Children's Home run by Starlight Residential Limited in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 1 Registered provider: STARLIGHT RESIDENTIAL LIMITED

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates this children’s home. The home is registered to care for three children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who is not yet registered with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is the providers first inspection since registration.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Two children lived in the home for a short period. The children were not in formal education and staff did not ensure that there were educational routines for the children. Managers and staff failed to provide children with daily routine and structure in the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff tried to form positive relationships with the children. However, they were unable to help children to develop strategies to manage difficult feelings. As a result, there was an increase in behaviours that compromised the children’s safety. This had a negative effect on children’s experiences of living in the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The placement of the two children living together increased their risks. The children became involved in criminal activity together. Staff were unable to prevent them from leaving the home through a bedroom window and going out into the community.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The provider accepted children who they were unable to care for safely and effectively. As a result, children were given notice by the provider and their time at the home ended very quickly. The failure of these placements added to the difficult experiences in their lives.

p.2

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

Safeguarding practice in this home is poor. Leaders and managers fail to ensure that there is effective safeguarding practice. This inspection found multiple failings where children have been at risk of harm.

p.2

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

Children’s risk management plans were ineffective and vague. When children went missing, it was unclear what action staff should take. On one occasion, staff waited for children in an agreed spot for over two hours, instead of taking action to report them missing.

p.2

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

One child was at risk of criminal exploitation. Staff had not been able to control the child’s free time and did not know their whereabouts. This significantly increased the child’s risks of being criminally exploited.

p.2

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

On one occasion, the child had another person in their room overnight. This was without staff knowledge. It is of concern that this person could have posed a risk to the other child.

p.2

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

Staff recruitment is poor. Some staff members are not thoroughly vetted. This fails to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 3 Serious safeguarding incidents were under reported to Ofsted. This means that the regulator was unaware of some of the issues that the children were facing.

p.2

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers accept placements without full information about the children. This means that they do not fully understand the scope of the children’s complex needs and vulnerabilities. Leaders and managers fail to ensure that staff have the right knowledge and skills to manage the children’s known risks. This means that children’s welfare and safety are not secured.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children have received inadequate care, which is partly due to the poor deployment of staff. On one occasion, a security guard was brought in to support staff at nighttime. This led to children going missing from the home, causing property damage in the home and assaulting staff. This increased the risk of children being criminalised and being harmed themselves.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive supervision and attend team meetings. However, these do not affect positive change.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and responsible individual have completed a review of the children’s placements and management decision-making. They recognise the issues and the shortfall in matching staff experience and skills to children’s needs. To address this shortfall, referrals were paused while staff underwent an extensive training programme. The home is now accepting referrals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 4

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

p.4

Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

p.4

Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(vi)(vii)(viii))

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must advocate on behalf of children who are not in full-time education, by challenging and escalating concerns with the placing authority and virtual school.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In addition, children must be provided with educational activities during the school day. 28 October 2024

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 28 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 5 assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.5

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.5

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider show not accept placements without full information and should ensure that risks are understood and plans in place to mitigate risk.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that staff are clear about their roles in managing and intervening risks.

p.5

Requirement Due date

Ensure that all parts of the home are safe, with particular reference to the flat roof and window restrictors.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that managers understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 28 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 6 ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate.

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(b)(f))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must employ staff who have the skills and experience to work individually and as a team to safeguard each child.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must always ensure that sufficient, appropriate staff are on duty.

p.6

Requirement Due date

When risks emerge, the registered provider must take decisive action to minimise risks.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, only accept children to live at the home when staff have the relevant skills and experience to care for them.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered provider should ensure that children have a positive experience when moving on from the home. 28 October 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 28 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 7 a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

p.6

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.7

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

p.7

Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.7

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.7

Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered 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).

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. 28 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 8 (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider should ensure that all staff working with children have full and satisfactory information recorded on file by the provider.

p.8

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: 2770705 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: STARLIGHT RESIDENTIAL LIMITED

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Premier Accountants, 15 Leopold Street, Birmingham B12 0UP

p.9

Inspectors

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2770705 10 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.

p.9

Inspectors

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 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.10

Inspectors

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

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10