being has improved, and they retain a sense of identity with their family.

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improvement to be good

The new manager has reviewed existing risk assessments in line with therapeutic practice. Risk assessments now guide staff to use tested strategies to manage the child’s complex behaviours. As a result, restrictive practices have significantly re- duced because the child is able to identify their emotions and manage their behav- Inspection report children's home: 1249117 4 iour. However, some of the information in risk assessments does not relate to cur- rent agreed practice. This is confusing for staff and risks inconsistent practice when managing the child’s behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not appropriately record when internal doors are locked to prevent the child’s access to areas of the home, such as the kitchen. This limits the manager’s ability to monitor staff practice and the independent oversight by social workers and the independent visitor.

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improvement to be good

Managers cannot demonstrate that recruitment practice is consistently safe. This is because they do not consider how to support and monitor new staff when vetting procedures have revealed minor concerns.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote positive behaviour by using reward systems. The child is set age- appropriate targets in line with their needs. However, consequences are not always restorative in nature and managers have not monitored the use of consequences effectively. As a result, the child is not helped to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves or others.

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improvement to be good

More positively, since the new manager has been in post, the child is becoming increasingly settled in the home. Clear boundaries and routines, developed with the child, help the child to feel safe and contained.

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good

Monitoring and oversight of the quality of care requires improvement. Managers do not use monitoring systems to identify shortfalls and address these promptly. This limits the development of the service provided to children.

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good

When children complain, managers do not carry out effective investigations. They do not speak with the child face to face or clearly explain the outcome of their investigations to the child. This means that the child does not feel confident that any concerns will be taken seriously. Additionally, the home’s independent visitor does not regularly gain feedback from the child.

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good

The new manager is experienced and knowledgeable. Despite being in post for only three months before this inspection, they have worked on improving care for children.

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good

New staff receive a well-planned induction and a six-month probation review. There is also a comprehensive training programme for all staff. Regular team meetings, supervision and appraisals take place. Staff say that the team works together to support one another and children.

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good

The home is not fully staffed. Existing staff, cover shortfalls in staffing levels. De- spite their best efforts, this is not enough and a small number of cover staff, who Inspection report children's home: 1249117 5 are known to the child, are used. This consistent care means that the child is devel- oping relationships with people they know well. Inspection report children's home: 1249117 6

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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 leadership and management standard is that the regis- tered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the reg- istered person to—

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and im- proved by taking into account and acting on— feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous im- provements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that they have oversight of concerns raised by children and staff, and act on and resolve these concerns. Also, that the independent visi- tor is supported to gain feedback from children. This also re- lates to managers ensuring that they use monitoring systems to identify shortfalls in staff practice. 21 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the chil- dren’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. 21 January 2024 Inspection report children's home: 1249117 7 The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regu- lation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that staff re- ceive consistent guidance regarding restraint practice, which is only to be used in line with the child's most up-to-date risk assessment and with agreement from the local authority. Furthermore, this relates to the manager ensuring conse- quences given to children are proportionate and restorative.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children re- ceive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the out- comes 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 reg- istered 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 managers ensuring that the home is well maintained and homely so that the child can live there comfortably. 21 January 2024

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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 regis- tered 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).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; 21 January 2024 Inspection report children's home: 1249117 8 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that when there are safeguarding concerns, they clearly evidence why that person is safe to work with children and show how they will monitor and support the person.

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for ar- ticle 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that fire doors meet requirements. 24 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively support the independent visitor to seek regular independent feedback from families and professionals and use the feedback to develop the service. (Guide to the Children's Home Regulations, including the quality standards, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that restraint which includes restricting a child's liberty of movement is recorded in line with regulation. This includes, for example, changes to the physical environment of the home (such as using high door handles). Restrictions such as these, and all other restrictions of liberty of movement, should be recorded as restraint. Some children, perhaps due to impairment or disability, may not offer any resistance, but such measures should still constitute a restraint (Guide to the Children's Home Regulations, including the quality standards, page 47, paragraph 9.42)

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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 Inspection report children's home: 1249117 9 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: 1249117 10

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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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Inspectors

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1249117 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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