Children's home run by Aspris Care North West Limited in Wyre

Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 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

The home is operated by a private provider. The home provides care for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2020 and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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: 1231399 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Good 12/03/2020 Full Good 05/12/2018 Full Outstanding 15/08/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in the home say that they are happy and safe. Children benefit from a caring and consistent staff team. Staff know the children well, which means children receive individualised support from those who care for them. Relationships between children and staff are trusting and warm. This supports children to feel settled and make assessable progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to talk openly about their feelings and wishes and know how to make a complaint. Managers encourage children to contribute to their care planning and are consulted about decisions that affect their lives. Staff complete wide-ranging key-work sessions relevant to children’s precise needs. This means children feel valued and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders, managers and staff ensure that children have access to appropriate learning and are making progress. Staff provide practical assistance so that children can attend education. They have high aspirations for children. All children in the home are accessing education which meets their individual needs. One child has gained qualifications and has progressed onto a full-time apprenticeship.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are planned and unplanned activities available to children. For example, children have enjoyed trips to the zoo, ice-skating and theme parks. Children have benefited from going on holiday together and have been encouraged to plan future trips. This supports children to feel a sense of permanence and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of family time. Staff ensure that children are enabled to safely maintain relationships with family and friends. One child is supported to enjoy sleepovers with friends from school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and are registered with relevant health services and practitioners. Children are referred to specialist services and have access to in-house therapeutic sessions. As a result, their emotional health and well-being is meaningfully monitored and supported. However, arrangements for supporting children to stop smoking and vaping are unclear. Children are not consistently helped to lead healthy lifestyles. A requirement has been made to reflect this shortfall.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves in and out of the home are planned. Prior to moving a child into the home, the manager considers the child’s individual needs and identifies how these needs will be supported. However, the manager has not measured the impact on those children already living in the home when new children are welcomed. This gap means that the impact of children living together is not fully considered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff provide a nurturing, comfortable and welcoming environment. Children have well-presented bedrooms, which are individually Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 4 decorated to reflect children’s individual styles and interests. Communal areas are homely and support children to feel cherished and respected.

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

There is a strong and consistent response to managing risk. Children have individualised risk assessments that clearly identify actions for staff to take to minimise the risk of harm to children. The registered manager regularly reviews risk management plans and ensures that staff understand these plans. Children living in the home are kept safe.

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

Children have detailed missing-from-care protocols which set out what staff are to do if a child goes missing. Missing incidents are well recorded and evaluated by the manager. Direct support sessions are completed by staff when children return home and supplement the return home interviews, which are completed promptly by appropriate professionals.

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

Staff support children to develop their independence skills and take age-appropriate risks. Consequences are reviewed and discussed openly with children. As a result, positive behaviour is promoted throughout the home. Children are consulted and able to share their views and trust that staff will listen to them. This means that physical restraints have not been used in the home for a significant period.

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

Room searches are conducted thoughtfully and fittingly. Records are well detailed and have consistent management oversight. The registered manager reviews all searches and evaluates the reasoning and decision-making. Evaluations and overviews are discussed and reflected on with staff and children.

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

Safer recruitment checks for new staff are vigorous. The registered manager has ensured that all staff are appropriately checked to keep children safe. Managers and staff demonstrate professional curiosity when dealing with safeguarding incidents and respond to allegations and suspicions of harm appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who is inspirational and ambitious for children. The manager has created a positive and inclusive culture where children can thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers and staff carefully consider and record children’s progress. Children’s case records are child-centred and written in a way that supports children to understand their experiences and enable them to contribute to their own plans. Records capture the child’s life, experiences and future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision. Staff say that supervisions are reflective and help them to continually improve the quality of care they provide. Staff say that they feel valued and supported by their manager. One member of staff said, ‘She [the manager] could not do more for the children or her team.’ Another member of staff Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 5 said, ‘She [the manager] has gone above and beyond to make sure both the practitioners and the children are happy in their home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are monitoring and review systems in place. Incidents are evaluated and discussed within team meetings and debriefs. This ensures that staff work consistently and understand their roles and responsibilities. Safeguarding notifications have been submitted. However, the registered manager has not always ensured that events are notified, within timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported to attend all mandatory training, as well as specific needs-led training, which focuses on ensuring children’s needs can be appropriately met. Staff are encouraged to enhance their skill set and undertake further qualifications. Training records are up to date and regularly evaluated. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, arrangements should be in place to ensure that children are supported to stop smoking and vaping. 27 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. 27 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 7 (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers should consider the needs, feelings and risks of other children when new children are welcomed into the home.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 1231399 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: Sandcastle Care Ltd, 49 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool FY3 9DG

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Inspector

Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1231399 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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