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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 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 registered in July 2019 and is one of several homes operated by a large private organisation. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that care is provided for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since January 2021 and registered with Ofsted in March 2021.

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/06/2022 Full Good 15/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved into or out of the home. The two children living at the home have lived here for a significant length of time. They appear happy and settled. Both children spent time talking to the inspectors. They happily shared their views about the care that they receive and the positive relationships they have with the staff team.

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improvement to be good

The home is safe and spacious. Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to the home environment and the garden. As a result, the home feels more relaxing and personalised. The children have a pet rabbit, which appears well cared for and loved by the children.

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improvement to be good

Education planning for children has not been carefully considered. One child has not made progress in her education because the current arrangement does not meet her needs. Plans in place need to improve. Work is needed to ensure that children are supported to achieve their full educational potential and overcome any barriers to their learning.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health is promoted well. They are supported to attend appointments with medical professionals. However, one child’s health condition is not reflected in her plans. Therefore, the impact of her condition and her individual needs are unclear.

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improvement to be good

When children spend time away from the home with people who are important to them, including friends, risk assessments are not robust enough. This leaves children vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Staff have regular conversations with children to discuss issues. However, these discussions appear reactive and are in response to children’s behaviours or incidents that have occurred rather than planned work to discuss key issues. This is a missed opportunity to support children and educate them further on key topics.

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improvement to be good

Individual risk assessments for one child do not contain sufficient information. Risk assessments are not always kept up to date as incidents occur and do not reflect all current behaviours and risks.

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improvement to be good

An allegation of abuse has not been managed in line with safeguarding procedures. When a child reported that she had been assaulted by a staff member, the manager and staff did not recognise this as a significant incident at the time the allegation was made and there was a delay in reporting the incident. Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 4 Staff demonstrate insight into the risks for children and work in partnership with the clinical team to ensure that they respond to children’s behaviours consistently. However, staff are not consistent in their approach when children go missing from the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are aware of the complaints procedure and say that they know how to make a complaint. However, when a child made a complaint, she did not receive a response from the provider and was not adequately supported throughout the process.

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improvement to be good

Restraint practice is extremely rare and only ever used as a last resort and in line with regulations. Since the last inspection, there has only been one incident where a child has needed to be restrained.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are consistently followed. Appropriate checks are carried out to ensure staff’s suitability before they start to work in the home.

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good

The manager has a good understanding of children’s needs and works proactively and positively with other agencies and professionals.

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good

All staff receive supervision sessions and appraisals in accordance with the company’s policy, and team meetings are held regularly. Staff say that they feel supported and listened to.

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good

The internal monitoring of the home requires improvement. The manager has failed to identify and remedy shortfalls in staff practice, including where staff have failed to follow important policies. The manager failed to take action when staff had not followed the home’s missing-from-home procedure and left a child at risk of harm.

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good

The manager failed to follow the provider’s complaints procedure. A serious complaint, made by a child, was not investigated in accordance with the policy. The child did not receive a response to their complaint from the provider. The child was not adequately supported throughout the complaints process. The inadequate response to their complaint may discourage children from raising complaints again.

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good

The manager does not review the children’s risk management plans effectively. They contain information which is not current and the risks that the children currently face are not always assessed effectively. Risk management strategies for the children may be ineffective or inappropriate because of the failure to identify these shortfalls.

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good

The provider has not ensured that training and induction activities are effective. New members of night staff have been unable to access online training. They have not completed all of the induction training that new members of staff would normally complete. This includes health and safety training. Measures to ensure that these Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 5 staff work safely and appropriately in the home are not sufficient. Children should receive support from appropriately trained night workers. Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that risk assessments reflect all current risks and are updated regularly. Staff must ensure that they respond appropriately when a child makes an allegation of harm. This also relates to staff ensuring that they follow children’s missing-from-home plans. 20 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 7 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 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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must monitor staff’s adherence to policies and review incidents to make continuous improvements to the quality of care provided in the home. 20 August 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— 20 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 8 undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff complete induction training in line with the provider’s policy and timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1) (3))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that complaints are investigated in line with the provider’s policy and outcomes are communicated to complainants. 20 August 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This includes avoiding language that may stigmatise children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2537058 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Forge, Church Street West, Woking, Surrey GU21 6HT

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Inspectors

Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Steve James, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2537058 10 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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