Children's Home run by Bay View Child Care Limited in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC463926 Inspection date 30/01/2014 Inspector Stella Henderson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 23/05/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is one of two owned and managed by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be outstanding .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people live in a nurturing and supportive environment where they feel safe and enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff are proactive in addressing the challenges and disadvantages that young people face. They work very effectively in partnership with external agencies to protect and promote young people's welfare, access resources and improve life chances.

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Overall effectiveness

Consequently young people enjoy excellent outcomes across all aspects of their development. They recognise their own progress and the difference the home has made to their lives. In particular, the home has a high success rate in re-integrating young people into education, providing direct support in the classroom where necessary and celebrating achievement.

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Overall effectiveness

Support for parents, and the parent-child relationship is a key strength of the home. Young people are supported to re-connect with their families and sustain these emotional bonds. They are successfully helped to gain an understanding of their experiences, family relationships and behaviour.

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Overall effectiveness

Individual attention and positive regard enables young people to develop some insight, make more informed decisions and achieve some emotional equilibrium. This provides an effective platform from which to move forward with their lives.

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Overall effectiveness

Strong management arrangements mean that young people experience an excellent and well-organised service. Effective and regular monitoring systems centre on the welfare and safety of young people. This ensures that the home continues to adapt, improve and develop the quality of care provided to them.

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Overall effectiveness

Two recommendations are raised to help the provider further improve consultation and record keeping. These minor shortfalls have no direct impact on young people.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that the wishes, feelings and views of children and those significant to them are taken into account in monitoring staff and in developing the home (NMS 1.7)  ensure the manager regularly monitors, in line with regulations, all records kept by the home to ensure compliance with the home's policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends. Immediate action is taken to address any issues raised by this monitoring. (NMS 21.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

The manager and staff work very quickly to get care plans devised and implemented. As a result young people often experience very rapid change and over the long term this provides them with excellent outcomes.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Parents are delighted with the exceptional progress their children experience. One parent said, 'the change in my child is absolutely unreal. I would say significant change just in the last month or so in attitude, respect for me and just the way my child deals with things.' Social workers also note the positive impact on young people. One noted that, 'the young person has made excellent progress in this placement and feels happy and relaxed.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people recognise the extent to which their lives and opportunities have improved. The comments of one young person illustrates what all young people feel about being at the home who said that life had changed for the better, 'in lots of ways.' This included 'getting on better with my family, sleeping better, more interested in my education, not taking drugs.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have good access to a range of health professionals to meet their emotional and physical needs. They understand the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as having a good diet and keeping fit. This also enables them to participate in the wider community by raising funds for charity through sports-based events. Young people are given good support to understand the health risks and the longer term health implications of substance misuse. One young person has made such dramatic progress in this that they are viewed as a potential mentor for other young drug users.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from the strong focus on their emotional well-being. At a pace which suits their needs, they are supported to develop emotional resilience. This, along with a nurturing approach and clear boundaries, significantly affects all aspects of their development.

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Outcomes for children and young people

For example, young people make positive choices not to get involved in risky or poor behaviour. They feel better about themselves, are able to engage with staff and other professionals constructively and more willing to accept the help that is available.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The most marked improvement for young people is their re-engagement in education and they make excellent progress, given their academic starting points. This is often from a background of poor or no attendance, often for several years. A parent said their child was, 'doing much better at school than in his last placement.' A senior education professional noted that staff, 'do an incredible job with supporting young people in education. They fully support young people with attendance and not all homes do that.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Exceptional staff support ensures that the contact young people have with their family is emotionally rewarding and sustainable. Staff are highly committed to providing young people and their families with finely-tuned support to help contact go well for everyone. This includes the use of the home as a venue for contact and involving families on how best to manage what can be highly emotive encounters. This approach helps young people to successfully maintain, and in some instances, re-establish relationships with their families.

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Outcomes for children and young people

A parent noted, 'staff are absolutely excellent! When I visited the home they made me feel welcome. They made me drinks and did everything they could to make visit go smoothly. Everything was arranged and planned. They keep me up to date and ask my permission for things like activities. This makes me feel valued and included in my child's care.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are provided with very effective support and practical advice to help them develop self-care and independence skills. This takes into account their age and ability. Young people are also encouraged to make positive choices in their life and have aspirations for their future. This includes taking more responsibility for decision-making and taking advantage of opportunities on offer to them, such as engaging with the Prince's Trust.

