Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: 2526992 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private provider owns and runs the home. The home is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2526992 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2022 Full Good 26/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2526992 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s experience of living at the home is positive. The staff team has a diverse mix of experience and backgrounds. When carers move on from the home, they ensure that the child understands their rationale for doing so. This enables the child to understand the carer’s reasoning for leaving the home, which reassures the child and preserves positive relationships. Carers capture significant or topical conversations with the child in the child’s written records. However, the quality of these recordings varies. Consequently, in some instances, the child’s written records will hamper the child’s ability to fully understand and reflect on specific situations that occurred at the home. A psychotherapist often visits the home to support the child and the carers. The psychotherapist uses a range of measures to support the care planning process, such as attending team meetings, holding one-to-one sessions with carers and the

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

child, and compiling reports. The psychotherapist’s oversight enables thought- provoking reflections and, in doing so, improves the quality of care for the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has been effective in supporting the team’s perseverance in promoting the child’s access to education. These efforts have enabled the child to establish a sense of direction and aspiration for their future. However, not all carers have a full understanding of the virtual school’s role in promoting a child’s education. This lack of understanding has the potential to hinder the child’s progress in this area. Carers have been effective in establishing trusting relationships with the child’s family. This has helped the child to sense that important people in their life are working together in harmony. This has enabled the child to strengthen their relationship with specific family members. It has also reduced the risk of the child grappling with a division of loyalty. Although a child moved on from the home in crisis, the manager handled this sensitively in difficult circumstances. The manager ensured that she informed the

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

child of the decision-making around why a move was necessary and transported the child to their new home. The manager also arranged a visit to the child in their new home. These efforts ensured that the child felt valued by their carers, despite challenging circumstances. The manager understands the need for children to leave the home with something tangible, so that children can look back fondly on their childhood at the home. One child left the home with a memory book that carers compiled with love and care. The quality of the memory book provided a powerful insight into the child’s experiences at the home.

p.3

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

The child currently living at the home said that they feel safe and able to speak to carers about any issues or concerns. Carers support the child to take age- Inspection report for children’s home: 2526992 4 appropriate risks. This enables the child to become more independent and confident as they make the journey through their adolescence. It is not common practice for carers or visiting professionals to go into the child’s bedroom. This hinders the team’s ability to be professionally curious. The lack of management direction around accessing the child’s bedroom has resulted in complacency around recognising and managing specific risks. Inspectors found the window restrictor in the child’s bedroom had broken and that the child’s old mobile phone was still in use. Although the manager was confident that the team had a sound grasp of the child’s daily routines, this lack of parental oversight has restricted

p.3

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

the team’s ability to hold important conversations with the child. Carers understand their organisation’s procedures on safeguarding and whistle- blowing. Carers who spoke to the inspectors felt confident that they would not hesitate to raise safeguarding concerns, internally and, if necessary, to external safeguarding professionals. The manager encourages carers to share resources and research on various safeguarding matters. This has created a safeguarding culture in the home, which keeps children safer. The child’s risk assessments are comprehensive and the manager regularly reviews them. However, the manager has failed to determine whether carers implement the directions stipulated in the child’s risk assessment. In one instance, a child’s risk assessment required carers to remove cigarette lighters from the child’s bedroom. The manager accepted that the team had not been accessing the child’s bedroom,

p.4

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

so the risk assessment was ineffective. When children are in a state of distress, carers use their positive relationships with children to support them effectively. Carers only use physical restraint as a last resort and in the least restrictive way. The manager consistently reviews the use of restraint and its effectiveness. The manager ensures that children and carers have the opportunity to talk about their feelings after an incident of restraint. This practice enables learning, which reduces the likelihood that carers need to continue to apply this level of intervention. The team works collaboratively with external agencies to help support and better protect children. When carers do not know children’s whereabouts, carers actively encourage children to return home, keep in contact with them and try to find them. Carers have reduced the frequency of a child going missing from the home by gaining an understanding of the child’s motives and influences.

p.4

good

The manager is committed and determined to embed her knowledge and values into the team. However, the manager and the responsible individual have lost sight of specific areas of care that require their intervention. The manager does not give clear direction to carers around accessing the child’s bedroom or assert the need for visiting professionals to apply their professional curiosity. The manager demonstrated a lack of accountability in this area. This dilutes the team’s ability to recognise and address potential risk factors that appear in the child’s life. Inspection report for children’s home: 2526992 5 Although the manager has often challenged the accuracy of the independent visitor’s report, there remain shortfalls in this area. The independent visitor’s reports consistently lack evidence of meaningful consultation with the child, the child’s parents and associated professionals. The manager’s comments in the independent

p.4

good

visitor’s reports have failed to highlight the manager’s scrutiny and evaluation of the independent visitor’s findings. Consequently, the manager has lost some of her capacity to openly demonstrate her accountability and oversight of the home. The manager acquires statutory documents and uses this information to underpin the child’s care planning. This ensures that there is consistency between agencies and that there is a shared understanding of the child’s needs. However, neither the manager nor the responsible individual had knowledge of the status of a child’s education, health and care plan, despite a copy being on the child’s file. Although there has been no detrimental impact on the child, this was a significant management oversight. The manager makes commendable efforts to invite care-experienced adults to team meetings to share their experiences of the care system. This has created opportunities to shape and mould carers’ perceptions, awareness and practices at

p.5

good

the home. This has empowered carers to better support children, as well as develop their empathy towards the children’s circumstances. Carers value the support that they receive from their manager. Carers told the inspectors that they consistently receive good-quality supervisions and that they can relate to the manager’s passion and approach to care. One staff member commented that the team fully supports the manager’s philosophy. The inspectors noted a positive atmosphere and vibrancy in the home, which supported the carer’s comments. Inspection report for children’s home: 2526992 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(e)(h)) 15 February 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

p.6

Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(b)) 15 February 2023

p.6

Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2526992 7  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the necessary support is given to children to enable them to access their education or training. The registered person should do this in consultation with the virtual school. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13)

p.7

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: 2526992 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Rachel Crossland-Green

p.8

Inspectors

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Honor Hamshaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2526992 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9