Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1240572 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd 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 company, and it is registered to care for up to two children or young people who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 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

Date of last inspection: 10 November 2021

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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: 1240572 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/11/2021 Full Good 02/03/2020 Full Good 23/07/2018 Full Outstanding 22/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1240572 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and settled here. They have positive relationships with the staff, which are built on honesty and mutual respect. Children said that they get on with their peers, and if they need space, they go into another area of the home. One child said, ‘The staff are great. This is my home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy an extensive range of fun activities. Activities are planned to encourage and support the children’s interest, such as having guitar lessons. One child told the inspector about their trip to the safari park with staff. They explained that they had never been before, and it was a wonderful experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are particularly good at helping children to achieve their individual goals. One child wanted to build their own computer. They created a budget plan, and staff helped them to earn additional money by doing jobs in the home. This not only enabled the child to purchase the parts that they needed but helped them develop a range of skills that will support them into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn to be independent. They enjoy the opportunities to do jobs around the home, such as helping to prepare meals, clean up afterwards and complete minor repairs or painting. This successfully fosters children’s confidence and self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are strong advocates for children’s education. For example, when children have not attended education for a long time, staff provide tutors to gently ease them back into learning. Staff work tirelessly with other professionals to secure the right schools for children and create bespoke plans to reintegrate them into education. This reduces the potential of a failed school placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make learning fun. Children are offered a range of activities that have an underlying educational base. Staff plan theme nights with quizzes, which encourages the children to research the answers and look at what food they can prepare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional health and well-being are improving. Children have access to a range of therapeutic support to help them to navigate their feelings and emotions. Some children have made the decision to decline further support, but they know that this is available to them should they change their mind.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly talk to the children about issues that may affect their health, such as a poor diet and using cannabis or a vape. Consequently, children are more aware of their own physical health. One child said that they know the dangers of vaping, such as ‘popcorn lung’, and have reduced their usage of the vape.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know that children staying connected with their families and other people who are important to them is vital. Different arrangements are in place to ensure that Inspection report for children’s home: 1240572 4 this happens. Children told the inspector about how staff make sure that they see their family and ‘make it ok’. Consequently, children can sustain and rebuild these important relationships.

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

Staff have a sound understanding of child protection and effective safeguarding practice. Staff are trained in safeguarding and other subjects, such as radicalisation, county lines, knife crime and child sexual exploitation. Staff are confident to talk to children about how to keep themselves safe when away from the home. This has seen a reduction in risks to children as they are able to move away from tricky situations.

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

Children said that they are safe in the home and can talk to the staff about anything that is concerning them. Staff told the inspector about the whistle-blowing procedures and how they would escalate their concerns if they felt ineffective action was taken.

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

Recently, staff did not immediately report potential concerns to the appropriate person. This led to a delay in action being taken. This did not have a detrimental impact on the child. Steps have been taken to address this to prevent a recurrence.

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

Children rarely go missing from home. When this has occurred, staff acted quickly and notified the appropriate persons. Children said that they know to keep in touch with staff when out with their friends. They said this is because the staff care about them and want to know that they are safe.

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

Children behave well and respect the staff. Staff provide consistent messages of support, which enables children to consider their options and make informed decisions. As a result, children grow in confidence.

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

Children live in a warm, welcoming home. They are fully informed of the decisions made about the decor and layout of the home. Children are proud of their home. Recently, a room was converted into a games room at the children’s request. This has quickly become a favourite place for the children to use.

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

Recruitment and vetting procedures are secure, which means children are cared for by suitable adults. This keeps children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A committed and qualified manager manages the home. He has high aspirations for the children and staff. He encourages staff to undertake training to support their knowledge and skills and enhance their career development. Staff are complimentary about the support he provides and how he instils confidence in the team. Staff said that they found the training invaluable, especially the therapeutic training. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240572 5 Staff receive regular one-to-one supervision that gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify areas or opportunities for their development. In addition to this, staff have regular team meetings and daily handovers. This means that they can pass on relevant key information and provide continuity of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring of the home by the manager and independent person is not yet secure. The independent person has not been proactive in seeking the views of the children living in the home. This means that children’s views on the service have not been considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring of the home by the manager and independent person has not identified the inconsistencies in the quality of record-keeping. Consequently, records do not tell the story of the children’s time in the home. Furthermore, children’s wishes and feeling are lost in records, as staff record their interpretation of what children are saying rather than what children have said. This hinders children’s ability to reflect on and understand their history.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work collaboratively with a range of agencies. They advocate well for children and actively challenge professionals when services have been slow to respond or are not available. Consequently, children have received the support that they needed in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers and professionals are complimentary about the care and support provided to children. One said that this is an ‘excellent home’ that over time has significantly reduced the risks to children. Furthermore, staff know the children well and are always prepared for meetings. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240572 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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 roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)) 12 May 2023

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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 aspire 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h)) 12 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person— 12 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240572 7 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. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear record-keeping, and that the home’s records tell the story of the child’s time in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s wishes and feelings are recorded in their own words in the records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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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: 1240572 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1240572 9 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 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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