Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Blackpool

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has Sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to benefit from a stable and cohesive staff team who are highly committed in promoting their care and well-being. Staff work well together to ensure there is a common approach to behaviour management and routines specific to each young person’s needs. Restraints are rarely used and good input is given towards helping young people understand the consequences of their behaviours.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff demonstrate a close knowledge of the young people’s complex needs and have high aspirations, particularly in regard to promoting their self-esteem and confidence through dedicated support, attention and recognition of their achievements. During the inspection one young person was looking forward to an awards evening having been nominated by staff for successfully completing a Duke of Edinburgh bronze award, while another young person was nominated for his achievements in trampolining having previously had no concept or understanding of how to bounce.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the previous inspection one young person has left the home and made the successful transition to a new placement. Another young person has been recently admitted. Staff are focussing their efforts on helping the young person settle in his new surroundings and keep himself safe amidst a couple of missing episodes that have occurred to date where he has gravitated to his peers and family members. Staff have taken responsive action and understand the current vulnerabilities of the young person and presenting risk that is reflected in the documentation and within practice. Appropriate missing from care protocols have been followed in collaboration with external agencies. Staff are working hard to stabilise the young person’s placement by providing a balanced level of support, supervision and structure.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people feel safe at the home contributory to the good levels of emotional warmth and nurture of care shown by committed staff. Safeguarding procedures and responses continue to be robust. Staff know how to keep the young people safe due to the in depth individual risk management plans; and because they know the histories of the young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people that are currently in education or college placements continue overall to make progress with good attendance. Since the previous inspection an educational placement has been identified for one young person specific to his needs, this after the registered manager had contacted the virtual head and received a positive response. This placement due to the young person’s complex needs will be a carefully planned transition with tailored one to one support.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The education attendance of the recently admitted young person has so far been sporadic to date associated with the disruption experienced following the breakdown of his family placement, however staff are tackling these issues appropriately through effective liaison with the school and initiation of an inter- agency meeting.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

From a health perspective young people continue to benefit from guidance and direction from staff in terms of promoting self-care skills, hygiene and fulfilling all health related appointments including visits to the dentist. Healthy lifestyles are a central focus. Young people for example learn about the importance of good diet and contribute to drawing up healthy menus including those with non-verbal skills. They also learn about the importance of exercise as part of the daily routine. During the inspection a young person channelled his energy on return from school by accessing the trampoline outside. His enjoyment in this activity was clear to see.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have regular contact with members of their family helping them maintain a good sense of belonging and self-worth. Staff support this process well by facilitating the contact through consultation with the placing authorities and in keeping with their respective care plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Effective action has been taken to address the requirements set at the previous inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is much more proactive in challenging local authorities and has learn to accelerate matters further up the chain where delays might be detrimental to the care and needs of young people. She has been influential in moving a young adult onto to supported living accommodation following a delay by the local authority. She has also secured educational provision for another young person by escalating the matter to the virtual head. Although the young person has not commenced this provision as yet it is a step in the right direction after a long period without any education.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The premises have been refurbished involving the purchase of new furniture, new carpets and redecoration of certain rooms resulting in an improved overall condition and homely feel.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager now ensures that all staff receive regular supervision so enabling opportunities for individual employees to reflect on practice and develop their skills through training. This is illustrated in the documentation that was made available during this inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has now implemented a revised behaviour management checklist prompt within the record book for staff to follow that involves describing the incident, the sanction imposed and effectiveness of such a measure. Young people are central to the overall aim of the system which is to help them understand the consequences of their actions and modify their behaviour through positive reinforcement and support. There have been few sanctions imposed since the previous inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home can accommodate up to six young people with moderate to severe learning disabilities. The home is owned and operated by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

12/03/2014 CH - Interim Inadequate Progress

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This 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 Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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