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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 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 is one of a number of homes operated by a large private provider. It is registered for up to two children of the same gender. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. They both spoke with the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 4 November 2019.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this children’s home to carry out a monitoring visit on 12 March 2021. 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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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: 2550015 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first full inspection. Following the monitoring visit in March 2021, the home has undergone several resident and staff changes. At the request of the organisation, there has also been a reduction in the number of registered places from three to two children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in the home make significant progress in comparison to their individual starting points. They like living in the home and benefit from positive, trusting relationships with staff who understand their individual needs. One child said, ‘I thought the home would be rubbish, but it’s great. Staff really help me a lot. I get on with everyone. I can talk about anything that bothers me. They are sound. I’m happy, feel safe and have no worries. It’s good.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with the in-house therapist to therapeutically demonstrate positive role modelling. This helps children to better understand appropriate behaviours and boundaries. Children are supported to reflect on their previous experiences and are helped to develop different coping strategies. Their understanding and acceptance of their own and other communities and faiths is developed through discussions with the in-house therapist and staff team. Children are able to develop a sense of responsibility by helping to care for a staff member’s dog.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supporting children’s education is a key strength in the home. Children who previously had significant gaps in their learning are now engaging in their education. They attend vocational courses and have developed clear aspirations and goals for their futures. Staff are persistent in encouraging children’s attendance and through proactively addressing issues, they ensure that children continue to make progress. One social worker said, ‘[Name of child] had not been in education for a long time. He is now accessing full-time education which is extremely positive and evidences the progress he has made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively to build and maintain positive relationships with children’s family members. They help children to keep in touch with people who are important to them and to maintain safe relationships in their local areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s interests are encouraged and they are able to take part in activities that they enjoy. This positively impacts on their self-esteem and widens their social networks. Their achievements are celebrated but staff do not consistently record when rewards are given.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have not wanted to engage in activities to create appropriate memorabilia of their time in the home. However, this is something that staff can do on their behalf to ensure that opportunities to create memorabilia are not missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 4 The home is a calm environment for children. There is a ‘happy’ atmosphere and children have plenty of space to relax. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. Efforts have been made to maintain a high standard of décor and furnishing throughout but some areas appear tired and would benefit from being refreshed. Damage to the roof has led to plaster coming off in a child’s bedroom. This has been identified for repair but is taking longer than the manager anticipated. The carpet is damaged in the hallway, stairs and one bedroom and is due to be replaced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is taking action to address the presence and function of locks on communal doors.

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

Children feel safe living in the home. Professionals say children are safe and are complimentary about the levels of care and communication provided by the team.

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

Staff are vigilant to children’s risks and understand their complex safeguarding needs. Children are supported to make safer choices and experience a significant reduction in anti-social and high-risk behaviours. Children’s risk, behaviour management and therapeutic placement plans are detailed and robust. They are regularly updated and reflect children’s individual and group behaviours and risks, alongside strategies for staff to follow to keep children safe.

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

The team works closely with other professionals to reduce children’s vulnerability to exploitation and to promote positive outcomes. Staff ensure that free time is planned safely and understand how to respond if issues arise. Through high levels of supervision and knowledge of the children and local area, staff are often able to prevent incidents from occurring. Incidents when staff need to hold children to keep them safe or implement consequences for negative behaviour are rare.

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

All safeguarding incidents and complaints are overseen by the manager. He deals with them in line with procedures and uses any learning to further develop practice in the home.

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

Transitions into and out of the home are well planned. Children are supported to develop age-appropriate emotional and practical skills in preparation for their adulthood. However, they would benefit from more structured independence plans to ensure that key skills are not missed.

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

Changes to the interview process for prospective employees implemented due to the COVID 19 pandemic potentially compromised the safety of children living in the home. Leaders have taken swift action to resolve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager is suitably experienced and ambitious for children. A clear plan is in place to enable him to formally complete the relevant qualification following issues with the previous training provider. Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 5 The manager provides clear leadership and guidance to the team. He is supported by the responsible individual. They have strong oversight of practice and care in the home and are committed to improving outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home and say they feel valued. They benefit from access to regular, effective supervision and relevant training. Staff are able to further develop their skills and understanding of children’s needs through regular consultations with the in-house therapist.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff changes have been well managed. Any staffing shortfalls are covered by staff who work for the organisation and agency staff are not used. This ensures that children receive a high standard of consistent care from staff who know them well. New staff benefit from a robust induction and are given time to build trusting relationships with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team communicates effectively with partner agencies. Placing authorities and families are kept updated about the progress children make. The manager regularly seeks feedback from children and stakeholders to further develop the service. Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 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 homes overall aims and 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 to children living in the home the physical necessities they need on order to live their comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to-

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically related to the provider ensuring that the leak in the roof and any subsequent damage is repaired, that all floor coverings are well maintained, and that the homes décor is maintained to a high standard. 27 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review and risk-assess the presence and function of locks on internal communal doors, (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that there are clear plans in place to support children in preparation for independence. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that systems for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour are well understood and clearly recorded by staff. (Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.39)  The registered person should ensure that interview processes used for prospective staff do not compromise the safety or well-being of children living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including quality standards’

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Recommendations

page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should strengthen processes for encouraging children to keep appropriate memorabilia of their time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 2550015 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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Inspector

Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2550015 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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