Children's Home run by Sandcastle Care Limited in Bury

Inspection report for children's home: 2582248 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 part of a large organisation. It provides care for up to two children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in March 2020.

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2023

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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: 2582248 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 20/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2582248 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home. Both children have lived there for a significant amount of time and said they were happy living at the home. No new children have moved in or out of the home since the previous inspection. Both children have stability and a sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

The inspector observed positive interactions between staff and the children during the inspection. The children said they felt safe and well looked after.

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improvement to be good

One child said they had made a complaint to the provider when their planned summer holiday did not go ahead. Although the child was happy with how the complaint was handled, the rationale behind the holiday not taking place is not clear. In response to the child’s formal complaint, the provider then agreed to the child going on holiday later in the year. However, at the time of the inspection, nothing had been arranged. This has caused unnecessary upset and frustration for the child.

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improvement to be good

Children’s physical health and emotional well-being are promoted well by the manager and staff. Children’s health plans identify their individual health needs. Statutory health assessments are completed, and both children are supported to attend medical appointments. One child who previously frequently smoked has now managed to quit completely. Consequently, children’s physical health has improved.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has spent a period of time in hospital after contracting a serious infection. The staff team fully supported the child throughout this time and sought medical attention without delay. The child made a full recovery as a result.

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improvement to be good

Education and learning are promoted well in the home. Education is encouraged and supported by the staff team. One child who had previously been absent from school for a significant amount of time is now attending college every day and is making good progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend meaningful time with their families and other significant people. One child’s parent said, ‘The staff are all amazing. Seeing my child is the highlight of every month and they make sure we all have a great time. We are like one big family.’

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improvement to be good

The home is safe and welcoming, however, some areas of the home and garden require attention. One child’s bedroom has not been decorated for some time, the toilet seat in the bathroom is broken and there are stains on the blinds. There is also a lot of clutter in the garden. This detracts from the homely environment. Staff said that there was a delay in maintenance jobs being actioned by the provider. Inspection report for children's home: 2582248 4

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improvement to be good

Risk areas for both children have reduced and staff have worked creatively to help children understand how to keep themselves safe. However, risk management arrangements for both children are not robust enough. One child’s risk assessment does not include all known risks and relevant information. This means that staff do not have a clear understanding of the child’s circumstances or how to keep them safe. However, when this was raised by the inspector, the child’s risk assessment was updated and was promptly shared with the full staff team.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are contradictory in places and it is not clear what information is current and what is historical.

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improvement to be good

When one child was assaulted in the community by an adult, appropriate action was not taken to safeguard the child. No medical advice was sought. Although an on-call manager was contacted, there is no log of their oversight or the advice given to staff. This leaves staff and children vulnerable. Significant information that was recorded in the logbook had not been included in the electronic record of the incident. This had not been identified by the manager or through any internal or external monitoring.

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improvement to be good

The number of times that children go missing from the home has reduced significantly over recent months. However, on one occasion, the response from the manager and staff was poor. There was a lack of professional curiosity or concern when a child had been in an unsafe environment.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management in the home can be punitive at times and the language used in records is not always child-friendly. In some records, the home is referred to as a ‘unit’. Consequences are given too frequently and children are given multiple consequences for isolated incidents, even when they show remorse. Consequences are not restorative or time limited.

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, restraint has not been used, as staff are able to de- escalate situations appropriately.

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good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. The staff team is stable and staff are supportive of one another. The organisation’s therapist is visible in the home and offers valuable support to staff and children.

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good

The manager and staff have good working relationships with external professionals, including social workers, who were complimentary about the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2582248 5 Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended. They are a good opportunity for staff to come together to discuss practice, identify areas for improvement and share ideas.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision and attend training in subjects relevant to the children in their care. This helps them to have a deeper understanding of the issues children face.

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good

At the time of this inspection, the provider was in a period of transition. Staff said this has caused some anxiety and frustration, particularly around finances and maintenance in the home. For example, changes to the internal car policy have impacted on staff and children, as staff have recently been told not to take any friends of the children in their cars. The responsible individual said this was being challenged by leaders. This new change to practice appears to be unfair to children and is a barrier to peer relationships and friendships.

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good

Management oversight is not always evident during serious incidents and managers’ evaluations are not always completed in a timely way. When there have been safeguarding concerns about a child, the manager has not always identified when appropriate action has not been taken.

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good

Children are not actively encouraged to view and contribute to their records. This is an area that needs to be developed further. Inspection report for children's home: 2582248 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, The 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 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)) 1 November 2023

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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

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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that appropriate action is taken in response to incidents such as 1 November 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2582248 7 children being assaulted. Risk management plans should include all known risks and be reviewed and updated when they are not effective. They should also provide the staff with clear strategies to help them to keep children safe, taking into account children’s individual needs.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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)(b)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are robust systems in place for monitoring and overseeing, reviewing and evaluating staff practice, in particular relating to risk management and the use of consequences. 1 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any consequences given are fair, are consistently evaluated and discussed with children in a timely way. 1 November 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2582248 8

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Recommendations

 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. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as living documents, supporting them to view and contribute to their records in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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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: 2582248 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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Inspector

Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2582248 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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