Children's home run by Seed of Light Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2807171 1 Registered provider: Seed of Light Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in November 2024 and is owned and operated by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home, and their views were sought.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a qualified and experienced manager. They were present during the inspection.

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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 outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2807171 2

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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. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, which allows 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

Effective children’s meetings provide an opportunity for children to express their wishes and feelings. Alongside this, regular one-to-one conversations are held between the staff and children. They discuss important issues and concerns for the children. For example, staff ensure that they support a child with their chosen identity. The child feels comfortable speaking with staff about how they identify. This helps the child to feel heard and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are currently not in a school provision. The manager and staff are working to find suitable provisions that meet the children’s individual needs. This work is in partnership with the children’s social workers and educational professionals. Staff can engage a child in learning while they are not in a setting and support routines by providing both community-based opportunities alongside bite-size education sessions in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive comprehensive support with their physical, emotional and psychological well-being. Staff are responsive to the children’s needs and know when there are changes in the child’s presentation. Staff understand the traumatic experiences that the children have had. Reflective practice is underpinned by bespoke training in the home’s preferred model of care, with input from the organisation’s therapeutic team and the wider professional network.

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

Children are safer because staff understand the risks that they can face. Risk assessments and care plans provide clarity and direction for staff. When there is an incident of concern, the manager and staff reflect on the plans and adjust if required. Assessments of risk are made in collaboration with the multi-agency network and are well balanced between keeping the child safe and allowing them to take age-appropriate risks. This means that all agencies work in a well-coordinated manner.

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

There is a proactive approach to missing-from-home episodes. When incidents occur, there is a comprehensive response from staff and managers. Following incidents, debrief discussions are held with the child and the staff involved. Safeguarding professionals are appropriately informed and contribute to plans to minimise future risks. Staff have received training from a police missing-persons coordinator, which has strengthened the professional response to any incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807171 3 Safeguarding incidents are managed effectively, with strong oversight from the manager. All incidents are reviewed to ensure learning and development. This learning is regularly shared, and staff refresh their safeguarding knowledge during regular and reflective supervision sessions and team meetings. However, not all serious events have been reported to Ofsted in line with regulatory requirements.

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

The manager and staff strongly advocate for the children, who are subject to restrictive court orders, to ensure that any restrictions to their liberty are proportionate and are regularly reviewed within the wider safeguarding network. Consequently, a robust multi- agency approach is in place to meet the children's individual needs.

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

Thorough recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that staff working with the children are suitable to do so. The manager has effective systems in place to monitor and review their continued suitability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is innovative and highly ambitious. He is committed to providing a home where children can flourish. He acts swiftly to address any shortfalls. The manager has excellent support from a senior leadership team that is equally committed to the care and progress of the children. This is an integral part of the home and its success.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is always visible and regularly works with the children directly. He has a detailed understanding of each child and is fully involved in their care planning from the outset. This allows the manager to not only build strong relationships with the children but also to model his style and strategies to support staff in their learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s oversight of the care provided to children is excellent. He knows what is happening in the home daily. The manager has developed strong systems to assist him in monitoring the quality of care and the daily operations of the home. The manager regularly carries out management audits and promptly addresses outstanding actions. This ensures that standards of care continue to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team reports feeling supported by the manager. The staff are highly motivated and happy in their jobs. The team has worked through a turbulent time at the home. Despite this, staff remain committed to the children, and the support from leaders and managers has been key to them remaining focused on the care and support of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807171 4

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Recommendation

 The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in Regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living at the home that the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 2807171 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Seed of Light Limited

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Inspector

Caroline Coop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2807171 6 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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