Children's Home run by Sunlight Children’s Care Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 1 Registered provider: Sunlight Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and another child has moved in. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The inspectors spoke with the child.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and has been registered with Ofsted since September 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2025 Full Good 23/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 3

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Summary of findings

There are several shortfalls identified in the protection of children and the leadership and management of the setting that have had an impact on children. Staff action has resulted in a child being placed at harm. There has been a lack of training for staff specific to the needs of children. Staff have not received regular individual supervision, which has impacted on their space to reflect on difficult times. There have been several staff changes, which have impacted the children. Leaders have been unable to stabilise the staff team. As a consequence of these shortfalls, children have received inadequate care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

A key professional for one child had numerous concerns about the ability of staff to safely care for the child. As a result, the child was moved out of the home. This means the child has experienced disruption and instability in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s living spaces are not maintained to a good standard, and the physical environment poses risks to them. The child’s bedroom falls below expected standards. There have been incidents where the child’s furniture has been damaged, and there is a lack of window dressings. The bedroom is not well decorated and requires attention. The bathroom is unclean and the blinds are broken. Areas of the home are not properly secured or kept tidy from hazards, which is not in line with plans for the child. Prompt action has not been taken to address these shortfalls.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s care plans do not include important information about their medical needs, including the use of inhalers. In addition, the child is not receiving supplements in line with their health plan prior to moving into the home. Key healthcare information has not been accurately recorded, including which universal services the child is registered with. As a result, the child attended an appointment at the wrong location. These shortfalls have the potential to affect how the child’s health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have not been in full-time education for some time. Staff place emphasis on the importance of education for children, and they support children to engage in tutoring and alternative forms of education. However, key information related to education agreed in a multi-agency capacity is not kept up to date.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children to spend time with their family and talk to important people in their lives, including key professionals. Staff support children with their identity needs. The child gives positive feedback about key members of staff and the manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 4

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

Staff have not consistently safeguarded children from harm. One child had a court order in place depriving them of their liberty. There have been numerous occasions where the court order was not followed by staff and, as a result, risks increased. Staff did not ensure that the child, who was at high risk of exploitation, did not access devices with access to the internet. This occurred on several occasions and was linked to poor staff practice. The manager did not inform the regulator of an incident that occurred where staff action meant that the child gained access to a device. The manager did not make a referral to external safeguarding agencies to consider staff practice on this occasion. The manager attempted to address staff practice, including during team meetings. However, this was not robust, and, despite attempts, the manager’s action was ineffective. As a result of staff practice, the child came to significant harm.

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

There have been occasions during incidents and during time spent out of the home where staff have not maintained expected ratios of staff present for the child currently living at the home to reduce the risk of harm. This includes where court orders state that the ratio of staff to the child has to be gender specific. On one occasion, this resulted in staff being unable to supervise the child and meant that risks increased.

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

There have been significant incidents where a child who has now left the home, was able to prevent staff from accessing their bedroom, and the child removed safety measures within the home environment. This resulted in the child being exposed to situations that presented a significant risk of harm. Following the first incident, action taken by managers and staff was not sufficient to reduce the risk, and a similar incident occurred shortly afterwards. The potential risk to the child during these incidents was significant, and measures in place to keep them safe were not effective.

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

E-cigarette use presents a significant risk for children living at the home. For one child, concerns regarding e-cigarette use have been present throughout their time at the home and have been associated with exploitation risks. However, there was no risk assessment in place to support staff in managing this risk. The child’s social worker reported that staff did not know how to manage the risks associated with the child’s e-cigarette use. Furthermore, the child stated that a member of staff had given them an e-cigarette. Despite this information being shared, the manager did not address the matter with staff. These shortfalls meant the risk for the child increased.

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

There have been incidents where it has been necessary for staff to hold children. When physical intervention is used, there is a lack of records of the discussions held with children or staff afterwards. When debriefs are held, there is a lack of oversight from the manager. On one occasion, the member of staff who was involved in holding the child completed the debrief with the child. This means that the child did not have the opportunity to talk to someone independently. There have been continued shortfalls in the recording of physical interventions identified at numerous inspections.

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

When children go missing from home, staff do not consistently notify key professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 5 Staff do not consistently record discussions with children when they return home about their reasons for going missing. Plans do not include key information about the timescales within which staff should report children as missing. For one child,currently living in the home, plans state that a room search should be conducted. However, this has not occurred consistently. Despite the manager requesting return home interviews, these have not occurred, which limits an independent understanding of why the child went missing.

