Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1255520 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home may provide care and accommodation for single gender occupancy only.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 November 2018

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 14 November 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1255520 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The relationships forged between young people and the staff team are excellent. This is because staff act as positive role models and do what good parents would do. Fun, laughter and appropriate affection is the underpinning ethos of the home. This helps young people to feel relaxed and safe in the knowledge that they can be themselves.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff highly value education and, in doing so, they have helped young people to overcome barriers to learning. There is an aspirational culture within the home. Because of this, the young people regularly attend college, are making good progress and are enthusiastic about their learning.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are many opportunities for young people to express their views through individual sessions, everyday discussions and meetings. Staff are genuinely interested in what young people have to say and value their opinions.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people know how to raise concerns and are confident that they are listened to and taken seriously by staff. Staff help young people to prepare for and to attend important meetings. This ensures that young people’s views, wishes and feelings are fully represented.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team are committed to ensuring that young people experience as many different opportunities as possible. Examples include attending drama workshops, going to theme parks and a fun-packed trip to London to see the sights. These activities broaden young people’s horizons and help to build self-confidence.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to promote family relationships, even when this has been challenging. They ensure that young people are supported to get the best contact that they can with families and those who are important to them. This demonstrates to young people that they are cared about and staff will work with them, and their social workers, to maintain or improve relationships with their families.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff teach essential practical skills such as cooking, budgeting and completing laundry, as well as helping young people to develop emotional resilience. Every effort is made to help prepare young people for their transition to young adulthood.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a suitably designed and comfortable home, which is furnished and maintained to a high standard. Young people like their home and take pride in it. When damage occurs, which is rare, it is repaired quickly. This is a comfortable home where young people feel relaxed, safe and happy.

p.2

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

Young people become increasingly safe when they come to live at this home and remain so. Effective safeguarding practice contributes to young people’s strong sense of safety and well-being. Inspection report children’s home: 1255520 3 Staff know the young people very well and fully understand how to manage their individual risks and vulnerabilities, which are clearly outlined in young people’s comprehensive and regularly updated plans and risk assessments.

p.2

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

The home has had no missing from home incidents for a considerable time. This is a great achievement, because the young people came to the home with long-established histories of going missing. This clearly shows the strength of young people’s relationships with staff and is an indication of how happy and settled they are.

p.3

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

Staff talk openly to young people about how to keep themselves safe and address any areas of concern through the creative use of project work and one-to-one discussions. For example, discussions on healthy relationships, safe sex, online safety and substance misuse. This helps young people to understand risk and to develop a concept of situations, places or people who could make them unsafe.

p.3

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

Staff work sensitively with young people to ensure that they have ample opportunity to discuss issues which may worry them. Staff pre-empt situations which could cause a change in young people’s behaviour and develop plans with young people to help manage these more effectively. As a result, the frequency and severity of challenging behaviour have significantly reduced. This further demonstrates that young people are settled and happy living at the home.

p.3

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

The registered manager ensures that staff receive regular safeguarding training. This enables them to recognise and respond effectively to child protection concerns.

p.3

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

Young people are protected by sound recruitment processes which ensure that staff are carefully selected and checked to prevent unsuitable people working in the home.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has extremely high aspirations for young people and staff. She ensures that young people have the best possible opportunities, experiences and outcomes.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff talk positively about working at the home and say that they feel well supported. They receive regular and effective supervision, which they feel enables them to reflect upon practice and to recognise their own strengths and areas for development. Team meetings, daily handovers and annual appraisals are also used to ensure that the team members are clear about the aims and objectives of the home and can meet young people’s needs.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is cohesive, supportive and demonstrates a variety of different skills, which are valued and acknowledged by the manager. The consistency that the staff team offers in its approach greatly benefits the young people, and there are positive relationships across the board. Inspection report children’s home: 1255520 4 Continual professional development is a key strength of this service. Staff are encouraged by the registered manager to develop areas of specific expertise and interest. For example, one staff member has become the therapeutic liaison for the home. Others have conducted their own research on key subject matters such as criminal exploitation and county lines. This undoubtedly increases their motivation and knowledge of key issues.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Highly effective inter-agency working ensures that young people receive the best possible support. One professional said, ‘I can’t speak highly enough of the staff team and the manager. They are extremely proactive and truly put the needs of the young people first.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager continues to strive to improve all aspects of the home, consulting with the staff team in the development of processes to ensure that there is safe and consistent child-focused practice. Shortfalls are quickly identified, and prompt action is taken to effect improvements. This results in a home where there is continued ambition to provide young people with opportunities to grow and develop.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager completes a detailed annual development plan. This clearly identifies goals, targets and aspirations for the young people living at the home. The plan is realistic yet challenging and serves as a positive indicator of the manager’s commitment to driving the service forward.

p.4

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.

p.4

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: 1255520 5

p.4

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited

p.5

Children’s home details

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

p.5

Inspector

Ceri Evans: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1255520 6 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.

p.5

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

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

p.6

Inspector

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

p.6