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

Inspection report for 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 owned and operated by a private company. It provides care for one child, who may experience social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties with associated complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is appropriately qualified and experienced. They registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

One child lives in the home. The child was present for some of the inspection and the inspector was able to speak with them and gather their views.

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 4 December 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2023 Full Outstanding 30/11/2021 Full Outstanding 04/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1249117 3

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improvement to be good

Strategic managers do not take sufficient action to ensure that recruitment practices for senior managers are safe. This is a significant failure to meet their responsibilities to safeguard the child and ensure a positive and effective safeguarding culture is embedded in staff practice. This compromises staff’s ability to safeguard the child effectively and confidently. Despite this significant shortfall, the child is thriving and is progressing in all areas.

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improvement to be good

The same child has lived in the home since July 2023. Staff have built strong relationships with the child. They talk affectionately about the child and are loving and playful with them. The child’s social worker says that staff are nurturing with the child and skilled at supporting the child when they are angry or upset. Such incidents have reduced.

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improvement to be good

The child attends a school that meets their needs. Staff transport the child to school and ensure that they arrive ready to learn. The child’s attendance is excellent, and they are meeting their education targets. Staff support the child’s learning at home by reading to them and encouraging the child to sound out words phonetically. The child’s teacher is very positive about the partnership working with managers and staff. They say that communication is, ‘excellent’ and that managers and staff, ‘are doing everything they should be’.

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improvement to be good

The child is registered with health services and staff actively promote positive health outcomes for the child. Staff work well with a range of organisations to ensure the child’s health needs are responded to quickly. Staff encourage the child to eat a variety of healthy foods and they introduce them to foods from different countries. They educate the child about aspects of personal care such as brushing their teeth and washing and caring for their hair. This promotes the child’s sense of pride in their appearance and their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to explore their identity. The child has a patchwork cushion made from clothes that they especially likes, but no longer fit. This holds significant memories for the child and is an important record of the child’s life story. Staff develop the child’s understanding of the world around them. When the child is curious about their heritage, staff have thoughtful discussions with them. Staff use resources to talk with the child about being proud of who they are.

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improvement to be good

The child participates in a variety of activities that supports positive relationships and the child’s confidence. The child spends time with staff going for walks, playing in the park and doing activities in the home such as making models, singing, and dancing. Staff arrange activities to develop the child’s social skills. For example, the child attends a Inspection report for children’s home: 1249117 4 local cub’s group. Staff also arrange for the child to meet with a child of a similar age who lives at a sister home.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not ensured that all actions from previous inspections have been met. Shortfalls in the safe recruitment of staff have been raised by Ofsted at the last two inspections in December 2023 and in March 2024. This is a significant failure in the managers’ duty to safeguard and protect children.

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improvement to be good

However, staff take their duty to safeguard the child very seriously. Children’s risk management plans are detailed and clear. These plans provide the staff with the information and guidance they need to understand and support the specific vulnerabilities and risks for the child. Staff are skilled in diversion and de-escalation using the home’s therapeutic approach. As a result, the number of incidents has reduced over time. This demonstrates that the strategies identified are being used and are effective.

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improvement to be good

At times staff physically intervene to keep the child and others safe. Managers monitoring is effective in ensuring that incidents of restraint are necessary and proportionate. Managers ensure that following an incident of restraint, the child can reflect on their behaviours with an independent person. Staff use resources such as emotion cards to support the child to recognise and name their emotions. The child is now able to recognise the triggers to their complex behaviours and to use strategies to help them to calm themselves.

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improvement to be good

The child does not go missing from the home. When the child leaves the home without permission, staff follow detailed risk management plans. They follow the child and keep the child is sight. When the child returns home, staff talk with the child about why they went missing. They educate the child about dangers in the community and how to keep themselves safe in the local area. As an additional safeguard, managers share information with the local police and the PCSO is a regular visitor to the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are in tune with the child’s feelings and emotions. They understand the importance of strong routines and boundaries to support the child to feel safe and contained. When the child’s complex behaviours increase, managers and staff consult and agree changes that everyone follows. This consistency promotes a feeling of security and predictability for the child which supports positive behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Strategic managers do not safely recruit senior managers. They are not professionally curious when scrutinising available information. They do not take sufficient action to support and monitor new staff, when vetting procedures have revealed significant safeguarding concerns. This lack of scrutiny places children and staff at risk. Additionally, senior managers do not share required information with Ofsted. This limits the Inspection report for children’s home: 1249117 5 regulators’ ability to exercise the duty to independently monitor the appointment of senior managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite this significant shortfall, the home is well managed. The registered manager is child-centred and focused on providing a nurturing environment for the child to flourish. They have high standards and challenge other professionals appropriately to ensure that the child has what they need. The registered manager is highly committed to leading their team in a therapeutic approach to caring for the child and has plans to further develop this practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is well regarded and is nurturing towards the team. They support staff through regular good quality supervision sessions and an annual appraisal that focusses on staff wellbeing and staff development. Staff speak highly of the registered manager. They say that they like working at the home and that the registered manager is very supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is fully staffed. Of the six staff, 2 are qualified and 2 are enrolled and are shortly to complete their qualification. Staff are committed to providing the child with consistent care. The remaining staff will be enrolled following successful completion of a probationary period. When there are shortfalls in staffing, these are covered by core staff or other staff in the company, most of whom are known to the child. This enables the child to develop relationships with adults who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are supported to provide a therapeutic approach through good quality training that is face to face and online. The manager promotes a learning culture in the home. Team meetings are a learning opportunity to further discuss therapeutic ways of supporting the child. The manager consults staff on their views about aspects of the child’s care such as the effectiveness of routines and boundaries and strategies to support the child. This means that staff feel their views are valued and they are invested in the home. Inspection report for 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, 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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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 the registered manager ensuring that recruitment practices for all staff working in the home are safe. 28 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

An organisation may only carry on a home if—

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Requirement Due date

each director of the organisation, except for a director who is the responsible individual, who is involved in the carrying on of a home by that organisation satisfies the requirements in paragraph (6); and

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Requirement Due date

the organisation has notified HMCI of the name, address and position in the organisation of the responsible individual.

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 28 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1249117 7 the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit to carry on the home; and

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Requirement Due date

the individual is financially fit to carry on the home.

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of the matters in paragraphs 1 and 3 to 6 of Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (4)(i)(ii) (5)(a)(b)(c)(d) (6)(a)(b) (7)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to senior managers informing the regulator about the resignation or appointment of a responsible individual using recognised processes and ensuring that when there are serious safeguarding concerns about a member of staff, they have plans to monitor and support them.

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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: 1249117 8

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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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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1249117 9 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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