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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2582246 1 Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and is registered to care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager have been registered with Ofsted since March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspectors spoke to both children about their experiences of living in the home.

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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 manager good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: 2582246 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/07/2023 Full Good 25/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2582246 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they are happy living in the home. They have built trusting relationships with the manager and staff. As a result, the children are confident that they have people to talk to about issues that are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know who is important to children. They ensure that children spend quality time with family members and friends. Staff keep in touch with the children when they spend time with family, which ensures that they are safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External professionals and family members say that staff communicate well with them. Staff tell them important information about the progress the children are making. Family members feel involved in the care of the children. This means that the children have a strong network of support around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff advocate for children, who are not attending any formal education. The manager is proactive in contacting multi-agency professionals to address this. This ensures that education remains a shared priority. Plans for the children to attend education are being progressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff prepare the children to live independently. Children have individualised plans which aim to promote their independence skills. These include support to manage money, develop housekeeping skills and use public transport. Staff support the children with individual work sessions. However, these sessions are reactive and not planned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a comfortable, well-maintained environment. They have chosen how each room in the home is decorated, which has created a warm, homely feel. One child was keen to show the inspector their bedroom and clearly took great pride in it. However, one child’s bedroom requires redecoration.

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

Staff keep children safe. Risk management plans are well written and reflect the children’s individual vulnerabilities. Staff support children to develop these plans. Children respond well to the consistent approach taken by staff. Incidents of restraint in the home are rare.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Children do not go missing from home or misuse drugs and they are not at risk of exploitation. However, staff are confident in knowing how to manage these risks should they arise.

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

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff support children to access support from relevant professionals, including epilepsy specialists. Medication is stored and delivered Inspection report for children’s home: 2582246 4 safely and staff follow the procedures in place. An in-house therapist supports children to understand their emotions. This has provided children with a safe space to talk about moving on from the home.

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

Children know how to complain. When one child complained, they were taken seriously. Senior leaders talked to the child to ensure that a satisfactory resolution was reached. The child was provided with a written outcome to their complaint.

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

Since the last inspection, new staff have started working in the home. Leaders and the manager follow safer recruitment practices. This ensures that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and manager: good

Staff are led by a passionate, experienced manager who knows the children well. Staff benefit from this strong leadership and say that the manager is very supportive. One member of staff said: ‘I love coming to work, everything runs very smoothly.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and manager: good

New staff take part in a thorough induction process. Staff receive regular supervision from the manager or suitably trained senior practitioners. Supervision considers children’s needs and reflects on staff practice. Staff are given opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. Staff feel confident in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and manager: good

Team meetings take place every month and are well attended. The manager shares company-wide updates and information relating to the home and the children. Staff are given direction to support them to care for the children. The manager has recently introduced the delivery of thematic research into team meetings. This supports staff to develop their knowledge and understanding of children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and manager: good

All staff complete a comprehensive training programme. Staff also complete training to meet the specific needs of the children, including epilepsy. This means the children receive care from staff who are suitably trained to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and manager: good

Feedback from professionals is regularly sought. Leaders and the manager use this to review the quality of care being provided to the children. One independent reviewing officer said: ‘The manager and her team are a pleasure to work with and you can see how much they care for the child.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2582246 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills to help children understand, and where necessary work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being. In particular, all children should receive proactive direct work targeted to their specific needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that the home meets children’s basic day-to-day needs and physical necessities. Specifically, children’s bedrooms should be decorated to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2582246 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sandcastle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Barton Close, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester LE19 1SJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Penelope Rafferty

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Inspectors

Debbie Dawson, Social Care Inspector Anna Belshaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2582246 7 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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Inspectors

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