Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Blackpool

Unique reference number SC363398 Inspection date 08/11/2012 Inspector Malcolm Stannard Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 27/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

This privately run children’s home was registered in February 2008. Following a change in April 2012 to the home's purpose and function it now provides care for up to six children and young people. Care and accommodation is provided for children with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and sensory impairment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides care for young people who have diverse needs and varied abilities. Staff demonstrate the skills required to work with and have impact on young people's development. A strength of the home is the positive relationships which staff form with young people, enabling effective communication to occur.

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Overall effectiveness

Comprehensive care planning and assessment of risk are used to inform staff and help them in their work. This means that young people are able to benefit from a good quality of care provision. Staff work positively with young people to help them reach their potential. Young people feel safe at the home and their welfare is protected by the home’s policies and practice.

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Overall effectiveness

Areas for development identified at this inspection include: the submission of an audit report on the quality of care at the home to Ofsted; an increase in some evidential recording in records; and the updating of procedures relating to fire prevention equipment monitoring. None of these areas have a direct impact on the care provided or the welfare and safety of young people.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) supply to the HMCI a report in respect of any review conducted by him for the purposes of paragraph (1) of the regulation. (Regulation 34 (2)) 04/01/2013

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that children understand how their views have been taken into account. Specifically, ensure that responses to requests made at young people's meetings are formally recorded within the meeting minutes (NMS 1.2)  ensure that where a child requires it the young people's guide is available when appropriate through suitable alternative methods of communication, for example Makaton, pictures, tape recording or translation into another language (NMS 13.6)  ensure all staff's work is consistent with the home's policies and procedures. Specifically, ensure that the written procedures for monitoring of fire prevention and detection equipment reflect actual practice (NMS 21.3)  ensure that the manager regularly monitors all records kept by the home to ensure compliance with the home's policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends. Specifically, ensure that

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Recommendations

evidence is available of the action taken to address any issues raised by this monitoring. (NMS 21.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are able to make progress in developing their skills, confidence and a positive self-view due to the support and opportunities available at the home. A parent of one of the young people spoke positively of the progress they had made at the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from staff support and guidance to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. They are able to have an understanding of key health risks as well as the importance of ensuring they attend to their personal hygiene. Support is given by staff on occasions when they fail to engage with services provided. Young people do not engage in risk taking behaviours.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are actively involved in purposeful activities, many of which take place within the community. Participation is tailored towards their individual needs allowing a range of stimulating and appropriate opportunities to be available.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Given their starting point, young people achieve in education in line with their individual abilities and all attend full-time provision. One young person is shortly to attend an adventure camp organised by their school. Young people are able to learn about some aspects of independence and preparation for their future. The work undertaken is appropriate to their age and understanding, including the setting up of bank accounts and completion of domestic tasks.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people, including those who do not communicate verbally, participate in day- to-day decisions about their lives at the home. Staff are skilled at enabling them to share their wishes, views and feelings irrespective of any barriers they experience.

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Quality of care

Comprehensive assessments undertaken prior to any admission of a young person to the home ensure that needs are fully identified. This enables the manager to be confident that the home is able to meet and respond to individual requirements. Visits for meals and overnight stays are implemented prior to a young person moving into the home, which helps them to settle into the surroundings.

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Quality of care

Individual placement plans are compiled from a range of information which is obtained from parents, social workers, previous placements and the young person themselves. These plans which are updated regularly enable everyone involved to be aware of the needs of the young person and the work required to meet them. Staff have a good knowledge of young people which means that they receive care which is in line with their individual plan. Key work sessions are held with young people to address the identified needs, work carried out is meaningful. The manager and staff are consistently concerned with young people's welfare and development and ensure that access to all external relevant services is available when required.

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Quality of care

There are close working relationships with external agencies and formal recorded updates on progress are made available to placing authorities on a weekly or monthly basis as agreed.

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Quality of care

Highly individual strategies are used to promote positive behaviour and educate young people with regard to socially acceptable conduct. Extremely well-detailed individual behaviour management plans are in place. These concentrate on the positive reinforcement of behaviour rather than any punitive measures and staff members praise young people on their achievements. Boundaries of acceptable behaviour are consistently applied by all staff, ensuring that young people have clarity about the expectations of them.

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Quality of care

Relationships between staff and young people are excellent. Staff are skilled in, and demonstrate a good ability to effectively communicate with all young people. They use alternative methods of communication, such as pictures, with those young people who are not able to communicate verbally. They are knowledgeable about what a young person's non-verbal indications mean. Information about the home is made available to young people in the form of a booklet which explains rules in place and their rights. The content of the booklet is reinforced verbally with young people by staff. The booklet is presently being revised, in order that it can be presented in a range of formats so that all young people will be able to access the information independently.

