Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report children‟s home: 1184093 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children‟s home is managed by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for three young people of the same gender, aged between 10 and 18 years, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified manager in post who was registered with Ofsted on 31 October 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 1184093 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2017 Full Good 18/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: 1184093 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children‟s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to children‟s risk assessments having the correct risks identified and placement plans recording accurate information about children‟s contact arrangements. 21/03/2019

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Recommendations

 For children‟s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

In particular, the home would benefit from redecoration throughout, to further enhance the home environment. Inspection report children‟s home: 1184093 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The culture and atmosphere in the home is very warm, caring and nurturing. Young people feel valued and respected. However, the home would benefit from a redecoration throughout and a recommendation has been made to address this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people spoken with during the inspection confirmed that staff make strong and effective relationships with them based on honesty and genuine emotional investment. As a result, young people know that staff care for them. This helps young people to believe in their own self-worth and to trust adults caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who have previously had very poor levels of engagement in education now have 100% attendance. Young people achieve well at school or college. The importance of education is fully endorsed by staff and is part of the home‟s daily routine. As such, young people are making significant progress in this area of their life. School staff are complimentary about the support offered by the staff team. One headteacher said, „staff couldn‟t have done any more for [name], I wish they were all like that.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people enjoy good health and staff support them to attend all appointments. The young people and staff have regular access to a psychotherapist. This serves to further promote the emotional well-being of the young people. This also provides staff with further strategies for caring for the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have developed strong and trusting relationships with the staff team and with each other. Throughout the inspection, good relationships were observed between the staff and young people. Young people feel secure enough to express their views, wishes, feelings and worries in constructive ways.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from clear, safe contact arrangements. They understand when they will see their family and other significant people. They have good support from staff to maintain regular contact visits. The manager and staff team communicate effectively with parents. This means young people‟s progress and achievements are shared.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are regularly consulted on their views and they feel listened to. Staff have key-work sessions with the young people. They discuss a selection of topics, including keeping safe. The young people spoken to during inspection reported that they do feel listened to. The young people know how to make a complaint if they need to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage young people to attend a wide range of activities. These activities include swimming, going to the gym and visiting other places of interest.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people move in and out of the home in a planned way. One young person has moved back to live with his family. The registered manager has provided support to ensure that this move has been successful. Another young person has been welcomed Inspection report children‟s home: 1184093 5 into the home and has settled in well.

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

Young people are supported by a staff team who have a good understanding of safeguarding and the risks that individual young people present. However, not all risk assessments contain sufficient information around the strategies in place to mitigate risk. The manager acknowledged this shortfall. He has taken some action to update and strengthen the risk assessments for each young person. A requirement has been made to address this shortfall.

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

Since the last inspection, there were a small number of incidents when young people went missing from the home. Staff know what to do when young people go missing from the home. They follow procedures. Staff search for the young person. They inform police, placing authority, the young person‟s family and record all required information.

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

The staff know the young people well and know their triggers. The young people have incentives and positive behaviour is encouraged and rewarded. Incidents in the home are well managed and staff use appropriated escalation techniques. There has been minimal use of physical interventions since the last inspection. These were low level and used to ensure the safety of the young people.

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

The home environment for the young people is safe. Staff recruitment is rigorous and is carried out in accordance with safer recruitment policies. The young people spoken to throughout the inspection said that they felt safe living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a permanent and suitably qualified registered manager in post. The manager has high expectations of what young people can achieve. He ensures that staff provide a good standard of care, which contributes to the young people making good progress. The manager has a very child-focussed approach and knows the young people very well. He has high but clear standards for his staff and, as a result, the home is fully meeting the aims and objectives in its statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that plans for individual young people identify their needs. He works positively with other agencies and professionals. The manager monitors the progress of the young people and can demonstrate the positive effect that living in the home has had on them. Case recording is good and reflects the young people‟s everyday lives. However, placement plans lacked sufficient detail regarding contact arrangements. A requirement has been made to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team are all appropriately trained and feel supported in their roles. The staff team work well together. Supervision and appraisal are regular and of good quality. All staff have received mandatory training and additional training specific to care for the young people. Inspection report children‟s home: 1184093 6 The manager actively reviews the quality of care. He identifies areas for development within the home. Allegations and complaints are dealt with effectively. Professionals are complimentary about the manager and staff in the home. Multi-agency working is good. This ensures that young people are receiving the appropriate level of care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager actively promotes equality and diversity within the home. The young people have memory boxes and ongoing lifework. This helps them to understand their heritage and journey while living in the home. Inspection report children‟s home: 1184093 7

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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 difference 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: 1184093 8

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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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Inspectors

Jenny Brady, social care inspector Ceri Evans, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1184093 9 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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