Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to accommodate four children and young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The ethos of care is one of immediate acceptance and empathy, irrespective of presentation. It is flexible and responsive, determined by the unique circumstances of the children and young people at the time. Its aim is for the children and young people to experience a safe, warm, nurturing, stable and consistent living environment, however short or long their stay.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has the required qualification and he has been registered with Ofsted, for this home, since November 2016.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 22 January 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people thrive in this home and they make good progress. This is facilitated by the strong and supportive relationships they have built up with the staff and with each other. Despite arriving in the home having experienced previous placement disruptions and facing considerable challenges, young people develop a very strong sense of themselves and improve in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from a child-centred, caring ethos. The staff are insightful and they are well equipped to meet the young people’s needs. The manager and the staff team consistently focus on the emotions behind the young people’s behaviours and not on the specific behaviours themselves. This reflective approach is successful in responding to the young people’s needs and re-enforces the young people’s positive attitudes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff fully understand the therapy model used in the home. They have completed training provided by the organisation’s psychotherapist. The home’s therapy model is steeped in research and has provoked interests from other organisations and placing authorities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people engage in their therapy sessions and they benefit enormously from the input they receive. This model of therapy has been extended, and training has been provided to the young people’s tutors at college. This ensures that the young people receive a consistent approach and that their education is less affected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people have enjoyed a holiday abroad with their staff. There are detailed holiday planners in place showing arrangements for activities and outings over the summer break. Attention to detail is evident in this home in, for example, the staff supporting a young person to enjoy an awards evening and end-of-school prom. Both young people have clear aspirations for their futures and are looking forward to returning to college in September 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Life story work is ongoing, and each young person has a detailed and well-presented catalogue of their life. Their contributions to this are evident and assist them to recognise their past, focus on the present and look forward to their future. This work is backed up by individual photograph albums that include amusing and confidence- building comments from their staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Key workers and leaders track the young people’s progress regularly. Social workers receive comprehensive weekly update reports, and looked after reviews are well prepared for. There is an abundance of positive feedback from professionals in the records kept in the home. Professionals are completely satisfied with the excellent care and support the young people receive in this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and the staff team listen to the young people and they take their views and opinions seriously. Young people told the inspector that they feel comfortable in Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 4 expressing their views. Records show clear responses from staff and actions taken to respond to all the young people’s views, wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people learn a range of skills that help them to rebuild and sustain positive relationships with their families, carers and friends. The young people also learn a range of practical skills, such as cooking, cleaning and budgeting. These skills will help them to live independently in later life.

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

The registered manager takes effective action whenever child protection and safeguarding concerns arise. When allegations arise, these are promptly reported to partner agencies and thoroughly investigated in a timely manner, and support for all concerned is provided in line with the home’s child protection policy.

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

There is much research into practice, and staff have access to the materials published and their knowledge is tested and shared during meetings with the leaders in the home. The implications of online safety, children missing from care, child sexual exploitation, grooming and radicalisation are well known by all of the staff in the home.

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

The young people’s vulnerabilities lessen and behaviour improves because they learn strategies to manage their feelings positively. Individual therapy sessions, supported by staff, help the young people to identify target behaviours and vulnerable situations that they want to improve.

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

Consequently, young people are safe in the home and are confident when enjoying time outside the home. The young people work very hard, listen to their staff and achieve their goals.

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

The young people’s highly effective risk assessments and behaviour management plans contribute to a reduction in risk-taking behaviours, resulting in a home which is very settled. Plans are thorough, understood by all staff and regularly reviewed as a team activity.

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

The staff encourage the young people’s development by balancing their interventions between keeping the young people safe and recognising that the young people need to take measured risks to develop appropriate skills. Throughout the inspection, the young people were polite and respectful and told the inspector that they are extremely happy in the home, feel safe and have no complaints.

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

There are no concerns of young people self-harming or going missing from the home, and challenging behaviours are not displayed. Staff are well trained and are prepared for incidents. For example, leaders reflect on and discuss scenarios of disruptions they have managed in children’s homes they have worked in previously. This ensures the staff do not become complacent and are prepared for any eventualities.

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

A new staff member confirmed and records evidenced that safeguarding processes are Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 5 thorough and central to staff recruitment. The manager ensures that there are effective arrangements for the health and safety of the young people, staff and visitors. This includes appropriate routine monitoring of fire and security systems. The young people have a safe and very well-presented home in which to live.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is an experienced, strong leader. He has utilised his knowledge, skills and experience to encourage positive outcomes for the young people in the home. The registered manager and his senior leaders have completed their level 5 qualification in management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Together they are passionate, confident and ambitious for the young people in the home’s care. Staff consistently told the inspector that they feel very well supported and described the environment as being home from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training, staff supervision, appraisals and team meetings are structured and well recorded and take place regularly. Staff feel able to share their experiences. The staff team members, who are mostly qualified, support each other well and all have the young people’s interests at the centre of the work they do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people’s participation is threaded throughout all the work in the home. For example, when new staff arrive at the home or existing staff move on from the home, the young people are involved. Young people confirmed this and have been part of the recruitment processes and wished staff well as they move onto new positions in or outside of the organisation. As a result, relationships are maintained, and this lessens the burden of rejection on the young people. Staff remain in touch with them and are very much willing to visit and support them and continue to be interested in the young people’s future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The young people are actively engaged in weekly house meetings, in which their ideas are shared with staff. These meetings, which are discussed at staff meetings, have a clear decision-making process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The young people are fully engaged in the processes that are used to plan their care. They share their views in statutory reviews and have their own in-house care plans in a child-friendly format, including pictures. The young people’s contributions are evident and written into their plans and records in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a very good oversight of the running of the home. Strong monitoring systems support the home’s development. This enables him and the leadership team to have a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and to be able to take effective action when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are effective working relationships with other professionals who are involved with each young person. No requirements or recommendations are made at the inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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 children’s home: 1240572 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 49 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 9DG

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Inspector

Mark Kersh, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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