Children's home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Wyre

Inspection report children’s home: SC061803 1 SC061803 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 home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned her registration in November 2019. A manager has been appointed and she intends to apply for registration.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 17 December 2018

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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: SC061803 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2018 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Good 06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC061803 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure- that staff understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(vii)) 31/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children- receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) In particular, the registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. 31/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that- helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to- ensure that staff have the experience, qualification and skills to meet the needs of each child (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)). 31/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC061803 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Through being offered consistent and stable care, young people develop trusting relationships with the staff. As a result, young people learn to manage and express their emotions in a more socially acceptable way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people attend education, and some are developing aspirations for their future careers. One young person, however, has experienced disruption in his education, and this has had a negative impact on his academic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people appreciate the time that staff spend with them. One young person, commenting on the positive changes for him since being at the home, said: ‘Staff listen to me and they are easy to talk to.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between young people and the staff are positive, and young people value the time that staff spend with them. Over time, young people develop emotional resilience, and this helps them to overcome the effects of previous negative life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people’s contact with their families is fully supported by the staff. Through this support, some young people have benefited from increased levels of contact, and the quality of time spent with their families has improved.

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

Young people’s vulnerabilities are understood well by the staff. Any risks posed to young people’s welfare are identified by the staff, and the care provided seeks to minimise those risks.

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

When incidents of missing from home do occur, staff act appropriately. If there are increasing concerns over young people’s safety, staff seek meetings with local authorities and other agencies to review the arrangements for care.

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

All young people said that they feel safe at the home and that they feel listened to and understood by the staff. Young people consider the rules, boundaries and expectations that are set by staff to be fair and reasonable. Inspection report children’s home: SC061803 5 Young people who misuse drugs are offered the services of specialist agencies. However, not all young people engage with these agencies. Few of the staff are trained in this area of care.

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

Young people know how to make a complaint. Any allegations or complaints made by young people are dealt with by managers in a timely and transparent manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The previous registered manager resigned her registration in October 2019, and there is a new manager in post.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the majority of requirements and recommendations have been met. However, one young person continues to struggle with both his attendance and engagement with education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some young people who have left the home had a negative impact on other young people’s progress. Managers gave notice on two out of three young people who left the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive supervision on a regular basis. However, the quality of some supervision provided is poor. Some staff offering supervision to other staff are not chosen to do so because of their aptitude or skills. The manager is aware of these shortfalls and has developed plans for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have appropriately challenged and addressed any identified shortfalls in staff’s care of young people. Future improvement also includes implementing a competency framework for all staff, that will inform any potential gaps in training, skills or knowledge base.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The management team is open to learning and continuously improving the care that is given to young people.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC061803 6 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: SC061803 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

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC061803 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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