Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report children’s home: 2523028 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for one young person who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2019.

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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

Date of last inspection: This is the homes first inspection.

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2523028 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

N/A Inspection report children’s home: 2523028 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 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— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 24/04/20

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(3)(d)). This is with particular regard to obtaining a satisfactory explanation of any gaps in employment history in writing. 24/04/20

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Recommendations

 Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9) Specifically, individual key-work sessions should focus on the risks and vulnerabilities outlined in the young person’s care plan.  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph Inspection report children’s home: 2523028 4 10.24) Specifically, the manager should work in partnership with the independent visitor to improve the level of consultation with third party stakeholders.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person living at this home is making good progress in all aspects of his life. He is cared for by a consistent staff team that understands his support needs well. The young person has built positive and trusting relationships with staff and this contributes to a feeling of security and stability. The young person said, ‘I like it here. Staff are great, they do their best for me.’ The young person is engaged in a wide range of activities in the local community. This is one of the things that the young person likes best about living at this home. He told the inspector that he enjoys being busy and active. Staff have encouraged him to pursue his interests and hobbies, such as going fishing and playing football. The young person enjoys spending time with staff. They take photographs and keep mementos to capture memories of activities enjoyed together. Prior to coming to this home, the young person did not attend school regularly. Staff

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

understand the importance of education and have been influential in securing appropriate educational provision locally. The young person now engages in education and attends regularly. He has aspirations for a future career. Staff listen to the young person and act on his views and wishes. He is encouraged to participate in the planning of his day-to-day care as well as longer-term care planning. Staff help the young person to prepare for and participate in important meetings. One professional said, ‘The staff are proactive and inclusive. They meet [young person’s name] needs by listening to his views, wishes and feelings.’ Good arrangements are in place to promote the young person’s health. He is registered with a range of routine health professionals and is supported to attend regular appointments. In addition to this, the organisation has its own therapy team which gives the young person easy and regular access to therapeutic support.

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

The young person lives in a safe and caring environment. He is supported on a high staffing ratio which is in line with his individual needs. Staff have introduced firm boundaries and routines which the young person has accepted and responded well to. He rarely engages in the risk-taking behaviours that were previously an issue for him, such as going missing from home. One social worker said, ‘[Young person’s name] is a very different person now. This is down to the staff showing him that they care about him and making him feel valued.’ Staff rarely use physical interventions or sanctions to manage the young person’s behaviour. Staff are learning to anticipate potential triggers and are able to de- escalate situations quickly and effectively. An individual positive behaviour support Inspection report children’s home: 2523028 5 plan provides staff with clear strategies to use and this enables them to respond in a

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

consistent manner. The young person benefits from regular key-work sessions with staff. These sessions provide a forum for the young person to reflect on his behaviours and explore his emotional responses to situations. This is helping him to regulate his emotions and make better choices. One social worker said, ‘This is the most settled I have ever seen [young person’s name].’ However, key-work sessions did not sufficiently address some of the vulnerabilities outlined in the young person’s care plan such as personal and online safety. A recommendation has been made to address this. The young person’s individual risks and vulnerabilities are well understood by the staff team. However, some shortfalls were identified within the risk assessment documentation. For example, not all known risks had been adequately assessed and some lacked details of the control measures that are in place to mitigate risk.

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

Furthermore, some risk assessments have not been updated to reflect the current situation. A requirement has been made to improve practice in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2019. He is suitably qualified and experienced to undertake this role. The manager is committed to ensuring that young people receive the right support to fulfil their potential. He can confidently challenge other professionals to ensure that young people receive the services and support that they are entitled to. A high level of staff retention means that the young person is cared for by a consistent staff team. The manager also ensures that casual workers are rarely used in the home. The stability of the staff team has been an important factor in supporting the young person to build relationships with staff and feel settled and secure. Prior to the home opening, staff attended a two-week mandatory training programme together. This equipped them with the basic skills that they needed to work with vulnerable young people. Subsequently, staff have also received more

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

specialist training that is aligned to the young person’s individual needs. Staff receive regular supervision which offers them an opportunity to reflect on their practice. Regular team meetings are used to share ideas and to agree consistent approaches. The therapist employed by the organisation attends these meetings. This gives staff the opportunity to seek further guidance and advice to shape their practice. The manager has established an internal monitoring system to oversee the quality and safety of care provided to the young person. As a result, r ecords are well organised, with evidence of regular management oversight. However, monthly reports produced by the independent visitor lack contributions and feedback from external stakeholders. A recommendation has been made to address this. Inspection report children’s home: 2523028 6

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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: 2523028 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

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2523028 8 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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