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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who may experience emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in 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

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2024

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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: 2605512 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2024 Full Good 06/03/2023 Full Good 27/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 3

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improvement to be good

Two children have lived at the home for over three years and have a secure base where they say they feel settled. One child said, ‘I would like to live here as long as I can.’

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improvement to be good

The children are not engaged in formal education. One child receives one-to-one tutoring for three hours a day. The other child is not in education, employment or training. The children do not have formal plans for educational activities and lack structure and routine to their day. This is a missed opportunity to support children to achieve positive educational outcomes.

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improvement to be good

The children receive limited support to develop their independence skills. There is no formal process in place to further support children to develop the skills they require as they progress into adulthood.

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improvement to be good

The children are in good health and the staff support them to attend all health appointments. Managers advocate on behalf of the children to ensure that they have the support in place to meet their individual health needs.

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improvement to be good

Children value the time they spend with family members and look forward to attending significant family events. One child has re-established a positive relationship with their birth family, who lives a distance from the home.

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improvement to be good

The children have developed trust in the people who care for them. Children say that they find staff approachable and feel that staff and the managers care for them well. This supports children to share any worries or fears they may have.

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improvement to be good

There have been no missing-from-home incidents since the last inspection. When children do go missing from the home, staff understand and follow the home’s missing- from-home policy. Staff are proactive in seeking the safe return of children. When children return to the home, they are welcomed warmly by staff.

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improvement to be good

The children’s care plans and risk assessments are individualised to their specific needs. The manager updates the children’s plans monthly or following a significant incident. However, staff do not have access to all of the key documents for children, including care plans and personal education plans. This compromises the care provided to the children.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe and effective. All staff are vetted before starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 4 children in the home. However, not all staff have completed training regarding the specific needs of each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, there was a new manager in post who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff appraisals occur annually and include feedback from children. Staff receive supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. However, not all staff have the opportunity to reflect on their practice during supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff attend monthly team meetings. These meetings are used to share information and spend time together as a team. However, team meetings are poorly recorded and do not include sufficient opportunities to reflect on care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and the responsible individual are aware of the strengths and areas for development of the home. They have developed an action plan to address the shortfalls identified in the home. However, due to changes in the management team, they have not yet had an opportunity to improve all care practices and records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say they receive support from the new manager. Staff say that the manager is organised and consistent in their approach. One staff member said that the new manager is like ‘a breath of fresh air’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 5

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)) 31 May 2025

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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

the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 31 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 6 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. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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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 (1) (2)(a)) 31 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

(1) 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

(b)an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

(c)positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (ii)help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

(iii)encourage each child to take responsibility for the child's behaviour, in accordance with the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

(iv)help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; (vi)help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; 31 May 2025

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 7 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: 2605512 8

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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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Inspector

Debbie Dawson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2605512 9 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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