Children's home run by Aspris Care North West Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 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

This home is operated and managed by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2023. At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/03/2022 Full Good 24/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress and experience of care in this home is undermined by an inconsistent approach to implementing boundaries. Significant changes at an organisational level, and to the staff team, have created instability and confusion among the staff. Despite there being a committed manager and staff team, a solution has not yet been found to address the issues that are affecting the quality of care for the children.

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improvement to be good

There are significant flaws in boundary setting that is undermining the children’s care. Boundary setting is inconsistent and disjointed. This means that children are receiving mixed messages from the manager and the staff team. This issue increases the risk of children becoming more agitated.

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improvement to be good

Partnership working with the children’s network of professionals is generally good. However, in one instance, the manager’s challenge has failed to address several shortfalls with the practice of a specific local authority. The manager has not escalated his concerns through the necessary channels. This has contributed to there being significant delay in resolving important care planning issues for a child.

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improvement to be good

The home is a nice environment for children to live in and enjoy. Children’s bedrooms reflect their personality and interests. However, although the manager has a plan to address several maintenance tasks that need attention, he has not reported all necessary repair and improvement works.

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improvement to be good

Staff compile child-friendly care plans that are relatable for the children. The children’s plans are personalised to reflect their interests. This creates a sense of individualism and encourages the children to be involved in their care planning. However, some important goals from the child’s statutory care plans are not reflected in the home’s care plan for the child. This oversight prevents the manager from being assured that the staff consistently focus on the important issues that the child needs support with.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the children to improve their relationships with important family members. However, the manager does not attempt to learn about, and work together with, other significant people involved in the children’s life. This is a missed opportunity to develop and increase the children’s support networks.

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improvement to be good

Children have confidence to join community clubs and access their local community for leisure purposes so that they can pursue their individual interests and passions. Staff are proud of the children’s achievements, and they provide morale support to encourage the children to succeed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 4 Staff provide a good level of practical and emotional support to ensure the children access education. For some children, this has resulted in them regaining a sense of focus when they have experienced significant gaps in their education. Therefore, children believe that they have a future to aspire to.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk management records are inconsistent. Not all of the staff have a clear understanding where to record significant events that involve the children. Consequently, the children’s daily written records sometimes contradict information noted in other written records, such as incident reports. This dilutes the manager’s confidence when relying on the children’s written records for information.

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improvement to be good

Staff restrain the children when they need to prevent significant incidents from escalating. However, the staff do not respond consistently to children who are in an agitated or distressed state. Consequently, the children are experiencing a confused and inconsistent level of care in times of crisis.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, the staff report this to the police. However, in one instance, the child’s written records evidence poor lines of communication between the staff and the police. This contributed to a child’s missing-from-home episode being unnecessarily prolonged.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow and implement the children’s clear risk assessments, and the manager anticipates risk well, particularly around the use of specific restraint techniques. However, the division in the staff team around agreed care practices undermines the team’s ability to effectively reduce identified risks associated with the children’s known behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Some of the language used in the children’s written records is ambiguous and not helpful for children. This limits the staff’s ability to be clear on what and how they will support the children to become increasingly safe.

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good

The manager is new in post and has brought stability to the team. However, the manager has struggled to combine administrative tasks and oversee the children’s care. Additionally, in the absence of an out-of-hours support system that is equitable, the manager provides this additional support.

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good

The manager values the support from his service manager. However, the support that the new manager has received from senior leaders has been limited. The manager has not had a meaningful induction, and there is a lack of recorded evidence to confirm that the manager has received formal supervision sessions. This oversight prevents the organisation from being assured that the manager is supported sufficiently to care for children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 5 The manager is committed and provides additional support to the children outside of his designated working hours. On one occasion, this has undermined the decision- making of the staff in setting boundaries for the children. This practice dilutes the influence and accountability of individual staff members in the manager’s absence.

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good

Senior leaders have not given the manager clear guidance. Consequently, opportunities to encourage better team cohesion and improve staff performance have been missed. New members of staff have not received a structured induction. In addition, not all staff are effectively supported with their professional development. All in all, these issues reduce team cohesion, stifle staff development and reduce the staff’s ability to manage a safer home environment.

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good

The home is not delivering care as outlined in its statement of purpose. The statement of purpose refers to a different therapeutic model that is being applied in practice. This disparity reflects the most pressing issue in the home, staff have differing views associated with the concept of therapeutic care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 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 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’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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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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)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h)) 15 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 7 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.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)(d)) 15 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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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 (3)(a) (5)) 15 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)) 15 July 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children. They will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, the registered person should report all repair work and consider hanging children’s bedroom doors without weight bearing self-closures that also meet fire regulations. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 8  The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs (see regulations 5(c)). Staff should act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good

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Recommendations

parent would. The registered person should consider the use of an independent advocate (see paragraph 4.16) if the child’s needs are not being met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should ensure that the responsible individual supports and supervises the management of the home as set out in the definition of a responsible individual in regulation 2. They should have an understanding of both effective practice in responding to the needs of looked-after children and of local authority care planning duties and how children’s homes are required to support these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 12.3)

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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: 2531755 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2531755 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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