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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 1 Registered provider: Sunlight Children’s Care Limited

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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

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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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to review progress against compliance notices issued following a full inspection carried out at the home. The compliance notices were issued under Regulation 13, ‘The leadership and management standard’, and Regulation 12, ‘The protection of children standard’. At this visit, the steps outlined in the compliance notices had not been met, and therefore further compliance notices have been issued.

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This monitoring visit

There have been several changes in the senior leadership of the home, including the responsible individual. Senior leaders have identified concerns regarding the culture within the senior leadership team and have developed plans to address these issues. These actions have not yet been implemented. These issues have affected the level of support available to the manager. The manager and temporary responsible individual acknowledge the continuing shortfalls in practice in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Medication practice is not safely managed. The child was given medication exceeding the prescribed dosage recorded in their care plan. Staff whose medication training had lapsed had administered medication to the child. Records of medication are not always clear about whether the child has been offered daily medication. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 2 Despite staff undertaking medication audits, these shortfalls have not been identified. The manager has not had sufficient oversight of medication practice. These shortfalls have persisted across multiple previous inspections. This has the potential to place children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

There have been incidents where the child has been held. On one occasion, a lack of staff action meant that the child accessed a staff vehicle. Staff used physical intervention during this incident to remove the child from the vehicle, which placed the child at risk of harm. Records did not demonstrate that there was an immediate risk to the child or staff that would support the use of physical intervention. Staff’s written record of the incident contradicted the account they gave to the inspector. The manager failed to notice this discrepancy, meaning potential weaknesses in staff practice went undetected and unaddressed. There have been continued shortfalls in physical intervention practice identified at numerous inspections.

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This monitoring visit

E-cigarette use is a risk for the child. Despite now being included in plans, it is unclear what action staff should take when the child uses e-cigarettes. Plans state that e-cigarette use is not allowed and staff should reiterate this. However, staff and the manager have not acted when the child has used e-cigarettes in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Behaviour support plans do not include key information to support staff in their care of the child. Staff are unclear on what the level of supervision should be. Plans state the child should always be supported by staff. However, this has not been consistently implemented in practice, and incidents have occurred during periods when staff ratios were reduced. Staff who come to work in the home are not always given plans to read prior to working with the child. It is therefore unclear how staff understand the child’s specific care requirements.

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This monitoring visit

Staff recording of key documentation, including care plans and incident reports, displays institutional language. Following one incident, a member of staff suggested a punitive consequence for the child, even though the behaviour stemmed from shortfalls in staff practice.

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This monitoring visit

The child’s bedroom is now more personalised to meet their needs. However, hazards within the home are not consistently identified and addressed by staff. Plans relating to self-injurious behaviour do not clearly specify which items the child can safely access, resulting in inconsistent staff understanding and practice. On one occasion, a member of staff did not follow the child’s safety plan when risks were identified, resulting in the child coming to harm.

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This monitoring visit

When allegations have occurred, the manager has sought advice from external safeguarding agencies. However, the manager has not consistently informed Ofsted of allegations as per regulatory expectations. When the manager has undertaken lessons learned, follow-up discussions with staff are not always recorded. Shortfalls in staff consistency remain an ongoing concern within the home. This has had an impact on the child, whose wishes and feelings have not been met regarding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 3 this. This instability does not support the child to build trusting and positive relationships with a consistent staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Staff training continues to not meet expected standards, with members of staff significantly out of date for mandatory training. The manager does not have oversight of the training of staff prior to them working in the home. There is not an effective system in place to monitor the training of staff, so shortfalls in this area continue. This means the child is being cared for by staff who may not have the knowledge and skills to best support the child.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, managers have provided regular supervision to staff, and the manager now leads group supervision sessions to reinforce practice expectations and address the child’s specific vulnerabilities. Staff recently took the child on holiday, which the child gave positive feedback about. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/06/2026 Full Inadequate 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 - monitoring visit: 2762776 5

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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 with 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 20 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 6 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 children receive consistent levels of care from staff.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must implement systems to maintain consistency of staff in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, where concerns arise regarding staff practice, leaders take action to address shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have specific training related to the needs of children and that leaders have monitoring systems in place to support oversight of staff training.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that leaders have effective oversight of all areas of staff practice and the experiences of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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; 20 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 7 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 support children to reduce their e-cigarette use; and

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Requirement Due date

plans include key information about expectations for staff when children go missing.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home environment is suitable for the child’s needs and free from potential risks, and that adaptations to the home to reduce risk are well maintained.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that feedback from children about staff practice is investigated as necessary.

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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 ensure that— 20 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 8 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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff are spoken to after physical interventions and 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that care plans are kept up to date with key information relating to education and health.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was set at the last inspection and is restated. 20 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and 20 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 9 disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that medication is administered appropriately 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.

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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; and

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that leaders and staff follow plans for children consistently. 20 September 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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should inform Ofsted of allegations. 20 September 2026

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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

This requirement was set at the last inspection and is restated. 20 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 10 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must gain feedback from professionals and parents, and their visits must ensure thorough independent oversight. They must also send the report to Ofsted in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was set at the last inspection and is restated. 20 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information, avoiding institutionalised language. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4). Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 11

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2762776 12

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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 - monitoring visit: 2762776 13 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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