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Quality of care

Young people are supported to give their views on the day-to-day running of the home. Regular meetings are held to allow young people to make requests and staff support them to ensure their views are heard. While responses to any requests or suggestions are made verbally by staff, these are not recorded as part of the minutes of a meeting meaning that an evidential record of the responses is not available.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to achieve within formal education. They attend on a full-time basis and are transported to and from school by staff. Contact is undertaken with the schools to check on progress. Young people’s achievements are celebrated within the home. 'Sparkling achievement' certificates are used to reinforce positive attainment by young people. Opportunities are provided for young people to engage in a range of enjoyable leisure activities; including attendance at local groups, soft play sessions, rides on public transport and visits to a local airport, which one young person has expressed a considerable interest in. Within the home there is a play room which is equipped with toys and games to meet the needs and interests of the range of young people accommodated.

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Quality of care

A proactive approach is taken to the health needs of young people. Some have monthly assessments carried out by health professionals in order that their well- being is closely monitored.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s welfare is protected by the safeguarding procedures and practice in operation at the home. Young people said that they felt safe at the home and knew who to speak to if they had any concerns. One young person stated 'I feel safe and the staff are welcoming.' All staff are trained in child protection procedures and recognition of abuse. There are good links in place with social workers and safeguarding services who can be contacted for advice if required. The manager was able to demonstrate a good knowledge of the referral system to be used should this be required. A range of professionals independent of the home regularly visit to speak with young people, contributing to the protection offered.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessments for each young person contain details of all areas of particular vulnerability and behaviour which could be potentially harmful to them. The actions required to minimise risk, and who is to carry these out, are clearly stated. The assessments are updated on a regular basis to ensure protective arrangements are appropriate. Individual sheets are completed for when public transport or external activity provision is used. This practice ensures that all staff are aware of the individual precautions to be in place to ensure young people's welfare is protected.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There is a robust procedure in relation to bullying in operation. Staff ensure a strong and prompt response to any suspicion of bullying. Work is undertaken with young people on an individual basis through key work sessions to provide information on what constitutes bullying so they have a clearer understanding of the issue.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Clear boundaries for young people's behaviour are in place and staff practice positive strategies. All staff are trained in physical intervention techniques. However, any use is minimal and used only as a last resort to protect a young person's or others’ safety. Staff know the young people well and use negotiation and diffusion techniques successfully to ensure that challenging situations do not escalate. Sanctions are used sparingly and are implemented only when it has not been possible to undertake a more restorative or reparative approach.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The welfare, health and safety of everyone at the home are protected by the arrangements in place for recruitment of staff, vetting of visitors and the maintenance of a safe building. The staff recruitment process is robust and visitors are required to show identification, sign a visitors’ book and are accompanied while in the home. Gas and electrical equipment is tested on a regular basis and fire procedure testing is carried out monthly along with equipment checks. However, the procedure for fire equipment checking and the conducting of drills has not been amended to reflect the change in timescales from weekly to monthly when these are carried out in practice. There is no direct impact on the safety of young people; however this does not allow staff practice to be consistent with the procedures.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

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Leadership and management

A new manager has recently been appointed and has made an application for registration with Ofsted. The manager understands fully the strengths and weaknesses of the service provided and an improvement/development plan has recently been produced. Some changes in practice have already been implemented and others, including further restructuring of case work, are currently under consultation with the staff team.

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Leadership and management

The staff team were newly formed when the home commenced operation in line with its new remit in April 2012. They all have some experience and skills in working with the client group and are guided and supported in their work. This includes input from a psychologist who attends staff meetings bi-monthly to offer support in relation to techniques which may be used when working with young people.

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Leadership and management

All staff receive regular formal supervision from the manager. Additionally, appraisals for each staff member have recently commenced in order to further identify individual training development requirements. A plan for training is available which includes provision of all mandatory subjects and those areas which relate directly to the provision specialism. All of the staff team either hold or are working towards a formal qualification in childcare.

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Leadership and management

Internal and external monitoring allows managers to fully evaluate the quality of care provided. Regular monitoring of daily records and oversight of case files is carried out by the manager and records are signed when audited. However, any deficiencies noted and the manner in which they are fed back to staff cannot always be clearly evidenced. Monitoring of the quality of care provided is carried out on a monthly basis by an external manager. A report is completed following each visit detailing the findings and any actions required. Internally, an enhanced overview report of practice and development within the home in line with regulation is compiled. This report has not been submitted to Ofsted as required by legislation.

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Leadership and management

Young people's records are clear, detailed and regularly updated. They are held securely and confidentiality is maintained. The information contained in the files contributes to an understanding of the young person's life and enables the progress they have made while at the home to be clearly seen. All significant events relating to the protection of young people in the home are notified to external agencies as required by legislation. The premises are well maintained and resourced adequately to meet the needs of the young people accommodated.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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