Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065313 1 SC065313 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 privately owned home provides care for up to two children who can no longer live at 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 18 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 22 January 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC065313 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2019 Full Good 11/07/2018 Full Outstanding 15/08/2017 Full Good 22/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC065313 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good transitions into the home. The manager and staff visit the child and the child has the opportunity to visit the home before moving in. In addition to this, the manager makes sure that the staff team can confidently care for the child and that the area is safe for them to live in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress in most areas of their lives while living in this home. Generally, the children’s information is in good order and is accessible to the children. However, there is little information about the steps staff have taken to secure good progress and outcomes for the child in health, education, relationships, behaviour and keeping themselves safe. For example, one child’s education plan only discusses the school that he now attends. However, prior to this, he was not in education. The manager worked closely with the virtual head for education and other professionals to ensure that he had a school provision. This information is not recorded in the child’s documents. As a result, there is little information on how this progress was achieved. Therefore, this does not show the child’s journey throughout his stay at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has been proactive in ensuring that children attend suitable educational settings that can meet the children’s needs. Children are supported to regularly attend and engage in education. The children have completed home schooling throughout the COVID-19 restrictions. The children know how important education is and respond well to the education incentives in place. Consequently, the children’s outcomes have improved. For example, one child has 100% attendance at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children to adopt healthy lifestyles by encouraging them to eat a healthy diet and to engage in physical exercise. Children are supported with their individual health needs and they have good access to local health services when they need them. In addition to this, the children engage with a therapist to discuss their emotional health. As a result, the children have been able to explore ways of coping and have strategies to help them. The therapist also provides guidance and support to the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children complete their own child-friendly care plan, so that they can regularly share their views about how they would like to be cared for. Children have regular discussions with their key workers, other staff and the manager during children’s meetings, key-work sessions and reviews. Children feel able to talk to staff and are confident that they are listened to and that their views, wishes and feelings are acted on whenever possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff offer children a good quality of care to meet their individual needs. One professional said of the child they work with: ‘He is doing great and has made excellent progress at this home.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC065313 4

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

Safeguarding practice at the home is good and it keeps the children safe from harm. Staff do their very best to safeguard children, including teaching them about risky or unsafe choices, such as risks associated with gaming and interacting with strangers on the internet.

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

There have been no safeguarding concerns to report to safeguarding agencies. Staff demonstrated that they knew the procedure to follow if a concern were to arise. All staff have received safeguarding training and additional supportive training, such as in child sexual exploitation, county lines and safer recruitment, which is refreshed regularly. This means they have the knowledge to support children and that they can identify early signs of involvement. In addition to this, children have been able to complete online courses, such as first aid and fire safety. They have received certificates in these areas. This helps children to understand risk, develops their skills, enhances their education and shows potential employers that they have additional skills.

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

A requirement was made at the monitoring visit in March 2021 around risk management plans. Some progress has been made in clearly outlining the children’s individual risk-taking behaviour. However, further improvements are required. There is little guidance on the actions for staff to take if an incident were to occur. Similarly, the risk assessments say to use de-escalation techniques but they do not outline what these techniques are. This does not ensure that staff are consistent in their approach. Currently, this has not had an adverse impact on the children’s safety, but if not addressed it has the potential to do so. In contrast to this, some risks have reduced, for example previous behaviours around children misusing substances and having self-injurious behaviour are no longer a concern.

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

Children’s positive behaviour is continually promoted and rewarded at the home. Children can work towards a desired item, such as a gaming remote control or additional spending money.

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

When children go missing from this home, staff follow the missing-from-home protocol and searched the local area. They contact and speak with professionals and parents. Clear records are kept on the actions that the staff take. On their return, children receive an independent return home interview in line with statutory guidance. This means that the children can give the reasons why they went missing and express any concerns they have. However, there has been a delay in informing Ofsted when children have been missing. This reduces the regulator’s oversight of the home.

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

Safe recruitment and health and safety practices at the home ensure that only the most suitable staff work at the home and that it is a safe place to live. Records show that children, staff and visitors are taken through the emergency evacuation procedure. Likewise, all visitors complete checks for COVID-19. This means that everyone is kept as safe as possible. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065313 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a broad range of experience to draw from to care for the children and staff. She has a leadership and management qualification. She is supported by a well-established management team and effective arrangements are in place for her ongoing support and supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high aspirations for the children living at the home and ensures that they are provided with a good quality of care. A child’s parent and professionals spoken to as part of this inspection were complimentary about the home and the progress that the children were making. A parent said: ‘He is doing really well, especially in school.’ A social worker said: ‘This is a fantastic placement. Staff are very proactive and planning is very thoughtful.’ The manager challenges local authorities and other services effectively to provide children with the support that will meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a range of life experiences and some staff have the National Vocational Qualification level 3. New staff are at different stages of completing a similar childcare qualification. The staff also benefit from a wealth of training and development opportunities to support their continuing professional development. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, most of the training has been completed online. However, face-to-face training events have now started again. Therefore, staff have the skills and knowledge to support children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team receives regular supervision that is reflective and is underpinned by development and individual strengths. However, the home’s workforce plan does not identify the timescales for supervision. Personal development plans focus on the development of individual staff members. In addition to this, staff have monthly team meetings, and they share examples of good practice, training and development information to aid their learning. As a result, staff say that they are supported, valued and motivated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and review systems at the home help the manager to identify the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager is then able to alter her practice when necessary to make improvements that are in the best interests of the children. However, the independent visitor does not routinely give his opinion on whether children are safeguarded effectively or that the children’s well-being is promoted in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065313 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 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

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)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that staff have clear guidance on the actions to take if an incident were to occur. 30 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 30 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The independent visitor should give his opinion and make a statement about whether children are safeguarded effectively and that the home promotes children’s well-being. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5) Inspection report for children’s home: SC065313 7  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the steps taken by staff to secure good progress and outcomes are clearly recorded within the child’s documents. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph

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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: SC065313 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: 49 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool FY3 9DG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Suzanne Grocott-Waters

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065313 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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