Children's Home run by Sunlight Children’s Care Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report children's home: 2762777 1 Registered provider: Sunlight Children's Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children. The home offers care to children with social and emotional needs.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home has a registered manager who is suitably qualified and experienced.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children's home: 2762777 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children's home: 2762777 3

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the children and staff are good. Staff effectively use a nurturing approach to encourage children to develop socially and be healthy young adults. Staff know the children well, they know when to provide the right amount of support, and when to encourage children to be independent.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have several ways of making their views, wishes and feelings known. Some children speak up, others prefer to write messages to staff. Others have made complaints. All communication from children receives a quick response. This ranges from sending positive messages to children, to improve their confidence, and where needed, complaints are robustly investigated by the registered manager. The building of children’s confidence through communication is a strength at this home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children are yet to be in any formal education. Others attend well. When children are waiting for a school place, staff encourage learning in the home, and in the community. Although there are mixed results, staff find the right balance between encouraging learning, and not to discourage children from eventually engaging in formal education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Childrens health outcomes have improved. This is because staff encourage a healthy lifestyle. They promote children going to the gym for instance. When children need specialist help with their mental health, staff are good at gently encouraging attendance with, for instance, a child and adolescent mental health service. However, some children use vapes. Although the risks around this are known, there are other impressionable children at this home, who mirror other children’s behaviours.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a detached house. They have their own bedrooms which they personalise to their own tastes. The inside of their home is warm, and at the time of inspection, decorated for Christmas. However, the outside of the home is less well looked after. Due to the proximity of neighbour’s outdoor animals, this has meant there are environmental health considerations, that have yet to be met.

p.3

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

Staff have a thorough understanding of the children’s care needs, and factors that may put them at risk. Robust and detailed risk assessments inform staff how to reduce risk to children, whilst encouraging independence. However, on one occasion staff did not effectively monitor the children who were engaging in risk taking behaviours. Inspection report children's home: 2762777 4 Staff are confident about their safeguarding responsibilities towards the children, including whistle blowing. Staff have multiple opportunities to speak up about any concerns. This includes formal meetings such as supervision and team meetings. As managers and senior staff work with the children, this provides opportunity for the monitoring of staff competence.

p.3

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

Social workers say that communication with staff is good. They say that children make progress with their mental health, and that for some children, risks have reduced. The home informs social workers of all incidents and concerns. Effective working with social workers means children are safer.

p.4

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

Children have been missing from this home. Some children have had to be physically held by staff. However, there has been a significant reduction in all incidents. Staff receive training on how to encourage positive behaviours with children. Staff are keen advocates of utilising their softer skills, for instance when children have been missing, they are welcomed home with a high level of nurturing care and attention.

p.4

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

The registered manager ensures that there is a robust and thorough staff recruitment process. Checks ensure that unsuitable people are prohibited from working with children. Oversight continues after employment with an effective induction, and probationary period.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has an experienced and registered manager. They are ably supported by a deputy and senior workers. Together they provide a good standard of care to children. Staff changes are minimal. This means that children have developed trusting relationships with staff they have come to know. This consistent level of care, and the positive impact on the children, is evident at this home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have undertaken a wide variety of training courses. Many of these have been face to face. Some of this training is provided by the registered manager. This means training and development is focussed on the care needs of the children accommodated at this home. More senior staff are encouraged to develop further within the company.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and team meetings. This individual and group interaction with a manager has meant that the children’s care needs have been discussed more frequently. Some team meetings have a theme, for instance reviewing in detail the staff’s knowledge of the children. Where required, managers offer a degree of flexibility, so all staff receive supervision, which is reflective of their working pattern and personal circumstances.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has continued to develop their quality assurance processes. These are mainly effective. However, managers audits are not yet wide ranging enough, and some areas of the home have been left unmonitored. Inspection report children's home: 2762777 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This relates to staff not being effective in the monitoring of children. 4 January 2024

p.5

Recommendations

 The register person must ensure that the children's home provides a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, food hygiene etc). ('Guide to children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that each child's day to day health and well- being needs are met. Staff should work to make the children's home an environment that supports children's physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach set out in the Statement of purpose. ('Guide to children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 33, paragraph 7.3)

p.5

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) Inspection report children's home: 2762777 6 Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards'. Inspection report children's home: 2762777 7

p.5

Children's home details

Registered provider: Sunlight Children's Care Limited

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 73 Francis Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8SP

p.7

Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2762777 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8