Children's Home run by Skylight 21 Homes Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2805569 1 Registered provider: Skylight 21 Homes Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children with emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Inspectors saw both children and spoke to one child.

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2805569 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This was the home’s first inspection. Staff provide a clean home. It is decorated and furnished to a high standard, creating a comfortable home for children to live in. Staff have listened to children and gained their views on how they would like their bedroom decorated. Photos of the children are on display, and a child has been able to bring their pet rat with them when they moved in. This provides children with a sense of belonging.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to exercise regularly by going on bike rides, going to the gym and accessing local play centres. Staff are converting the garage into a gym for the children to use. Staff speak to children often, developing positive supportive relationships, which encourages children to talk about their worries with a trusted adult. Staff help children to access specialist support if needed. One child has been supported to self-refer to specialist mental health services.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to attend education. Staff work closely with education professionals to ensure that education is maintained. Staff are supporting a child to integrate back into school, and another child is being helped to move schools. Staff advocate for all children to ensure that plans for education meet the child’s needs and take account of the child’s wishes and feelings.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek the wishes and feelings of children. Staff facilitate weekly meetings with children. The manager displays the changes made based on children’s feedback using ‘you said, we did’. There is a ‘grumble’ box where children can anonymously share any grumbles they have. The manager monitors the grumble box. The children know how to make a complaint, and when they do, staff take this seriously. Children do not have access to independent advocacy should they want this.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children see people who are important to them. This takes place both at home and in the community. This means children maintain relationships with those who are important to them. Staff communicate well with children’s families, with detailed weekly reports provided to parents where appropriate. Staff encourage children to socialise with peers their own age, and children’s friends are welcomed into the home. This helps children to develop and maintain a positive sense of identity.

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s needs and associated risks. They have knowledge of the children’s individual support plans. Staff have created detailed positive behaviour support plans that provide clear strategies to promote positive behaviour. These Inspection report for children’s home: 2805569 3 plans help to reduce the need for staff to hold children for their safety or that of others.

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff use natural and logical consequences when managing behaviour. They do not always explain the reasons for the use of consequences to children. This means consequences are not always restorative.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff work well with professionals and children’s family members. There is positive feedback around communication, which supports good multi-agency working. Staff have completed training and some training that is specific to children’s needs. To keep children safe, staff sometimes search children's bedrooms or belongings. Staff do not always seek children's consent prior to a search or always inform children of the search in a timely way.

p.3

improvement to be good

Managers have not recruited staff in accordance with safeguarding policies and procedures. Managers have not completed overseas checks when required. References from previous employers where a person has worked with children or vulnerable adults have not been sought. Managers have not recognised the need to implement risk management plans when appointing a person where there is cause for concern regarding their suitability.

p.3

improvement to be good

The manager has not ensured relevant safeguarding actions are completed when there have been concerns about a child’s welfare. Staff have not raised concerns in a timely way when they are concerned about the care provided to children, causing delay in keeping children safe. When staff have raised concerns, managers have not identified this as whistle-blowing and have not followed the relevant procedures.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s post is vacant. The applicant manager has previous experience that supports them in their role. The manager leads the staff team by reflecting the ethos and therapeutic approach detailed in the statement of purpose. The manager feels well supported by the responsible individual, and staff feel supported by the manager.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides staff with regular supervision that is reflective, includes consideration of therapeutic approaches and children’s needs and has clear actions and outcomes. The manager leads team meetings in the same way, and staff can reflect as a group on the care provided to children and how best to meet their needs. Staff have been able to complete training that is child-specific and can talk about what they have learned together as a group.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is adequate staff with two vacancies within leadership roles. The manager has started recruitment processes for these posts and is including children in the recruitment process. The manager has plans to recruit staff to these vacancies who have skills and qualities that will complement the current staff team and offer children a diverse staff team to care for them. The manager offers a full induction Inspection report for children’s home: 2805569 4 package when new staff start and reviews the probation period of staff regularly. The manager seeks feedback from staff and children to feed into a review of each staff member’s probation period.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors care provided to children through observation, feedback from others, complaints and evaluation of staff record-keeping. The manager uses any lessons learned to make improvements. For example, the manager reviewed and amended an e-safety document following a complaint from a child. The manager includes children in recognising good practice of staff by nominating a person for staff member of the month. Inspection report for children’s home: 2805569 5

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.5

Requirements Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

p.5

Requirements 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;

p.5

Requirements Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 10 June 2025

p.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.5

Requirements 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 10 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2805569 6 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.5

Requirements 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)(d))

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible, this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

p.6

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: 2805569 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Skylight 21 Homes Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 144 New Walk, Leicester, Leicestershire LE1 7JA

p.7

Inspectors

Laura Copus, Social Care Inspector Chloe Harvey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2805569 8 and inspects 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

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 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

Inspectors

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

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8