Children's home run by Searchlight Care Services Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 1 Registered provider: Searchlight Care Services Ltd

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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 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, the manager has completed her registration with Ofsted and was registered on 7 May 2024.

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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

Date of last inspection: 19 December 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/12/2023 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good 18/01/2022 Full Good 17/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived at the home for over three years, and benefits from living at a home where staff practice is child centred, nurturing and personalised to meet their individual needs. Staff have built excellent relationships with the child, which contributes to the child feeling happy and regarding the home very much as their home. The strong relationships have contributed to the progress the child has made and continues to make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work alongside other professionals to make sure there is continuity of care. Other professionals comment positively about the engagement with staff and their commitment to supporting overall outcomes for children. One professional said: ‘The staff attend meetings and advocate on behalf of the child. The relationship and interactions they have is strong and it is evident they really care about making sure [child] is given every opportunity possible.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure the child’s physical, mental and emotional healthcare is understood and supported well. They also undertake specific key work in relation to promoting health and well-being at a level that the child can understand. Additional specialist therapeutic services have recently commenced to further enhance the child’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has excellent attendance at school, which is supported by the staff. Teaching staff say the communication between the home and the school is exceptionally good and this further provides consistency and stability for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child is able to express their views about their care. They use a variety of communication aids which support this. This includes pictorial reference and supportive discussions at a level which the child understands and can contribute to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child accesses a range of activities that they enjoy, including dancing, swimming, going out on their BMX bike and undertaking arts and crafts within the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. There are lots of photos of the child as well as pictures which the child has chosen to make this very much their home. Regular maintenance is undertaken to address any day-to-day wear and tear. However, the shower in the bathroom has part of the outlet plug missing. This is a hazard because there is a risk of the child putting their hand or foot in the outlet.

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

Staff understand the importance of maintaining children’s safety and well-being. Clear and consistent boundaries are in place which contribute to the child feeling secure, cared for and safe. Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 4 The child is supported to understand how their behaviour can impact on themselves and others. Staff use a range of resources and have regular targeted key-worker sessions to further underpin the child’s understanding. Key-worker sessions provide an opportunity to analyse and reflect on the child’s progress and ongoing needs.

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

There are comprehensive risk assessments in place which help staff to understand known and potential risks and the therapeutic strategies to use to minimise risk. Risks are explained to the child at a level they understand, which further contributes to the child’s safety.

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

Staff have undertaken training with regard to managing children’s complex behaviours and use a range of de-escalation techniques to support the child during periods of anxiety and upset. These are effective and have reduced the need for physical intervention. When physical intervention is used, the staff maintain records of the action they have taken. However, the records do not consistently record the length and time of an intervention as required by regulation.

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

Staff understand the difference between a complaint and an allegation. The manager takes appropriate action, ensuring that the relevant people are informed and consulted. This includes the social worker and the local authority designated officer. When required, the manager makes sure that comprehensive investigations take place and maintains clear records.

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

Health and safety checks are completed to further support the child’s safety. Since the last inspection, a comprehensive fire risk assessment has been completed to make sure the home is compliant with fire safety regulations. The staff have ensured that the child knows what to do in the event of a fire and staff undertake regular fire drills to further support the child’s understanding.

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

Recruitment and selection of staff complies with safer recruitment practice to make sure staff appointed are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and appropriately qualified. She is supported in her role by a deputy manager who also holds relevant qualifications. She has high aspirations for the child living at the home which are shared by all staff. Staff say they find the manager knowledgeable, approachable and supportive. She offers clear guidance, and this helps to enhance staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child benefits from a consistent staff team whose members know and understand them well, which has further enhanced a strong sense of attachment and belonging. Staff benefit from training that is responsive and meets the needs of the child. In addition, the manager provides informal training and support to further enhance the skills and knowledge of the staff. Individual supervision sessions further underpin staff practice. Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 5 The manager undertakes regular monitoring which is complemented by independent monthly monitoring visits. The independent visitor gathers the views of external professionals to provide further oversight of the care provided by the home. The manager understands the strengths of the home and the areas for further development. She has taken appropriate action to address the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. This includes reviewing the behaviour management policy

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and ensuring a fire risk assessment has been conducted by an appropriately qualified person. A new child-friendly children’s guide has been developed. Staff have gone through the guide with the child, and a copy has been given to them. Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)) 30 April 2025

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to replacing the water outlet plug in the bathroom shower to minimise the risk of the child putting their hand or foot in the outlet. 30 April 2025

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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 children’s home: 1249034 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Denver Underwood

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Inspector

Sarah Oldham, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1249034 8 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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