Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 2511662 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

The children’s home is managed by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for three young people of the same gender who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an acting manager in post, who is not 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

Date of last inspection: This is the home’s 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: 2511662 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team provides the children with good-quality, nurturing care. The staff make the home a warm and friendly place to live. The children have helped to personalise their bedrooms and other areas of the home. This has created a caring, family atmosphere, and the staff provide positive role models for the children. The staff spend considerable time with the children, who experience emotional stability as a result of the trusting relationships that they develop with staff. One child, who has had many changes of carers, is settled for the first time in years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children make progress from their starting points, particularly in relation to their independence living skills. They learn to budget, shop and cook meals, which helps to improve their chances of living independently when they are ready to leave the home. Children who historically have had negative experiences of education begin to engage by attending school. This is with the support and encouragement of staff. Children receive incentives, which keeps them motivated, and they begin to plan for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have many opportunities to express their wishes and opinions and contribute towards the running of the home. This includes being involved in staff recruitment. The staff use informal discussions, individual support sessions and the young people’s meetings to get to know the children’s views. The staff are particularly creative in using child-focused materials to encourage the children to share their thoughts and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

To avoid unnecessary disruption, the manager makes careful and considered decisions in respect of any new children moving in to make sure that there is a correct match with the current children, although some children, particularly those who live a distance from their home town, have struggled to settle. The manager involves other agencies to provide a multi-agency approach, but sometimes decisions have been made for the children to move to different homes.

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

The children are better protected as a result of the intervention of staff. The agreed strategies to be used by staff are outlined in detail in the individualised risk assessment and behaviour management plans. These are reviewed, and staff are knowledgeable about the children’s vulnerabilities. However, not all staff have signed to say that they have read the latest plans.

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

The children have the benefit of the involvement of the provider’s counsellor art psychotherapist, who spends one day a week at the home. The staff team also meets regularly with this clinician to obtain advice about the children. These meetings help the staff to understand how children’s previous experiences of neglect and trauma may affect their emotional well-being and behaviour. Staff reflect on their approaches and adjust their responses to the children. Inspection report children’s home: 2511662 3 Behaviour management strategies work well, and there has been only one occasion when a child has had to be held to keep them safe. Staff know the children well and use effective de-escalation techniques. The children learn to regulate their emotions and talk with the staff about incidents when they struggle to manage their frustrations. The children are able to recognise the improvement in their behaviour

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

as a result of the discussions and the work undertaken with the staff. After any outbursts, the children actively seek to make reparation, such as by tidying up the home or writing a letter of apology to the staff member involved.

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

The manager and staff have a good knowledge and understanding about issues linked to county lines, gang culture and child exploitation. However, the staff team was unable to keep one child safe due to his regular ‘missing’ episodes and criminal behaviour away from the home. The manager has made some good decisions in the best interest of children due to these escalating concerns. As a result, one child has not gone missing from the home for several weeks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the home opened, the registered manager has left. A new manager has been appointed who has extensive residential childcare experience. There was a good handover period between the two managers so that essential information could be shared. The acting manager’s application has been received by the regulator to formalise her role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some of the original staff have moved on, due to not completing their probationary period. The manager has recruited new staff members to make an eclectic staff team. Staff members say that they have gelled together, and they welcome the regular meetings arranged by the manager to discuss staff practice. This has led to a more consistent approach. Those staff spoken to talked positively about the changes made by the acting manager, especially as they now feel that they belong to a far more cohesive team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager is enthusiastic and child-focused and, through being visible in the home, the staff mirror this approach. Individual training and clinical discussions at team meetings provide the staff with ongoing personal and professional development. The manager nurtures and develops the staff and recognises their individual strengths. The team members have individual tasks, and this has resulted in some good, creative practice, such as a highly child-centred young person’s meeting and minutes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff members are open and transparent. The manager encourages a reflective culture among the staff team. Children are the focus of the discussions in the regular supervisions and team meetings. The acting manager is meticulous and has made positive changes, such as improved documentation and monitoring systems. This allows her to have effective oversight. The responsible individual completes her own regular audits of the home, and this provides extra scrutiny and improvements. Inspection report children’s home: 2511662 4

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Specifically, ensure that the staff sign the signature sheet attached to the risk assessment and behaviour management plans so that the manager knows who has read the revised documents. Inspection report children’s home: 2511662 5

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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: 2511662 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: 49 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 9DG

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Inspector

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2511662 7 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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