Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1223681 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

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is registered for single-gender occupancy and accommodates only females. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2019 and has recently completed her level 5 diploma for leadership and management in residential childcare (England).

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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: 4 December 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1223681 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2018 Full Good 06/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/05/2017 Full Good 08/11/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: 1223681 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people receive an exceptional level of support from staff who are committed to caring for them. Young people and staff develop strong bonds of trust, which allow them to openly communicate about issues that are affecting them. Young people believe they can rely on staff to be there for them and know that staff always want the best for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are all in education and are making beyond expected progress. Some young people took GCSEs in the summer and surpassed expectations in their preparation to sit the exams and in the outcomes they achieved. All young people have good attendance and are at schools and colleges appropriate to their individual interests and needs. Young people are also educated in the home about issues that affect them, such as alcohol use and sexual health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Individual talents are nurtured by staff who understand the importance of each young person’s interests. For example, young people take part in theatre and drama groups, running clubs and after-school clubs. One young person attended her end-of-year prom, others completed their National Citizenship Awards, and another is enrolled on her bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. Two young people were nominated for local authority Pride awards. Young people have also taken an interest in community participation by raising money for charity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are motivated and committed to embedding the therapeutic model of care into their practice. They are keen to learn and develop their role as therapeutic practitioners in order to ensure that young people’s emotional needs are met to the highest standard. Staff are fluent in speaking about how they embed this into practice, and records illustrate how they do so. Individual support sessions with young people help them speak about any areas of concern they may have, and staff support them to express their views on a wide range of topics, including some highly sensitive issues.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person is preparing to move on due to becoming pregnant. The home has offered exceptional support to help her to be ready to live independently and care for her baby.

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

Young people’s risks significantly reduce over the period of their placement. Staff help to understand and address their risks through individual support work on topics relevant to them. All young people enjoy free time in the community with their peers. This allows them to take age-appropriate risks and to learn to be safe outside of the home.

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

Risks are understood and are clearly recorded. Staff know what action to take to minimise and respond to risks. The home’s manager undertakes research into current trends in risks and disseminates this information to the staff team or sources relevant training for them. A recent example of this is a focus on contextual safeguarding. Inspection report children’s home: 1223681 4 Staff are highly skilled in de-escalating heightened behaviour. They know exactly what works with each young person and put this knowledge into practice during incidents. This helps to keep young people calm and supports them to self-regulate. There have been no incidents when restrictive physical intervention has been necessary to manage challenging behaviour.

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

In respect of the young person who is pregnant, appropriate risk assessments and risk management strategies are in place to ensure that she continues to be safe throughout her pregnancy.

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

Staff help young people who self-harm to find other ways to manage their emotions. As a result, incidents of self-harm have significantly reduced.

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

Missing from home episodes are infrequent. When young people do go missing, staff follow their missing from home protocols and appropriately report them missing. Staff make every effort to locate and return young people safely when they go missing. They always make requests to the young person’s social worker to undertake an independent return interview.

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

The use of sanctions and consequences for certain behaviours is clearly linked to the behaviour displayed. Young people can express their views about any sanctions imposed, and staff explain why the sanctions are in place. Staff support young people to reflect on their behaviours and consider different ways of managing difficult emotions. For example, a young person wrote a letter of apology to a neighbour following an incident of anti-social behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is dynamic, knowledgeable and highly ambitious for the young people, the staff team and the home. She leads with passion, enthusiasm and commitment. Professionals spoken to as part of this inspection spoke very positively of the way in which the home is managed. The manager takes an active role in the day-to- day care of young people alongside her managerial duties. This helps her have an exceptional knowledge of the support needs of each individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is committed to ensuring that the staff team is fully trained and up to date with any new issues and research in the areas relevant to practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is generally stable, although there have been a few changes recently. Most staff are qualified to the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England), and several staff have been with the company for many years and are therefore experienced. Staff are highly motivated and committed to providing the best possible care for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff reported that they are well supported through supervision, team meetings and appraisals. Those who want to develop are given opportunities to do so. Staff are clear Inspection report children’s home: 1223681 5 about what is expected of them, but they also feel able to ask for support at any time. An extensive training package is in place, and staff feel that they are knowledgeable and confident in implementing the model of care developed by the company (CASTLES – co- regulation, attachment security, sensitivity, trust, love and leadership, education, strength based).

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are good systems in place for ongoing monitoring. The manager uses monthly checklists and audits as well as support from the independent visitor. As a result, the manager has detailed knowledge of the home’s strengths and can identify areas for further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has implemented systems to keep the administrative side of the home well organised and running smoothly. Therefore, records are well organised. They are also of high quality, and easy to read and to understand. The manager ensures that records reflect the voice of the child, how they are listened to and what action is taken in respect of their views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Relationships with stakeholders are strong and positive. Social workers reported excellent communication and collaborative working. External agencies described the manager and staff team as going ‘above and beyond’ what is expected of them in caring for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No shortfalls were identified at this inspection, and therefore no recommendations or requirements were made.

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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: 1223681 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Charlie Bamber, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1223681 7 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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