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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 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 company owns this home, which provides care for up to two children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2021.

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 good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 27 October 2021

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for in a very caring and nurturing environment. Children are happy and settled. They said that they ‘love living in the home and feel safe’. Furthermore, they said that they had people who cared about them and who they could talk to if they had any worries or concerns. A child said, ‘I know that they [staff] care for me, and they are always here when I need them.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of fun activities with staff. A child said that their key person is ‘great and we do loads of things together’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have reflected on their time here and say that the staff have brought stability into their lives. Children have made progress in their self-esteem, social skills, independence skills and emotional well-being. This has enabled them to explore new opportunities and experiences, such as visiting a Harry Potter event.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are at the heart of everything that the staff do. Their views are actively sought, respected and, where possible, acted on. For example, children take part in consultations about the staff and how they support them. This information feeds into staff supervision and appraisals.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to attend or participate in meetings. This means that they are fully aware of the plans being made and readily contribute to them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s individual needs. Staff sensitively introduce different foods to children, when exploring cultural festivals or substituting ingredients for healthier options. As a result, children’s diets are improving, having a positive impact on their health and well-being.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have school places. One child continues to struggle to attend school and while their attendance is not yet good, it has improved considerably since they came to live here. Ultimately, their outcomes are improving. A social worker said that this is because of the support and encouragement from staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff generally advocate well for children. However, there has been some drift in agreeing the plans with school for one child. This means that they have not been able to access all their education in school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children keeping in touch with those people who are important to them. They ensure that children get to see their family and act as mediators when things are not going well. This strong emphasis on family time means children can maintain and build positive relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 4

p.3

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

Staff use strong safeguarding practice that promotes the welfare and safety of the children. Staff are trained in safeguarding and additional subjects such as child exploitation, county lines and e-safety. This means that they have the skills and knowledge to identify any potential concerns.

p.4

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

Since coming to live at the home, the children have become significantly safer. They make positive choices to stay away from challenging situations. Staff know and understand the children’s vulnerabilities and risks. However, staff do not always help children to consider potential wider risks, such as county lines and knife crime. This is a missed opportunity to help children acquire the skills and knowledge to keep themselves safe as they move forward in their lives.

p.4

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

Children are rarely missing from the home. When this has occurred, staff respond swiftly to ensure that children return home safely. The independent return home interviews enable staff to gain a greater understanding of the reasons why children go missing from care.

p.4

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

The home is maintained to a good standard and children are instrumental in how the home is decorated and organised. Following a discussion with the children, the conservatory was made into a gaming and tv room. This has provided additional space for the children to relax in. Staff complete regular health and safety checks to ensure that the home environment is physically safe and secure.

p.4

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

Good recruitment and selection processes ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a qualified and passionate manager. He places the welfare of the children at the centre of everything that he and the staff do. Everyone is ambitious for the children to be happy and to be able to reach their full potential. The manager uses the views of the children and the people in the children’s lives to help him understand what is working well and what needs to improve.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff follow children’s plans and regularly review them. Staff have strong relationships with partner agencies and work together effectively in order to identify and meet the children’s needs consistently. A social worker said, ‘The staff know the children extremely well and are always prepared for any meetings.’ This means the right decisions are made to support children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the staff hold a recognised childcare qualification. Staff work well together as a team. Staff said that they received very good support from the manager, which inspires them to be the best that they can be.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular one-to-one supervision. In addition to this, staff have regular team meetings and daily handovers. However, opportunities are missed during Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 5 supervision and team meetings for staff to discuss their training, share skills and good practice, for example talking about their experiences of working with children at risk of criminal exploitation by county lines gangs, being missing from care, or children who exhibit aggressive behaviours and how to de-escalate this. This does not help staff to build on the good work that they do.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses external and internal monitoring and review systems to have a detailed understanding of the effect that the quality of care is having on the children’s progress and experiences. The manager uses this understanding to inform practice and find new and better ways to support the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.6

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 28 April 2023

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered provider must ensure that the registered person and staff proactively advocate for children to make sure that others, in particular schools, play their role and deliver the high-quality support that is needed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.4)  The registered provider must ensure that the registered person and staff educate children on how to protect themselves and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

p.6

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: 2605512 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jacqueline Titterington

p.7

Inspector

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 8 regulates and inspects 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.

p.7

Inspector

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 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . 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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8