Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 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

The home is owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care and support for up to two children who can no longer live at home.

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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 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited this setting on 25 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected. Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 3

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improvement to be good

This is the home’s first full inspection since it opened in August 2020. The home received a monitoring visit in February 2021. The registered manager no longer works at the setting and left the organisation in September 2020. Three other managers have taken over in the interim period but made the decision to return to previous positions. This has impacted on the stability for children in the home.

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improvement to be good

Since the monitoring visit, one child left the home in May 2021 following a period of crisis. After the child moved out, the provider made the decision to not have any children living at the home for a period of time. The provider applied to vary the conditions of their registration and reduced the numbers from four children living in the home to two.

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, two children lived at the home. They both spent time talking to the inspectors and sharing their views about the care that they receive and their relationships with staff. Children said that they like living in the home, but both identified improvements that could be made to help and support them with their education and behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Transition planning still requires improvement to ensure that the needs of children are fully understood by all staff. This was a requirement at the last visit and has not been met. A decision was made to move both children into the home within days of each other. Detailed information was not gathered prior to the moves to ensure that the staff team could support and guide both children. One social worker said, ‘The impact of moving another child into the home in quick succession has not worked and instead caused further problems that have not been managed well.’

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improvement to be good

Education planning for children has not been carefully considered. Although the interim manager has contacted social workers about the proposed plans for children returning to education in September, there are no firm plans in place. Children expressed their anxieties about returning to education in a new area with new people. Further work is required to ensure that children are supported to achieve their full educational potential and overcome any barriers to learning.

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improvement to be good

Healthcare plans for children identify their individual healthcare needs. However, health appointments have been delayed and a child had not received treatment as required in his local authority care plan. This is in regard to being able to receive ongoing treatment with a dental practitioner and so does not ensure that his dental needs are being met.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain, rebuild and improve relationships with their parents and relatives. This is helping children to retain a sense of belonging with the people who are important in their lives. Children said that staff support them to see Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 4 all family members, despite the distance. Children said that staff will remain in the local area so they can access additional support if this is required during family visits.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to try new activities. This includes trips to the local gym, attending boxing lessons, bicycle rides and time at the fairground. Children talked about the opportunities that they have had to have fun and the places they have visited since living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children build trusted and secure relationships with some core staff. Children informed the inspectors that they have adults around them who they trust and can speak to if they are upset or worried. This helps children to feel confident about their relationships with staff and supports their progress.

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improvement to be good

The home itself is safe and spacious, but improvements are needed. Staff reported that the way the home is set up makes it difficult to manage and support all children. The provider is aware of the difficulties that have been experienced at the home and is considering what changes can be made to the environment.

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improvement to be good

Children are not receiving good enough care and protection. Measures are not consistently applied to reduce risks and, therefore, risks are not reducing for the children.

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improvement to be good

Medication has not always been safely administered in the home. However, when concerns were identified about a child receiving too much medication, the previous manager did take immediate action to safeguard the child and an internal investigation was conducted. Training was provided to the previous staff team to ensure that they understood their roles and responsibilities.

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improvement to be good

Individual risk assessments are not kept up to date as incidents occur and do not reflect current behaviour or risks. Staff demonstrate insight into the risks for children. For example, they know what to do when children go missing from home. However, staff are not consistent in their approach when children’s behaviours escalate and a decision is made to seek police intervention. This was a requirement at the last inspection and is not met.

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improvement to be good

Furthermore, when children are under the influence of unknown substances there is not a clear plan in place to monitor them. Although the interim manager and staff report that this takes place, there is no recording of the checks or rational to explain decision-making about not seeking medical advice.

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improvement to be good

Although staff use incentives and consequences to support children with their behaviour, there is not a consistent approach or rational for how consequences are agreed. Children said, and records show, that consequences are not fairly given to Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 5 each child. This is not an equitable and transparent process. Additionally, when children receive a consequence, this is not always fully explained to them and not all children can respond to or comment on the sanction. This does not ensure that children understand the decision-making process and they are not supported to reflect on and address their behaviour. This was a requirement at the last inspection and is not met.

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improvement to be good

Court-directed orders are not consistently followed. The interim manager and staff have not read the recent order to seek to understand the content. This did not ensure that staff understood what was expected of them as a team to support and keep a child safe.

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improvement to be good

Children are aware of the complaints procedure and said that they know how to complain. However, the recording of complaints does not consistently include how the compliant was investigated and the outcome. This is a missed opportunity to show all the work completed to resolve complaints.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are not consistently followed. Records do not demonstrate that appropriate checks have been conducted prior to staff starting in the home. This does not ensure that only suitable people work with children.

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improvement to be good

A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards that could pose risks to children. Children take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency. The procedures for fire evacuation are not consistently discussed with all visitors to the home.

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good

Management arrangements at the home have not always been effective. Since the home has not had a registered manager, there has been a lack of consistent management cover. Consequently, monitoring and review systems have not been effective in supporting children to make progress. This was a requirement at the previous visit and has not been met.

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good

The provider identified shortfalls at the home and made the decision to not move any children into the home until a new staff team and manager were identified. The current staff team, including the interim manager, are all in probation. However, they have a wealth of experience and knowledge of working with children and they had previously worked together as a team.

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good

Staff members report that they feel happy and supported. They feel that they have a positive culture and support one another. Staff report a safe, supportive working atmosphere. However, there is only one female staff member in the team, including leaders and managers. The lack of a gender balance across the staff team does not enable children to maintain positive relationships with people of a different gender. Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 6 Staff receive regular supervision from the manager or a lead practitioner. All staff providing supervision have had supervision training before taking on this responsibility. Staff receive a copy of their supervision records. Managers and staff receive regular and effective supervision that is focused on each of the children’s experience and needs. Supervision is recorded effectively.

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good

Most staff hold the required level 3 diploma qualification. A small number are currently working to achieve this or are planned to be enrolled on a training programme. Plans are in place to ensure that staff complete this qualification within the required timescales. Good training informs staff practice and meets the children’s individual and diverse needs.

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good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that there is a consistent and robust approach in place to maintain records with accurate and up-to-date information. Records are not evaluated or signed off by management and can be confusing and contradictory.

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good

The quality of the records maintained in the home varies significantly. Some records are difficult to read and do not demonstrate the progress or experiences of the children. This was a requirement at the last inspection and has not been met.

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good

The external monitoring of the home, conducted by an independent visitor, is not sufficiently detailed. There is limited evidence of consultation with children, staff and professionals to provide a holistic overview of the home. This was a requirement at the last inspection and has not been met.

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good

The manager and staff work collaboratively with other professionals to ensure that children receive some good-quality care. Allegations and concerns are reported to the relevant professionals in a timely way. This ensures that there is a multi-agency approach to concerns and that children receive good support when incidents happen. One social worker said, ‘They [staff] work tirelessly to work towards positive outcomes, manage risk and build strong, trusting relationships based on respect rather than dominance. They are a credit to social care.’

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good

The previous requirements have been repeated as a result of this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 7

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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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner. (Regulation 10 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)(b)) 9 October 2021

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii)) 9 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 8 Specifically, risk assessments should comprehensively identify and focus on current and emerging risks and provide the staff with clear strategies on how to respond to risk.

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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 ─

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to improving the registered manager’s oversight of the home’s records and the staff’s training. 9 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c)) 9 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 9 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

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)(b) (3)(d)) 9 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 9 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person— if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)) 9 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 10

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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: 2595112 11

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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 Ltd, 49 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool FY3 9DG

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Inspectors

Michelle Edge, Social Care Inspection Manager Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2595112 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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