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

Staff have failed to follow medication procedures. The home’s policy states that certain medication should be administered by 2 staff members. However, staff have not consistently followed this policy. Following the child raising an issue related to their medication, the manager carried out an investigation. Some medication was found to be missing and was not located, meaning the child may have potentially been given an overdose of the medication. Staff did not seek medical advice to determine if action needed to be taken. The manager did not fully address staff practice following the incident. The lack of reflection and learning following the incident increases the risk of a similar incident happening again. There have been continued shortfalls in the administration of medication practice identified at numerous inspections.

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

There is no effective system in place for signing visitors into the home. As a result, there is not a clear record of who has visited the home or the purpose of their visit. Leaders had not recognised this as a shortfall in safeguarding practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are several shortfalls in the leadership of the home, and staff practice has fallen short of expectations, which has impacted on the experiences of children. There have been several staff changes across the provider group due to staff shortages and staff being re-deployed to work in other homes. These changes have caused instability and a lack of consistency for children, which has been reflected by children and key professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are involved in a high level of incidents, which can be challenging. There are gaps in individual staff supervision due to the number of staff changes. The lack of supervision of staff means that they do not have space to reflect and process the demands of the role. When there have been shortfalls in staff practice, the manager has attempted to address staff practice through lessons learned and group supervision sessions. However, these have been ineffective, as shortfalls remain.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received specific training needed to meet the needs of children. The manager does not have effective systems in place to ensure thorough oversight and monitoring of staff training, and some training has not been refreshed within appropriate timescales. Some staff are out of timescales for their required qualifications. This means the manager cannot be assured that staff have the skills and knowledge needed to support children safely and effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 6 Independent visits to the home take place. However,the reports on these visits are not shared with Ofsted promptly, which limits the regulator’s understanding of the experiences of children. Visits are often for short periods of time and lack consistent feedback from professionals. These visits are often announced, which means that the reality of the living circumstances of children may not be captured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been times when staff have not used professional boundaries within their working practices. Action has been taken by leaders to attempt to address these shortfalls. For one member of staff, historic references for employment where they worked with vulnerable people were not obtained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings take place regularly and this supports staff reflection. A deputy manager has recently been employed to work across 2 of the homes, which leaders hope will support the manager in their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders feel their workload across the provider group has increased and that this has had an impact on their ability to meet the needs of the home. The manager has requested specific equipment to support her in the day-to-day tasks, but this is yet to be provided. The responsible individual reflects that her oversight across several homes has been stretched, meaning that she has not been able to meet the demands of the role as effectively as she would want. The responsible individual has taken steps to address this issue in consultation with senior leaders. The responsible individual and manager acknowledge the shortfalls identified and have a strong desire to improve the experiences of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 7

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 16 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 8 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)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

children receive consistent levels of care from staff. Leaders and managers must implement systems to maintain consistency of staff in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Where concerns arise regarding staff practice, leaders take action to address shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

Staff have specific training related to needs of children and that leaders have monitoring systems in place to support oversight of staff training.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders have effective oversight of all areas of staff practice and the experiences of children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders have systems in place to drive improvements in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was set at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 16 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 9 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

staff maintain expected ratios of staff to children consistently.

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Requirement Due date

Risk assessments clearly set out how children’s needs will be managed by staff.

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Requirement Due date

Staff should support children to reduce their e-cigarette use.

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Requirement Due date

Staff follow missing-from-care protocols consistently, that children are spoken to after going missing and that plans include key information about expectations for staff.

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Requirement Due date

There is a sufficient signing-in process for visitors to the home.

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Requirement Due date

The home environment must be suitable for the child’s needs and free from potential risks. Adaptations to the home to reduce risk should be well maintained.

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Requirement Due date

Feedback from children about staff practice is investigated as necessary.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 16 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 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")—

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Requirement Due date

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)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that staff and children are spoken to after physical interventions and that the manager’s oversight is clear.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was set at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should inform Ofsted of serious incidents. 16 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; 16 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 11 provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(vii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, care plans should be kept up to date with key information related to education and health.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that medication is administered in line with the policy for the home and when medication errors occur, health advice is sought as necessary and staff practice is addressed.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was set at the last inspection and is restated. 16 August 2026

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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

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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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) (2)(a)(b) (3) (7)(a)) 16 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 12 In particular, feedback should be gained from professionals and parents, and visits should ensure that independent oversight is thorough. Ofsted should receive the report in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual should have the capacity to ensure thorough oversight of the home with support from senior leaders. 16 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2762776 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sunlight Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8, Trinity Place, Midland Drive, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B72 1TX

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Inspectors

Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Rachael Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2762776 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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