Children's home run by Lantern Care Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 1 Registered provider: Lantern Care Homes Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a suitably qualified manager who registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspectors met with one child and gathered written feedback from another child who was not present at the home during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a warm, welcoming and well-maintained home. The environment is spacious and thoughtfully furnished to a good standard, with personal touches such as photos and children’s artwork proudly displayed. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, allowing them to express their individuality and feel a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children describe feeling happy, safe and well cared for. They have positive and trusting relationships with staff, which contributes to their emotional well-being. Observations of interactions between children and staff demonstrate that children feel comfortable and secure in their environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a voice in shaping their care and daily experiences. Regular children’s meetings are well attended, and children engage meaningfully in discussions about the home. The manager actively acknowledges their views by responding to requests in personalised letters, ensuring children feel heard and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions take place regularly, and children engage well with staff, demonstrating a willingness to talk openly. Staff capture informal conversations that contribute to children’s progress in an effective manner. Planning for topic-specific conversations that could support children’s development is not always considered. This would further assist in identifying any additional specialist support children may need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Impact risk assessments are in place to consider the needs of children moving in and out of the home. They provide a structured approach to supporting children’s needs. There is potential to refine these assessments further to ensure they are more dynamic and individualised, enabling staff to adapt their approach more effectively when new children move into the home.

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

Children’s safety and well-being are prioritised. Risk assessments are regularly updated, providing a structured approach to identifying and managing risks. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the children’s needs and take appropriate action to safeguard them. Some risk assessment documents are not consistently detailed and do not fully reflect all current risks, including the links between different risk factors such as internet use and radicalisation. This prevents staff understanding and incorporating neurodiverse needs into risk assessments within safety planning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 4 Physical interventions are managed appropriately and only used when necessary to protect children and others. Records are detailed, outlining preventative measures taken, and debrief discussions are routinely conducted with children to support their emotional well-being. Staff promote positive behaviour through consistent and supportive

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

approaches, helping children to develop self-regulation skills in a safe and nurturing environment.

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

Safeguarding incidents are managed effectively, with strong oversight from leaders and managers. All incidents are reviewed to ensure learning and development, with timely communication to relevant professionals. Staff demonstrate appropriate levels of curiosity and provide support during and after incidents. However, not all serious events are consistently notified to Ofsted in line with regulatory requirements.

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

There is a robust and proactive approach to managing missing-from-home episodes. Staff respond swiftly when children go missing, taking immediate and appropriate action, including searching for them and notifying the necessary professionals. When children return, reflective discussions take place to understand the reasons behind the episode and explore ways to reduce future occurrences.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed effectively, ensuring that all necessary checks are completed before staff begin working with children. This thorough approach contributes to maintaining a safe and secure environment for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate, dedicated and committed to ensuring the best outcomes for children. She is visible within the home, making herself readily available to both staff and children, which contributes to the smooth running of the service. She has a strong understanding of the strengths and development needs of her team and has clear plans in place to support staff progression and upskilling. However, there are some areas for development in terms of management oversight of assessments and plans, ensuring that these meet the needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the support they receive, describing the management team as approachable and responsive. They have a strong understanding of children’s individual needs and how to manage associated risks effectively. Their commitment to the children in their care is evident, and they demonstrate passion and dedication in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team work effectively with external professionals, maintaining strong communication and collaborative working relationships. Feedback from professionals is positive, with no concerns raised about the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Family members also praise the home, describing the staff and manager as approachable and caring. One parent said: ‘[Child] has made amazing progress; it is incredible to Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 5 compare the child that went into care with who [the child] is today. The stability that the home provides is great.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from effective supervision, team meetings and professional development opportunities, ensuring they are well supported and continuously improving their practice. A good range of child-specific training is available, equipping staff with the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring risk assessments are updated in line with the needs of the child. 6 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered 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 registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place that are used regularly and that findings are recorded. 6 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 7 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to incidents that the registered manager should have sent as a notification. 6 May 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure they work closely with the placing authority to understand the child’s relationship history and the impact that the child’s arrival may have on the group living at the home. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.3) Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 8

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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 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lantern Care Homes Limited

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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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Inspectors

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Louise Copping, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2713335 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 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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Inspectors

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