Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1265128 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of a number operated by a private provider. The home currently works with female young people who may have experienced trauma through physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect and who may have been involved in child sexual exploitation. It is registered to care for two young people. The registered manager has managed the home since it was registered in November 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 requires improvement to be 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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1265128 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1265128 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 protection of children standard The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child understand how to keep safe; and that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii)(b)) 14/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

Notification of a serious event The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(e)) 14/10/2019

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Recommendations

 Where positive relationships exist between children and staff this should be respected and maintained as far as possible when making any decisions to alter staffing arrangements. The registered person should respond to children’s views about changes to staff and be aware of the potential impact this may have for the child’s stability and emotional well-being. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.12)  Staff should understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality Inspection report children’s home: 1265128 4 standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities

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Recommendations

and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, ensure that staff receive training relating to substance misuse.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who live here benefit from living in a pleasant, homely environment. Young people appreciate their surroundings and can personalise their own spaces. They mostly respect this, rarely causing damage in the home. The home is in a rural location but with easy access to the local town for leisure activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people like living here. One young person said, ‘This is the best home that I have lived in. The staff are great. They really care about me.’ Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff. Those who have moved on from the home, often keep in touch, demonstrating the positive impact that was made on the young person while they lived here. However, there continues to be a regular turnover of staff, albeit for a variety of reasons, which is unsettling for young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are making steady progress, although some young people have left the home in a crisis since the last inspection. Good-quality placement plans ensure that young people’s physical and emotional health needs are addressed. Young people can also meet regularly with the organisation’s therapist, who is present in the home on a weekly basis. She is still in the process of developing relationships with the current residents, who at present choose not to engage with formal therapy. However, she also provides advice and guidance to staff on the most suitable way to address specific behaviours or challenges presented by young people and she delivers training for new staff on the principles of the organisation’s therapeutic model. Staff value this support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with young people’s social workers to consider alternatives to formal education, when young people have been excluded from school. One young person is currently being supported to complete a nail technician course, which will result in a recognised qualification. This could help her to gain employment in the future. Similarly, young people are being prepared for independence. They are able to clean, shop and cook for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote contact with young people’s families. They understand the importance of maintaining these relationships. One young person has been able to have her sister for a sleepover, when there were no other young people in the home. Staff have also facilitated a young person going away on holiday with a grandparent, being available Inspection report children’s home: 1265128 5 close by for support. This helps to ensure that young people maintain these important connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s social workers are positive about the home. One commented, ‘Staff really listen to my young person and really want to help her,’ and another said, ‘Staff provide clear boundaries but are flexible enough to look at alternatives to make things work.’

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are utilised well by staff. They help staff to identify the risks pertinent to each young person and ensure that staff are aware of the preventative strategies that need to be implemented to reduce the risk. Young people’s individualised missing from home risk assessments contain pertinent information and a clear action plan for staff. Detailed chronologies demonstrate that these inform staff practice. Unfortunately, young people currently living in the home continue to place themselves at risk by going missing from the home despite the best efforts of staff. Young people are struggling to manage their independent time, as incidents of going missing are increasing. Staff work well with other safeguarding professionals to share information and concerns.

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improvement to be good

Staff mainly have positive relationships with young people, enabling them to de-escalate most challenging situations. On the rare occasion when physical intervention is required to ensure the safety of the young person or others, detailed records demonstrate the need to have done so.

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improvement to be good

Despite staff being alert to young people’s risks and behaviours, positive incentives to help reduce negative behaviours are not routine practice in the home. In addition, some agreements put in place when young people were admitted have not been adhered to and have gone without challenge. In particular, rules surrounding the use of mobile phones. This is despite young people being known to use their mobile phones inappropriately, placing themselves at risk of exploitation.

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improvement to be good

The home is small, allowing for staff to have individual conversations with young people daily. However, targeted key-worker sessions on specific issues of concern, such as cannabis use, sexual health and contraception, are infrequent and do not demonstrate that staff are working with young people to effect change.

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improvement to be good

Ofsted has not received notification about all serious safeguarding concerns, for example when young people have been at risk of child sexual exploitation. This prevents Ofsted from evaluating if the home is taking the appropriate action to ensure the well-being of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has managed this home since it was registered almost two years ago. She is appropriately qualified and experienced. She is committed to improving outcomes for young people. Inspection report children’s home: 1265128 6 The manager is a visible presence in the home. She leads by example and is a good advocate for young people, challenging local authority decision making when required. There is a good ethos of team work, as staff feel involved in decision making in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the support that they receive from managers. Staff receive regular supervision and an annual performance appraisal. They can access a range of training opportunities. However, staff have not completed training relating to substance misuse despite this being a concern for the current residents. This would ensure that staff are alert to indicators of concern and have the knowledge to engage in meaningful discussion with young people about such matters.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes good use of external monitoring systems, being eager to learn from these. She takes swift action when recommendations for change are made. Similarly, action has been taken to address the recommendations resulting from the last inspection of the home, although concerns remain about the stability of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Generally, the standard of record-keeping and organisation in the home is good. Staff are able to access documents easily and they are familiar with their content. Regular staff meetings and good communication ensure that staff are kept updated about young people’s plans and changes in the home.

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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: 1265128 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Mandy Williams: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1265128 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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