Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 2616606 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 home registered in January 2021 and is owned and operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021. The manager does not yet have the relevant qualification at level 5.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2616606 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2616606 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they like living in this home and that they have good relationships with staff. They say that they can, and do, speak to staff if they have any worries or concerns. They feel listened to. They know how to make a complaint should the need arise. However, they state that they have not needed to use the complaints procedure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to engage in education. For example, they advocate for them and ensure that education arrangements are in place. This helps children to learn and achieve. It also helps them to understand that their education is important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their families and friends. This helps them to maintain connections with those who are important to them. This happens in line with both their wishes and their placement plans. This helps children to preserve and maintain relationships which they will rely on in future when they return to their home towns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement with other agencies who have an identified role in their lives is promoted. These agencies include family therapists, dentists, youth justice workers, social workers and the looked after children’s nurse. The sexual health nurse has also been commissioned to help children understand how to keep themselves healthy and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality and quantity of direct work undertaken with children are good. Individual pieces of work are relevant and recorded in detail. However, children’s meetings are not recorded in detail and do not capture their views, wishes and feelings well. A recommendation is made to direct staff to improve practice in this area.

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

There are strong systems in place to safeguard children. Staff follow identified plans when safeguarding incidents arise. That said, the children currently living in the home are putting themselves at risk. Despite this, external agencies praise the manager and staff for making every effort to keep children safe from harm.

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

On the day of the inspection, action was taken to mitigate children’s risks. This was due to children having a detrimental impact on each other. Decisions were made regarding one child’s placement, which improved the safety and well-being of both children.

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

There has been one occasion where a lack of staff vigilance has led to a safeguarding incident occurring. This has resulted in a requirement being raised. A further requirement is raised due to staff not having good knowledge of children’s Inspection report children’s home: 2616606 4 risks when asked. That said, they are able to identify the strategies in place to keep children safe. Additionally, children’s risk assessments are of a good standard. These provide staff with clear strategies to employ to reduce children’s risks.

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

Incidents of heightened behaviour have recently increased. Records of such incidents show that staff use both their strong relationships and techniques identified in children’s plans to de-escalate and diffuse situations.

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

Several missing-from-care incidents have occurred. In the main, these are due to children wanting to return to their home areas. Staff make every effort to locate children when they go missing. This includes travelling daily to areas or addresses where they think children may be.

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

Children are helped to understand their risks. Staff use the social care training hub to enable children to access short courses that are relevant to their areas of risk. This means that children have the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe and to make decisions that decrease their risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff, children and external professionals spoken to as part of this inspection all gave positive feedback about the manager of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that the manager is approachable, hands-on and supportive. This contributes to staff feeling positive about their work. They report that team morale is good.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Joined-up working is an integral part of children’s care in the home. The manager has developed strong links and relationships with external professionals. This helps to ensure that they meet their responsibilities in respect of children’s care plans. The manager has been a strong advocate for children’s access to education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager has recently had to have two periods of isolation. Despite this, he has maintained a high level of communication with, and support to, the children, staff team and wider systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is not currently fully staffed. The two vacancies for care practitioners are covered by the current staff team and staff from another home. The manager has successfully minimised the impact of this while new staff have been recruited. Inspection report children’s home: 2616606 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 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

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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff are familiar with risks associated with each child and that they always supervise children in line with their plans and risk assessments. 25 August 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. In particular, children’s meetings should show evidence of children’s views, wishes and feelings being sought about their care, and records of meetings should reflect the children’s voices. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11) Inspection report children’s home: 2616606 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: 2616606 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Charlie Bamber, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2616606 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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