Children's Home run by Lightshine in Hertfordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 1 Registered provider: Lightshine Children’s Home 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

The home is owned by a private company and offers care for up to three children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was appointed in July 2025. She has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 2

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home and were spoken to by the inspector. Since the home opened, three children have moved into the home, and one child has moved out. The child left the home in an unplanned way.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff do not promote one child’s learning and development. The child does not receive education or have any employment or training opportunities. The manager has not planned educational activities or provided structure or routine to incorporate any learning. This limits the child’s social interactions and future opportunities.

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improvement to be good

The home is not warm or welcoming. There is instructional signage throughout the house as well as paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms. These give an institutionalised feel. This does not provide children with a nurturing home or help them create a sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Positive, warm and nurturing interactions were observed between the children and staff. The children are comfortable in the company of the staff and have built trusting relationships with them.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining contact with those who are important to them. Staff support and encourage children’s family time in line with their views, wishes and feelings.

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improvement to be good

The manager understands the value of supporting children’s interests. One child has pet guinea pigs and mice. These pets are well cared for by the child. The child is consistent and responsible with a routine and provides the pets with a nurturing environment.

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improvement to be good

One child enjoys practising independent life skills. Staff support the child with independent tasks. They receive weekly support from a charity support worker to aid progress. This was an existing arrangement that was in place before the child moved into the home. However, the manager has not identified actions for staff to support and encourage the child’s progress towards independence.

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improvement to be good

One child has been supported to return to a full-time educational provision locally. They attended this school previously. This has provided them with the familiarity of known professionals and peers during the unsettling time of moving home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not notified the necessary agencies following safeguarding concerns. Following an escalation of concerns, the manager was suspended and Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 3 subsequently dismissed. This was not shared with the local authority designated officer. Additional safeguarding actions were not considered, and a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service was not made. Ofsted was not notified of the safeguarding concerns. Combined, this failure to share information means that the required safeguarding measures were not in place.

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improvement to be good

One child has been held by staff during incidents. There are no records of the physical interventions used at the home. Therefore, it is unclear how many times the child was held. The impact of this on the child is unknown, as it is unknown if these were carried out safely or appropriately. Neither the child nor the staff were spoken with afterwards to reflect on these. The child’s experience of the holds is unclear and therefore has not been understood by the staff. Staff have not been able to reflect on their practice, and safeguarding measures have not been taken.

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improvement to be good

One child did go missing from the home. In addition, the child was able to leave the care of staff while in hospital. The number of times the child has been missing from the home and the actions taken are unknown because there are no records. It is not clear if staff have followed the missing-from-home procedures to keep the child safe or if the child was provided an independent person to speak to on returning to the home. Without records, managers are unable to provide oversight and ensure that all necessary actions have been taken to keep the child safe. This means that potential staff training needs are not identified alongside whether the child requires any additional support.

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improvement to be good

Staff have used emergency services support on several occasions. However, the records of the incidents that led to police call-outs have not been kept. On one occasion, the child was arrested by the police.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is no longer working at the home and has not been at the home since July 2025. The current manager has been in post since July 2025. She has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

For one child, the staff received no guidance in how to care for or keep the child safe. A care plan was not available to guide their care of the child. Staff were not supported by the registered manager. They did not have any understanding of the child’s specific needs and how to support these. The child was involved in a high number of incidents and was moved on from the home in an unplanned way. Following the child moving on, the staff were not provided with any chance to reflect on their experiences. There has been no learning identified for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received regular or consistent supervision sessions. Supervision is not reflective or child focused. This fails to support the staff’s development or aid improvement to children’s care. Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 4 The manager completes a review of the quality of care provided for children monthly. The report does not include information gathered from children or their families and professionals. It is not reflective or evaluative. There is not an effective monitoring system in place to improve the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers failed to understand one child’s individual needs before the child moved into the home. The registered manager and staff did not have the skills, knowledge or ability to meet the individual needs of the child. After a quick escalation of significant incidents, the child moved on from the home in an unplanned way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are no case records for one child. The child did not have a care plan or risk management plan in place. This means that staff did not have the guidance to support and keep the child safe. The other two children have care plans and risk management plans in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not updated the home’s statement of purpose and have not shared this with Ofsted when changes have occurred at the home. This does not allow Ofsted to have oversight of the current provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The language and terminology used in children’s records and staff supervision records is not child friendly. This does not reflect the child-focused ethos of the manager and staff as detailed in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers did not arrange for an independent visitor to visit the home during the first three months of it being open. This has since been arranged. An independent visitor provides an added external safeguard and may have picked up on the shortfalls identified in children’s care at this visit.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff feel supported by the current manager. Support for staff has increased with the current manager. Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 5

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; and

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that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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In particular, plan education and structure so that children with no current educational placement have the opportunity to learn. 1 April 2026

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The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

mutual respect and trust; 1 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 6 an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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positive responses to other children and adults.

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

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meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; and

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, identify how staff can help children, ensure that staff are consistent in addressing children’s behaviour and ensure that managers guide the staff in how to do this.

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

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

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

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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)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular: 1 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 7 ensure that risk assessments and care plans identify known and potential risks for each child and that staff are skilled and confident in managing behaviours that place children at risk;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that records of safeguarding incidents are clear, detailed and demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning; and

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ensure that any safeguarding concerns regarding managers or staff are shared with the appropriate services.

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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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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

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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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ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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

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ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and 1 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 8 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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The care planning standard is that children—

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

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have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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

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that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(i)(f)) 1 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 9 In particular:

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff are provided with all the necessary information to make a full assessment of children’s needs and risks; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that care plans are created collaboratively with the child and the local authority and that the plans are shared with the staff team.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 1 April 2026

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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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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 1 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 10 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")— has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

if the child dies before attaining the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of the child’s death;

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Requirement Due date

in cases not falling within sub-paragraph (a), for 75 years from the child’s date of birth;

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securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 1 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

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; 1 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 11 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— is instigated; or

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (7) (a)) 1 April 2026

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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.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 1 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 12 supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children and is a homely, domestic environment. The children’s home must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2820889 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lightshine Children’s Home limited, 4 Strawberryfield Hatfield AL10 8AS

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Inspector

Sarah Cooper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2820889 14 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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