Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 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

This home is run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since November 2022. A new interim manager was appointed in April 2023. At the time of the inspection, they had not yet submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded. The care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not all making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 11 October 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2022 Full Good 11/11/2021 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/10/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 3

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inadequate

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. There are serious and widespread shortfalls in safeguarding practice. This is due to poor care planning and risk management arrangements. This is having a negative effect on children’s safety, well-being, experiences and progress.

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inadequate

Not all children are making progress in education. One child has limited engagement with education and does not have a positive routine in place. Despite significant safeguarding failings, one child has made some progress with their education and volunteers for a local charity.

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inadequate

Children’s physical and emotional health have not always been responded to effectively or immediately by the staff. This has left children vulnerable and their health and well-being compromised. One child said about her home, ‘My house has gone downhill.’

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inadequate

Managers and staff have struggled to implement rules and boundaries in the home. Incidents of challenging behaviour, physical assaults and damage to property have increased. Children have received an inconsistent response from staff, who lack the knowledge, experience and skills to meet their needs.

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inadequate

The home is generally furnished to a good standard. However, considerable damage has been caused to doors and door frames in the hallway, there is graffiti in one room and one child’s bedroom is untidy and defaced by graffiti and there were items in the room which were deemed unsafe for the child.

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inadequate

Children moving into the home do so in a planned way. However the manager has not ensured that all children’s risk-taking behaviours have been thoroughly considered. This has led to children moving on from the home in an unplanned way, creating more disruption to their lives and giving them a negative experience of living at the home.

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

Children are not adequately protected, due to the manager and staff’s safeguarding failings. Risk management plans and positive support plans are not kept up to date with current risks or do not include sufficient strategies to reduce or manage risk.

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

Staff do not consistently follow children’s plans when they are missing from care. One child received an uncaring response from staff when they returned home following an episode of going missing. This does not make the child feel wanted, Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 4 safe or cared for. The child told the inspector they did not feel safe, as ‘staff don’t care’.

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

An allegation of abuse has not been managed in line with safeguarding procedures. When a child reported that they had been assaulted by a staff member, other staff failed to recognise this as a significant incident. Staff did not report the allegation in line with safeguarding and organisational procedures. The manager took action to notify the relevant professionals and agencies the following day.

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

Staff do not always take a strong and proactive approach to safely managing children’s behaviour. There have been occasions when staff have not monitored the children and have not taken swift action to prevent an escalation of incidents. Consequently, children are not supported to understand and safely manage their own behaviour.

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

Staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. However, this has proved ineffective, as the staff have not always intervened. Staff have called the police out on several occasions to support them in managing the children’s behaviour, which on one occasion led to a child being arrested.

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

At times, leaders and managers have provided support, guidance and instruction to the staff team in times of children’s escalating behaviours. On occasions, the advice of the managers has not been acted on. This has left children inadequately safeguarded and their well-being not promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has not been a registered manager at the home since November 2022. The management arrangements that have been put in place have not ensured effective leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Significant shortfalls in the management oversight of incidents and poor staff practice leave children inadequately cared for. Leaders and managers have not managed the home in a manner that is consistent with the aims outlined in the home’s statement of purpose or policy and procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from external professionals was mixed. One child’s social worker was complimentary of the manager and staff and how the home has managed the child and their risk-taking behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Another professional was unsure if their child was safeguarded and felt incidents were becoming more severe and the children were impacting negatively on one another. They were unclear of all risks associated with their child, as this information had not been shared by the manager. This could impact negatively on the child seeing their family.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not use monitoring and reviewing systems effectively. This means shortfalls in practice are not identified. This impacts on the manager’s Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 5 understanding of the children’s progress and what needs to change to improve children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive regular supervision, however, shortfalls in practice have not been discussed. Staff say they feel supported by the leaders and managers and have regular team meetings where they can share ideas and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured staff from the company’s sister home have received a thorough induction before working with the children. This means children are cared for by staff who do not know them or understand their risk-taking behaviour and how best to support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The new manager has identified some shortfalls in practice and the running of the home. He has plans in place to address the shortfalls over the coming months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of the serious and widespread shortfalls identified, Ofsted has issued a notice to restrict the accommodation of any further children at the home, to allow the provider time to address the concerns. Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children’s bedrooms and the home’s hallways and the ‘selfie’ room are regularly maintained. 28 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 28 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 7 help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(viii)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; 28 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 8 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h)) 28 May 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. 28 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 9 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5)) 28 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for liaison and co-operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response; (Regulation 34 (1)(b) (2)(a)(b)(d)) 28 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 28 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 10 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) 28 May 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should seek to develop the home’s effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority and with other relevant persons. They should ensure that children’s independent reviewing officers are aware of all risks to children. These working relationships will also be key to success in delivering the care planning standard (regulation 14). (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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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: 1223681 11

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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 Limited, 49 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool FY3 9DG

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Inspector

Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1223681 12 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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