Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report children’s home: 2495513 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have social, emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Inspection date: 5 March 2020

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: 2495513 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children continue to make good progress. They receive encouragement from a motivated, enthusiastic staff team and manager who have a child-centred approach. Staff are skilled in developing and building positive relationships with the children. These relationships enable specific, targeted work to start swiftly. Children are comfortable and relaxed around the staff and enjoy spending time with staff. Children said that staff are ‘sound’, ‘like to spend time with us’ and ‘have really helped me with everything’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Transitions into the home are well planned. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. The manager carefully considered the new referrals in terms of the needs of the individual children and their compatibility with the current group of children living in the home before agreeing which child moved into the home. This careful consideration helps to protect the stability of the home and prevents placements from breaking down. However, the manager’s recording of his rationale and decision-making is limited.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff work well with social workers, education colleagues and health professionals to ensure that children make good progress and experience positive opportunities at this home. The registered manager and staff understand children’s needs and advocate well to ensure that they receive the services they require. Staff use regular key-work sessions as opportunities to address important issues for children, such as staying safe and smoking cessation. There have been no missing from home incidents or physical interventions since the last inspection. Sanctions are rarely used. However, when staff have used a sanction the manager has not consistently reviewed the effectiveness of the measure or identified whether it is proportionate. This is a missed opportunity to review and monitor staff practice in the home. The manager accepted this shortfall and took immediate action to identify how he could improve this area of practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff work hard to support and promote contact for each child with important people in their lives. Children value the support of staff and said, ‘[staff] take me to see my family’ and ‘[staff] still tell my mum what is going on, and not just the bad stuff’. Since the last inspection, one female staff member has left their full-time position. The staff currently working in the home on a full-time basis, including the registered manager and responsible individual, are male. Consideration needs to be given to the gender balance in the team to ensure that children have contact with positive female role models. A recommendation is made to address this shortfall. Inspection report children’s home: 2495513 3 The home environment does not promote a safe, nurturing home for children to live in. Not all children’s bedrooms are maintained to an acceptable standard. During the inspection, dirty plates and takeaway containers with remnants of food were seen

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

on the floor and dirty clothing was strewn across the floor. Staff had left a considerable amount of empty cardboard boxes blocking the fire door and the rear back garden had a significant amount of cigarette stubs strewn across the floor. This detracts from the warm, caring environment that the registered manager is trying to create and is a fire hazard. The registered manager did take action to rectify these concerns when this was brought to his attention.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of recording is mainly good. However, improvement is required to ensure that some records are more comprehensive and demonstrate that the registered manager uses monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. The requirement and recommendations made at the last inspection have been suitably addressed. Inspection report children’s home: 2495513 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2495513 5

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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 to enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Recommendations

 Whenever possible, staff in day to day contact with children should include staff from the different gender groups. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.22) Inspection report children’s home: 2495513 6

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: 2495513 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

Michelle Edge, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2495513 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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