Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2590732 1

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Sandcastle Care Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and run. The home is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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This monitoring visit

The visit was carried out in response to notifications concerning behaviour management and substance misuse. The visit also addressed the shortfalls identified under regulation 45, specifically about the quality of the report.

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This monitoring visit

There is currently one child living at the home. Staff undertake relevant training around safeguarding and substance misuse. The in-house therapist provides support and guidance to staff on the strategies to use when managing difficult behaviours. However, staff would benefit from extra training around managing attention deficit disorder (ADD), which is vital in enabling them to support the child’s complex behavioural needs effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Staff support the child to manage his own safety in and outside the home. They help him to recognise the dangers associated with alcohol and substance misuse, using learning resources such as Talk to Frank. However, the quality of the support sessions with the child is not always effective. Staff do not seize the opportunity to promote further awareness of the risks associated with alcohol misuse.

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This monitoring visit

Despite staff’s efforts, substance misuse continues to be a concern. Restrictive measures, involving the child handing in lighters at night for his own safety, are in place but these are not effective in reducing the risk. Not all strategies to help keep the child safe are clear or captured on the risk assessments when incidents do occur. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2590732 2 These incidents relate to the child’s smoking habits and fascination with fire. Staff are therefore failing in their roles and responsibilities to manage the risks effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Staff show insight into the child’s needs and state that he has progressed since living at the home. The child is gradually learning to self-regulate and control his emotions better. He is engaging positively in an education placement, which he is enjoying. The child says he feels safe and has formed trusting relationships with staff. The child demonstrated an awareness of why there are certain rules and restrictions in place to help protect him from harm.

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This monitoring visit

Physical intervention is only used when all other de-escalation techniques have failed. Records indicate that physical intervention is carried out proportionately and is effective in calming the child down; however, records do not always capture or demonstrate the action taken to address any concerns the child might have about the intervention.

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This monitoring visit

The manager demonstrated an understanding of the procedures to follow in response to allegations made against staff. These procedures include appropriate referral, and consultation with the designated officer for safeguarding.

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This monitoring visit

Management evaluation of incidents is not consistently robust. A concern raised by a child following a physical intervention and the actions taken as a result are not clearly reflected in the records. Strategies within the risk assessments are not consistently implemented. This does not demonstrate that all measures are being taken to support and safeguard the child. Stronger management oversight of practice in these areas is therefore needed.

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This monitoring visit

The recent report from the manager about the quality of care lacks a true evaluation of the outcomes or progress that the child is making and does not capture in any true depth the views and opinions of the child, relatives, external professionals and staff. The language used within children’s records can be stigmatising at times. A review of how information is captured is therefore needed.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement Not yet inspected Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2590732 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that risk assessments set out clear strategies for staff to follow to keep the risk of substance misuse and fire-setting to a minimum, including specifying the frequency of room checks. In addition, the manager and staff should fulfil their roles and responsibilities by supporting children in any complaints they may wish to make in response to incidents involving physical intervention. 14 May 2021

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 14 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2590732 4 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that there is close monitoring of staff training needs, risk assessments, children’s records and key-work sessions.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager reviewing the approach to reporting on the quality of care provided and ensuring that this evaluation captures the views of children, staff, external professionals and family members to help inform the strengths and weaknesses of the home and any areas for improvement. 14 May 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording when writing records. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to respond to the health needs of children. Where necessary, staff should undertake training to meet specific health needs arising from children’s complex needs, such as around ADD. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2590732 5

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sandcastle Care Ltd, 49 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool FY3 9DG

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Inspector

Michael Charnley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2590732 6 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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