Children's home run by Sandcastle Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2490998 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 offers a service to young females who would benefit from a placement in a smaller, single-gender residential setting. The home is underpinned by a philosophy of therapeutic care. Children receive support from a psychotherapist. The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 22 November 2018 and is working towards the relevant qualification.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2490998 2

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Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: 2490998 3

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Recommendations

 Children should have access to the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. In such cases, the home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access the internet safely (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 29, paragraph 5.19). In particular, children should not have access to television channels that are not age appropriate.  The registered person must ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to: respond to the health needs of children; help children to manage long-term conditions and where necessary meet specific individual health needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)  Ensure any sanction used to address poor behaviour is restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other

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Recommendations

children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should develop and implement an internal quality assurance monitoring and reviewing system to ensure that practice is consistently good and ensure the continuous improvement of practice (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 55, paragraph 10.54). In particular, evaluate practice and use this information to identify areas of development in the home.  Effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the home and the placing authority are essential to the success of placements. The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that care plans are clear and understood by the child (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 56, paragraph 11.2). In

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Recommendations

particular, the registered manager should ensure that the children have a clear pathway plan and that this reflects their holistic needs, their wishes and their feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make very good progress living here. When children move in, they settle well. Furthermore, they quickly establish trusting relationships with staff. This enables children to make good progress from the day that they arrive. Inspection report children’s home: 2490998 4 Children are at the centre of the home, which has an inclusive environment. The children respond well to the caring, nurturing and supportive ethos of the home. Staff work well together, and they are consistent in their approach. This approach has a positive impact on the progression that children make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s records are of a very good standard. They are child focused, and the reader has a good insight into the child’s journey.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not always have clear pathway plans in place. In these instances, children begin to become anxious about their future and what this means for them. Although staff advocate on behalf of the children, there is still an element of drift and delay in their care planning arrangements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support to establish and maintain positive relationships with family and friends. When there are safeguarding concerns about seeing their family and friends, staff recognise this. They explore other ways to ensure that children can see their friends and family in a safe way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all children are engaged in education when they arrive. For example, one child has not been in education for over two years. Staff work with the relevant professionals to ensure that children can access education that supports their individual needs. Consequently, children access and engage in meaningful education without delay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to access and explore new experiences. Children spoke fondly about the range of things that they do. These experiences enrich their outcomes in life and provide children with good childhood memories.

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

Staff provide children with a safe place to live. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities and have a good understanding of the children’s needs and risks.

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

Children’s assessments and plans are well thought out and reflect the child. Clear strategies are in place to reduce risks and manage behaviours. Children have access to good levels of support, which are in line with their individual care plans.

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

Safeguarding practices relating to internet access and age-appropriate films for children to watch are not sufficiently robust. Managers should review this area of practice. Clear records of decision-making, risk assessments, plans and monitoring would enhance this area of practice.

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

Children are supported to take responsibility for their own behaviour and choices, and they receive incentives for positive behaviour. Sanctions are rarely used. However, when they are used, they are not restorative in nature and do not always achieve the desired outcome. Inspection report children’s home: 2490998 5 Staff ensure that children have access to services that can help them, both now and in the future. Children receive specialist support that helps them to explore their life experiences. Consequently, children develop ways to understand and manage their thoughts and feelings. Children benefit from this.

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

Children do not always receive the continual support and help that they need to meet their health needs. In addition, staff do not always have the required knowledge to understand these needs. As a result, children do not have the correct plans in place to support them to achieve a sustainable healthier lifestyle.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads by example and shows good leadership and management knowledge and skills. Managers and staff have high aspirations for children and advocate on their behalf. They are passionate about and committed to the work that they do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of practice is good. Staff ensure that children have access to services that can help them. Managers and staff strive to promote positive outcomes for children. They recognise that each child is different, and they support them to achieve their goals, however small.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and valued. They benefit from regular supervision and receive good day-to-day support. Staff receive effective training that enhances their practice. The training helps staff to have a good insight into children needs. Children benefit from this insight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff work in partnership with children’s families and professionals, both of whom are very complimentary about the home. One parent said that the home is doing a great job of looking after their child. They went on to say that the staff have bonded well with their child and that this is the first time they have seen their child happy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is not yet consistent across all areas of practice. Although the manager has monitoring systems in place, these primarily monitor the completion of key tasks and the children’s progress. However, they do not explore and evaluate the quality of practice, and how this can support the continuous development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff are committed to developing the home and enhancing their practice. They take the time to reflect and learn from their experiences. This provides them with the opportunity to further improve their knowledge, skills and abilities.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 2490998 6 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: 2490998 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

Lisa Gregoire-Parker, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2490998 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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