Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 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

This privately run children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or emotional difficulties. The registered manager post is vacant. A new manager has been appointed. The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2018 Full Outstanding 22/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people, on the whole, experience a good quality of care from a stable and consistent team of staff. Young people have the right support in place from in and outside the home. This means that they are helped to make good progress in all areas of their life. Young people quickly develop a sense of permanence and belonging in the home. Young people who have left the home since the last inspection have done so in a planned way, having been at the home for a substantial period of time. The level of stability in the home means that young people have a good foundation to make progress. Young people are accessing and engaged with educational opportunities which meet their needs. The home has good communication with education providers. Young people have the space and equipment they need to study in the home. This means that young people are well placed to make progress in further education or training.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The development of independence skills for each young person is effectively promoted. There is a clear structure in place to plan and review the needs and progress of each young people individually. As a result, young people develop the knowledge and skills that they need to function more independently, within a safe and supportive environment. Young people have access to the right support to address their physical and emotional health needs. All young people spend time each week with the organisation’s in-house therapist, either formally or informally. Young people told the inspector that they valued this relationship and found it helpful to them. Numerous photographs and mementoes are collected and collated for and by young people. This helps young people to understand and celebrate the part the home has played in their life story. It supports their sense of belonging and identity as they move towards adulthood.

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

Staff understand the risks that young people face. These are generally well identified and plans are put in place to manage these. In addition, young people are supported to take age and developmentally appropriate risks. This helps young people to grow in self-confidence and take on new challenges. In one young person’s bedroom, the inspector found video games which were not age appropriate. The manager told the inspector that he was not aware these were in the home. As a result, young people could be placed at risk of exposure to material which will have an adverse impact on their emotional health. The organisation’s therapeutic framework is well embedded in practice. Staff receive regular input from the organisation’s therapist. This ensures that staff have the Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 4 information they need to understand the current needs of each young person and can provide them with appropriate care and support.

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

Young people’s case records are, for the most part, comprehensive. They provide the information that staff need to care for young people in line with their individual care plans. Not all documents are signed by the relevant staff. Some documents lack input from young people. It is not always clear if young people have knowledge of records which relate to them. As a result, there is a lack of clarity as to who has written or read some documents. Young people’s access to their case records and involvement in their care planning is not always well evidenced. Since the last inspection, whistleblowing by staff and a complaint by one young person has brought to light concerns about practice of some staff in their behaviour and attitude to young people. The responsible individual acted quickly to address these concerns and safeguard young people. All appropriate procedures were followed once the allegations were made. There is, however, no evidence within

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

subsequent staff supervisions or appraisals between these staff and the registered manager that expectations about standards of practice have been addressed robustly. As a result, there is a risk that the attitudes and beliefs of some staff have not been challenged effectively in the home. Young people do not go missing from the home. This contributes to young people experiencing stability in their own lives as well as not being adversely affected by the instability of their peers. Young people have appropriately assessed free time. This allows young people to develop their independence while ensuring that they are adequately safeguarded. Since the last inspection, there have only been two incidents of restraint. Young people do not behave in a way which would necessitate the use of physical intervention by staff. This positive environment helps young people to manage conflict in a constructive way. As a result, they are better equipped to deal with

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

challenges that they may face as they move towards independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager post has been vacant since January 2020. The organisation has appointed a new manager from within the company who took up post in January. This interim manager is not yet registered with Ofsted. The home is well organised. There are clear systems in place for leadership and management oversight of the home. The responsible individual provides a good standard of support and challenge to the staff team. As a result, the home is well placed to make progress. Staffing in the home is stable. The home, which chooses to only admit males, is staffed by a largely male staff team. One new member of staff since the last inspection is female. There is a female member of night staff. As a result, young people do not have the benefit of experiencing a diverse range of role models from the adults who are caring for them. New staff have a good induction to their role in the home. Staff are expected to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

complete formal face-to-face and online training. In addition to this, they shadow a Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 5 number of shifts before taking on duties themselves. This provides them with a well- paced introduction to the home. Staff are appointed to supervisory roles in the home with no requirement to have completed any relevant qualifications. The training offered by the organisation in respect of supervision of others is an online training course. As a result, there are not sufficient safeguards in place to ensure that staff in these roles have the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to undertake them effectively. The interim manager has a good understanding of the role and responsibilities of local authorities. He effectively challenges placing authorities when they are not fulfilling these responsibilities in the best interests of young people. This means that young people’s rights and their individual needs are well advocated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 6

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Recommendations

 Children’s reasonable preferences in relation to day to day arrangements should be met with consideration given to safeguarding, particularly in relation to the use of technology. Where a child’s preferences are unreasonable or cannot be met for safeguarding reasons, staff should discuss this with the child to help them understand why. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.21). This is with particular reference to ensuring that video games, DVDs and online activities are age appropriate.  Regulations 35-39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Recommendations

 Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’ page 62, paragraph 14.6)  Any registered manager placed in charge of a children’s home or staff member in a deputy or supervisory role such as ‘shift leader’ should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children’s home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.21) This is with particular reference to the experience, skills and training of lead practitioners. Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1240572 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1240572 9 to 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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