Children's Home run by Sunflower Children Care Services in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC449099 1 SC449099 Registered provider: Quantum Care UK Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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

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: SC449099 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/03/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/06/2022 Full Good 10/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC449099 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home. The inspector spoke with the child living at the home at the time of this inspection. Staff know the child very well. There is a small but committed team of staff who have established positive relationships with her. Staff have a genuine sense of commitment and loyalty towards her. Staff have clear and shared objectives to help the child achieve her full potential. The child has made good progress from her starting point.

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improvement to be good

The home has recently been renovated, with new metal gates fitted to the front of the property as an additional safety measure. The home has also been repainted, and soft furnishings have been added to make the environment homely and welcoming. The child has personalised her bedroom. This provides a sense of belonging and responsibility, while adding to the family feel of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child in learning important life skills. They help and encourage her to assist with age-appropriate chores, such as washing dishes, doing laundry, going grocery shopping and preparing meals. As a result, the child has learned and developed new skills. This has also enhanced her confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

The child is encouraged to attend school. She has excellent school attendance, and the staff work with education professionals and social workers to ensure that the child receives help in achieving her targets. The staff team supported the child's recent transition to secondary school. Key-work discussions have been used to prepare the child for this change, which has enabled her to quickly settle into this new routine.

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improvement to be good

The child’s health needs are largely met. However, a healthy, well-balanced diet has not been promoted on a daily basis. Weekly menus lack variety and do not include vegetables and fruit. This does not support the child in having a healthy lifestyle. It also does not help the child to understand the effect that an unhealthy diet has on their health and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Local authority plans for the child are not on file. As a result, the manager has not been able to ensure that the local authority plan informs the child’s relevant plans. This is an impediment to good care planning.

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improvement to be good

The staff have a good understanding of the risks posed to and from the child and are clear about the actions they need to take to safeguard children. Although risk assessments are regularly reviewed, they do not reflect recent incidents and newly Inspection report for children’s home: SC449099 4 identified risks for the child, nor do they provide clear guidance to staff on managing specific risks.

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improvement to be good

There have been two missing-from-care episodes since the last inspection. Staff responded appropriately and followed clear procedures to ensure the child’s safe return. However, the manager has not evaluated missing-from-care incidents to ensure that learning is identified. This could have potentially prevented the second incident from occurring.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, a child was able to leave the home undetected. The gates had not been closed properly, and the child was found by a member of the public at the side of the road. Although the child was unharmed, a lack of staff vigilance has the potential to increase children’s vulnerabilities. Following this incident, the responsible individual ensured that remedial action was taken, and changes were made to staff practice based on the lessons learned.

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improvement to be good

The responsible individual ensures that appropriate action is taken when any concerns are identified about staff practice or conduct. Performance management systems are effective in addressing any shortfalls in practice. When appropriate, information is shared with safeguarding agencies in an open and transparent manner.

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improvement to be good

There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. Staff are trained and skilled in de-escalation, and they help the child learn how to regulate their behaviours. Staff are effective in understanding the emotions that underlie and can trigger certain behaviours, preventing them from escalating.

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improvement to be good

The location risk assessment provides staff with sufficient information to safeguard children from risks in the community. However, the manager has not consulted relevant parties about the appropriateness of the location of the home and any risks associated with the area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has not had a registered manager in post since May 2025. A manager has been appointed but has not registered with Ofsted. There was a period of handover from the former manager to the new manager to support this transition.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The child moved to another home in the organisation for a short period while this home was being renovated. Staff were provided with increased training and mentoring during this period following incidents that had occurred. This has been beneficial, and staff are confident and knowledgeable about their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. The child has since returned to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Management monitoring systems are not thoroughly rooted in day-to-day management. This has led to shortfalls in management oversight. The current systems do not bring information together, such as content in risk assessments and the child’s plans, staff Inspection report for children’s home: SC449099 5 supervision records, meals eaten by the child, hours worked by staff and annual leave taken, and oversight of missing-from-care incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager carries out regular audits of the work undertaken in the home. This process alone does not assure the manager that work is being carried out to the required standard and that all necessary tasks are completed. To support the manager in her role, it would be advantageous to develop a system that provides her with greater oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been a high turnover of staff since the last inspection, with six members leaving the team. Despite this, there is still a small core team of staff who are passionate, knowledgeable and dedicated. As a result, staff who know the child well provide continuity of care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff do not feel supported by the new manager and say morale is low. Supervision and appraisal records were not available for review during the inspection, as the manager was on leave. Staff say they receive regular supervision, although they have not received copies of recent supervision meeting minutes. As a result, staff are not aware of actions from these and cannot assure themselves this is an accurate reflection of the meeting held. This is a missed opportunity to support staff in their professional development. The responsible individual has chaired team meetings to assist staff in reflecting on the care and support provided to the child, as well as discussing reflective practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have not been given the opportunity to attain the required qualification for residential childcare staff. For example, one member of staff has still not been enrolled in the relevant qualification after working at the home for 20 months. This does not equip staff with the skills and knowledge they need to carry out their role effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Monthly visits from an independent person support the manager’s efforts to tackle shortfalls in the home. The manager has submitted a review of the quality of care that identifies actions for improvement in the coming months; however, this does not include feedback from the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Together with the manager, the responsible individual is reviewing and identifying areas that require development to ensure that they fully understand what is required to get this home on the path to improvement. This is a positive sign for the future. Inspection report for children’s home: SC449099 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 provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that a manager is appointed and registered with Ofsted. 29 September 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

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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that lessons are learned following incidents. It also relates to the manager ensuring that plans and assessments are updated to reflect known risks and provide clear guidance to staff. 29 September 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 29 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC449099 7 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that managers have thorough oversight of all areas of care and a comprehensive understanding of practices in the home. It also relates to ensuring that staff are enrolled in the relevant qualification to meet the needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that the child’s care plan is on file, accurate and up to date. 29 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

Children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(c)) 29 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC449099 8 This specifically relates to managers ensuring that children have a healthy, nutritious and well-balanced diet.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 29 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 29 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 29 September 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 for children’s home: SC449099 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quantum Care UK Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Barton Close, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester LE19 1SJ

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC449099 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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