Children's Home run by Aspris Care North West Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2605512 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

A private company owns this home, which provides care for up to two children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: Not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2605512 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home: 2605512 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first full inspection since it opened in February 2021. Prior to the inspection, Ofsted received a whistle-blowing complaint which raised concerns about the management of the home. These concerns were considered as part of the inspection activity. No evidence was found to substantiate the complaint.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently only one child living at the home, and this child moved in recently. Since the home opened in February 2021, a total of three children have moved in and out of the home. All these children moved out of the home in a planned and positive manner, with the children being supported to return to live with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children have positive experiences of moving into and out of the home. A parent said, ‘Staff have done amazing work with my child.’ A child living at the home said she enjoyed living there and rated the home ‘nine and a half out of 10’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a priority within the home. The child attends school on a full-time basis and is making good progress. Staff recognise and celebrate the child’s efforts, however small. Feedback from the child’s family is that this child is going ‘from strength to strength’. Previously, staff have supported children’s education in different ways. For example, they supported a child to enrol at the local college and helped him to write his CV to apply for part-time work. Another child was supported to attend more specialist provision that would better meet his educational needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals give positive feedback about this home. For example, they say that communication from managers and staff is excellent and add that they are kept informed about the child and their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A youth worker has recently complimented the staff team on their work to promote a child’s development and self-esteem, through providing the child with new experiences. Staff also encouraged and promoted good self-care skills. Consequently, the child gained more confidence and took pride in his appearance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The service provides therapeutic support to children and staff. Children have access to individual support through one-to-one sessions with a therapist. Direct work with the child currently living at the home is helping the child to reflect on their behaviour, and consequently build more positive relationships. Staff also benefit from therapeutic input into the way they work with children, including understanding the reasons underlying some behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child has access to routine healthcare services. Recently, staff supported the child to seek medical attention for a health condition. Consequently, the child is in good health and her needs are fully met. Inspection report for children's home: 2605512 4

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are clear and identify all known risks. These plans are regularly reviewed and updated, and they provide staff with good strategies to manage behaviour and risks. Staff demonstrate an understanding of how to manage risk and they have sound safeguarding knowledge. This helps to ensure that children are kept safe in the home.

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

The use of restraint is minimal and used only when necessary to keep the child and others safe. Incidents are well managed and records are detailed. Staff are all suitably trained in restraint practices and de-escalation techniques. Good management oversight is in place that ensures all measures used are appropriately documented. The child is given the opportunity to discuss and reflect on their feelings following all incidents.

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

Medication procedures are effective and robust. These procedures ensure that the child is given the right medication at the right time. Good medication practice is helping the child to maintain their health. The child is also beginning to establish a good sleep routine.

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

The home is maintained to an excellent standard. This is evident in the decor and good-quality soft furnishings which create a warm, homely and relaxed environment. At the time of the visit, the home was beautifully decorated in preparation for celebrating Halloween.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe and effective. The manager has recently completed safer recruitment training. All staff are checked and vetted prior to starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home. Good-quality induction programmes are in place to ensure that staff are fully equipped to care for children safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified. He registered with Ofsted in January 2021. Staff and professionals say that the registered manager is approachable and professional, and demonstrates effective leadership. He has high expectations and aspirations for the children in his care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has produced a report about the quality of care at the home. However, this does not include direct feedback and/or opinions about the quality of care provided in the home from the child, their family, stakeholders or staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff have the skills and training required to meet the needs of the child and to safely support her. For example, not all staff have received training in relation to self-harm, despite this being a known risk, and some staff do not have an up-to-date first-aid qualification. This is a Inspection report for children's home: 2605512 5 vulnerability and means that shifts will require careful planning to ensure at least one member of staff has the required training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although there have been some staff changes recently, the team works well together. Children receive good-quality care from a committed staff team. Staff said that they feel there is a consistent approach in place which benefits the child. They work together to make sure that the child is provided with clear and consistent boundaries, and positive behaviour is promoted. Staff provide a warm and nurturing environment in which the child experiences good humour and has a good rapport with staff and the manager. This is helping the child build a sense of belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor visits the home monthly and monitors the quality of care in the home, identifying any shortfalls. This oversight is helpful to the registered manager, who is currently evaluating incidents and considering the effectiveness of sanctions. However, the independent visitor does not consistently make a clear statement about whether children are being effectively safeguarded and if their well- being is promoted, in line with the regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision, which is focused on the child’s needs and safeguarding matters. These discussions provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on and improve their practice. Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended by the staff. The content covers a range of topics relevant to the children’s needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2605512 6

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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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all staff receive training in self-harm and first aid. 3 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

Review of quality of care 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 feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b)) 3 December 2021 Inspection report for children's home: 2605512 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. This includes making a clear statement in their report about the effectiveness of safeguarding measures and the promotion of children’s well-being in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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 for children's home: 2605512 8

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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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Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2605512 9 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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