Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Blackpool

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

children and young people since the most recent full inspection. This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness . The young people who use this service have made outstanding progress from their starting points, due to the high quality of individualised care that they receive at the home. Feedback from external professionals, including social workers and youth offending workers, is consistently positive. One independent reviewing officer described the home as ‘exceeding all expectations’. Young people themselves express contentment with life at the home and speak highly of the registered manager and staff. One young person, when asked to score the home out of ten, responded, ‘Eleven!’ When asked what it was about the home that deserved such a score they said, ‘Everything!’ Other comments made by young people in a recent survey include, ‘Every day I feel valued. Staff treat me

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

fair. I feel safe and I feel like I’m listened to.’ Since living at this home, both young people have engaged positively in education and vocational activities. Their attendance is high and they are, for the first time, achieving within their educational or workplace settings. One young person recently received an award from their school for their excellent progress. Both young people came to the home with a history of being regularly missing and a high level of offending behaviour. However, they have achieved a remarkable reduction in these and other high-risk behaviours. This means that they are benefiting from a safer lifestyle and that their general well-being is enhanced. One young person wrote on a recent survey that the best thing about living at the home was that he had been able to change his behaviour. Staff support young people’s behaviour in a positive manner. There is much emphasis on rewarding positive behaviours and achievements and, as such, young

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

people are constantly congratulated on their progress. Consequences issued by staff are minimal. When they are issued, they are restorative and relevant to the matter in question. The young people who live at the home are making very good progress in managing their own behaviours. Staff understand young people and how to help them when they are upset or angry. As a result, there have been no incidents at the home which have required the staff to physically intervene or restrain a young person. Staff support young people to maintain good health. One community professional commented that the young person they supported had undergone a significant change in their appearance and looked healthier than ever before. Another young person recently had much needed dental work, which they had not felt able to go through with for a significant amount of time prior to coming to the home. Young people engage in positive activities including climbing, playing football and

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

swimming. A holiday abroad is planned for the summer, which, for both young people, will be their first experience of being in a different country. Staff encourage young people to engage in their local community. One young person has recently undertaken a football coaching course and regularly helps at a football club for children who have disabilities. Staff support young people to maintain important relationships and friendships. One young person described having his friends home to play on his Xbox and have tea. He said that he enjoyed this. Supporting young people’s friendships promotes their emotional well-being and sense of belonging. The home benefits from positive leadership. The registered manager demonstrates strong values and a genuine commitment to child-centred practice. These values are reflected in discussions with staff, who report a good level of support and ongoing guidance. Staff speak positively about the young people in their care and

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

demonstrate high ambitions for them. There are effective systems in place to enable the registered manager to monitor safety and quality across the service. These include monthly visits from an external professional and regular quality checks by the area manager. Recommendations made at the last inspection in relation to risk assessment and staff training have been addressed. The registered manager has made a number of positive improvements since the last inspection. These include improvements to the environment including both young people’s bedrooms. The young people are very pleased with their new bedrooms. One commented that he thought his room was ‘really posh’ and said that he liked having his own bathroom. The home’s workforce development plan has been reviewed and expanded to include a number of new training courses. The registered manager monitors each staff member’s development closely and is constantly seeking new learning

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

opportunities for the staff team. This helps to enhance the staff team’s skills in understanding and caring for young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is privately owned.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

12/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 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 that 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 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 whom 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. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the

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Information about this inspection

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 0300 123 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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