Children's home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Wyre

Inspection report for children’s home: SC061803 1 SC061803 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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

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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: SC061803 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/08/2021 Full Good 03/12/2019 Full Good 17/12/2018 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC061803 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living in this home receive consistent and well-planned care from an established staff team. Children are able to develop positive, trusting relationships with the staff and children say that they like the staff who care for them. Arrangements are made to introduce children to new members of staff and they are gradually integrated into the home. This minimises the effect on children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to the in-house therapist and mentor, who are enthusiastic and committed to providing the best possible care to the children. This promotes children’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a well-coordinated and considered way. Children are invited to visit the home before moving in, which helps reduce any anxieties they have. The needs of the children already living in the home are respected and they are prepared for new children moving in. The children living in the home say that they ‘love living here’ and do not want to leave.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to move on from the home in a well-planned way. Staff support children to develop independence skills to ensure that they are ready to live independently. Contact is maintained with children who move on, indicating that strong relationships have developed while living in the home. Similarly, children moving to other provisions or to family members are supported well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to attend education. Staff work with children when school attendance deteriorates or when children present a reluctance to engage with education. However, for one child, attendance and engagement at school have improved significantly and he has enrolled onto further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to spend time with their families. Staff advocate for children to spend additional time with family on special occasions and respect children’s wishes when they don’t want any family time. Staff maintain positive relationships with children’s families, and they are encouraged to spend time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable and homely. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and children are supported to care for pets in the home, with one child having a pet hamster. However, one child’s bedroom was observed during the inspection as unkempt, with evidence of a build-up of dirty dishes in the room and in the wardrobe. This detracts from the safe and homely environment that the staff strive for. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061803 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks. The positive and respectful relationships between staff and children support children to manage and regulate their emotions. This minimises incidents of challenging behaviour.

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

Assessments of risk are robust and comprehensive. They contain appropriate strategies for staff to implement which reduce risk. They are regularly reviewed to demonstrate the positive progress children make. Staff have a clear knowledge of how to respond to any concerns or safeguarding issues to keep children safe.

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

Children’s voices are heard throughout the formulation of risk and behaviour management plans. As a result, staff respond to children through respectful and meaningful de-escalation techniques. Staff are proactive in managing any increasing risks and are efficient in undertaking focused sessions with children on these areas.

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

Staff work in collaboration with the in-house therapist to implement appropriate behaviour management strategies in line with therapeutic care plans. Staff are able to identify children’s vulnerabilities and risks. Staff support children to manage their behaviours and feelings safely through the development of strong, trusting relationships.

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

There have not been any incidents of physically holding children since the previous inspection. Positive behaviour is consistently promoted through the use of incentives and restorative work with the children.

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

Missing-from-home incidents are rare. When incidents do occur, staff manage these well and follow-up work with children is undertaken promptly. However, not all children’s records include relevant information to assist staff in locating children when their whereabouts are unknown.

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

Staff recruitment procedures are safe and children’s engagement and inclusion in this process are encouraged. This promotes positive relationships between children and new staff coming into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some recent changes to the management team in the home. The current registered manager is leaving the organisation and there is a new manager who is suitably qualified in charge of the home. There is also a new deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and valued and benefit from supervision on a regular basis. The introduction of new staff into the home is managed well to support the development of positive relationships with the children and minimise the effect of these changes. Professional development is actively encouraged, with one member of staff having recently transferred to another home in the organisation to become a manager. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061803 5 However, the statement of purpose has not been reviewed and updated to reflect recent changes in the staffing of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager actively and regularly monitors the quality of care provided. Feedback is obtained from children, including those who have moved on, and professionals working with the children to improve experiences for those living in the home. Children’s progress is demonstrated throughout internal monitoring reports and areas for development are identified to improve the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is consistent in making child-centred decisions about new children coming to live at the home. This ensures that children feel safe and happy in the home and get on well together. When children struggle to settle into the home, prompt action is taken to implement additional support or liaise with local authorities to identify a more appropriate placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Mandatory training is completed by all staff. Bespoke workshops and training are provided during team meetings to ensure that staff have the knowledge and understanding to meet individual children’s needs. However, staff have not accessed training for one child’s specific needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061803 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager should ensure that staff access training specific to the children’s needs. 12 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that missing-from-home protocols include up-to-date information of where a child may be, which will support staff to locate children when missing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review and that Ofsted is notified of any revisions within 28 days. Specifically, the statement of purpose should be revised to reflect changes in staffing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with the child. Specifically, regular checks should be undertaken on children when in the home and staff should monitor the condition of bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23) Inspection report for children’s home: SC061803 7

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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: SC061803 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

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC061803 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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