Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report children’s home: 2509280 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd 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 run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children who require care to support their emotional and social difficulties.

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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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on the 12 April 2021.

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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 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

Date of last inspection: 26 February 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2509280 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2509280 3

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improvement to be good

The quality of relationships between the children and staff varies. Most children have been able to build trusting relationships with a team of staff who invest time in them. However, attempts to encourage meaningful engagement with one child have not been successful. This means that not all children are enjoying positive experiences or making progress.

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improvement to be good

The children are not provided with the essentials for living comfortably in their own bedrooms. One child did not have adequate bedding, and another was without curtains because of damage. The rooms were not clean or personalised to the individual children’s tastes. These poor conditions may have a detrimental effect on a child’s sense of self-worth and they may not feel valued by staff.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to engage in school by staff who prioritise the importance of education. One child is now attending a mainstream school full time, having previously accessed alternative provision. However, when children are excluded from school, staff have no clear plans to continue the children’s education in the home or maintain a routine for them. This may have a negative impact on staff’s ability to support children to resume their education and may affect children’s academic progress.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met and staff support children to attend routine health appointments. One child is now of an age where they can administer their own medication. This allows the child agency over their own health and teaches them life skills

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from support provided by an on-site therapist. This not only gives the children direct access to psychological and emotional support, but also supports staff to develop strategies for working with children. For most children, this support has been effective in helping them to address trauma and has enabled them to make progress from their starting points. One child’s family stated that their child is safer because of the care they receive.

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improvement to be good

There is careful consideration given to children moving into the home. The manager completes an assessment of the known needs of children before accepting a placement and ensures that the staff are equipped to meet those needs. When children have emerging needs following their admission, staff ensure that the necessary referrals are made to assess and understand those needs.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to pursue their interests in and out of the home. Staff create memory books for children to provide a record of their time at the home. The books contain photos of activities, events and experiences they have had, which Inspection report children’s home: 2509280 4 shows happy times and achievements. This is an important record of their life and helps children to understand their story.

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

Children are cared for by a team of staff who know their risks and can support them to feel safe.

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

Individualised risk assessments help staff to identify concerns effectively, and the use of targeted key-work sessions helps to reduce risks to children. For one child, this means that they are no longer associated with gangs or at risk of exploitation at this time. The changes in children’s progress are evidenced in the assessments. Risks are routinely reviewed and amended in line with the children’s presenting needs.

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

Children have improved their behaviour while living in the home as they are supported to learn strategies to help them self-regulate their emotions. The staff employ effective strategies in managing behaviour and receive training to support this.

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

There has only been one instance where a low-level physical intervention was employed. This event was well recorded and reviewed by the manager. The views of the child were sought, and a reflective discussion was held with the staff involved. This is good practice and helps to ensure that the use of physical intervention is both necessary and proportionate and that any learning is used to inform practice. This helps to ensure that children are cared for safely by staff who are trained to support them.

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

The manager applies safer recruitment practices when employing staff, to ensure only those who are suitable are able to work with the children. This helps to keep children safe.

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

When concerns are raised in relation to staff working in the home, leaders and managers take immediate action. This protects both the children and staff and prioritises their safety and well-being while a full investigation takes place.

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good

The home’s manager is not currently in post and leaders cannot confirm the long- term management arrangements. The home is currently being managed by an acting manager. As a result of this uncertainty, there are no clear goals for the maintenance and development of the home or the staff team. The acting manager has not yet applied to register with Ofsted. The characteristics of good leadership and management are not currently in place.

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good

Managers and staff gather feedback from a range of professionals, the children and their families. However, this feedback is not used to inform plans for the home and Inspection report children’s home: 2509280 5 is not evidenced in the quality of care report. The report lacks evaluation and an action plan to demonstrate how the manager will make improvements to the quality of care provided to children. This impacts on the manager’s oversight of the home and the progress of children.

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good

The home is staffed by a well-established team, and the manager does not use agency staff. All staff have completed mandatory training and any additional training as required. This means that children are cared for by staff who are capable of meeting their needs and can deliver care in line with those needs.

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good

The staff build effective working relationships with other professionals and the children’s families. Feedback from one professional demonstrated the commitment of the manager and staff, stating that communication is excellent. Staff advocate on behalf of the children and ensure that plans and assessments are progressed. This enables most children to make progress in the home.

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good

Staff participate in monthly team meetings and receive regular supervision. This has a focus on reflection and learning and is child-centred. The training needs of staff are routinely discussed, and group learning is promoted. This ensures the manager has good insight into the skills and development needs of the staff and their ability to meet the needs of the children. Inspection report children’s home: 2509280 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(vii)) 11 March 2022

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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; and 25 March 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2509280 7 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Any person who carries on or manages an establishment or agency of any description without being registered under this Part in respect of it (as an establishment or, as the case may be, agency of that description) shall be guilty of an offence. (Care Standards Act 2000 S11 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the person in day-to-day charge of the home registers with Ofsted. 25 March 2022

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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: 2509280 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Deb Duffy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2509280 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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