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding . Young people live in a stable, calm and supportive home environment where their needs are central. Staff are strong advocates on behalf of young people, effectively challenging any barriers to services and resources.

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Quality of care

Young people feel respected and cared for. Staff are extremely effective at getting to know young people and in understanding their individual needs. They are skilled at building good relationships with young people through effective communication and positive interaction. There are no formal complaints because any problems are managed on a daily basis before they escalate. This is achieved because young people, and others, are confident they will be listened to and heard.

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Quality of care

As a result young people respond very positively to the good routines and structure that staff provide. Staff are friendly and clearly interested in the young people and their lives. They want to help them to achieve to the best of their abilities. Parents are very impressed with the support and sometimes rapid change in their children. One parent commented that staff, 'had done an amazing job. Whatever staff are doing seems to be working!'

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Quality of care

The home is highly regarded by other professionals. They comment positively on the quality of care provided by staff, their focus on young people's needs and the emphasis placed on young people's views. A placing social worker stated that they were 'very impressed with high level of care and staff dedication.'

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Quality of care

A local authority officer noted the 'exemplary practice' of the home and said, 'I can't speak more highly of staff team. They went the extra mile, getting the young person to engage and make sure their emotions were taken into account and views were considered at every stage.'

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Quality of care

Staff regularly discuss care plans with the young people to ensure everyone is clear about what should be happening, and what they are trying to achieve. Young people are actively encouraged to contribute to care planning and to make decisions. They do so with good effect. For example, they make choices about who they feel will best support them with education, or suggest to staff what kind of strategies are most useful to them in terms of managing behaviour. A young person commented, 'they want us to tell them what works for us.'

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Quality of care

Young people’s plans and risk assessments provide a comprehensive picture of all their personal needs and the support they require. Staff work exceptionally well with parents, social workers, schools and other professionals to develop plans, reduce risks and access resources so that young people get the right support. In this way the home ensures that young people receive a highly individualised service which meets their personal needs, cultural background and identity.

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Quality of care

Staff strongly contribute to care planning by working closely with schools and other educational providers. For example, where needed, staff will support young people in the school setting. This helps young people settle in school routines and maintain their education. Staff closely monitor young people to make sure they are healthy, attend routine health checks and make use of more specialist services. The home is welcoming and provides young people with a secure and fun loving environment which they are proud to call their home. The property is very spacious and in area where young people take full advantage of the wide range of activities on offer. Quite often, however, leisure opportunities are based on very simple activities such as playing football or hide and seek in the local fields.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is outstanding at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people’s individual care plans clearly identify any risks they may face and outline effective strategies to ensure their welfare is promoted and protected. Staff ensure plans for young people’s safety are consistently put into practice and fully address their needs.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are supported to learn how to keep themselves safe, manage risks and the impact of poor behaviour. Where particular risks are identified prompt communication takes place with social workers to consider appropriate responses. Staff spend a great deal of time talking through any identified concerns to help young people understand safety issues and the reasons adults are concerned.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people therefore feel safe at the home. They confirm there is no bullying. They feel they are respected and fairly treated. One parent felt their child is 'totally safe' at the home. Other parents appreciate how effective behaviour management has improved safety for their children and reduced risks. One said their child 'feels very safe here - they ran away a lot before but not now.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people receive good individual support and guidance to develop socially acceptable behaviour. The home is exceptionally good at helping young people understand their emotional responses and modify their behaviour. This is underpinned by a solutions-focused approach and reparation rather than sanction or restraint. Staff do impose clear boundaries. One parent said the home was 'so much better than where my child was before. They seem more stricter but more caring - they want to do their job properly and this is helping my child.'

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected by a range of other safeguarding measures. For example, new staff are rigorously vetted before appointment. Medication is safely stored and dispensed. A safe environment is provided for young people with good health and safety control measures.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are outstanding .

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Leadership and management

The Registered Manager leads the staff team with a high degree of professionalism and leadership. He is ably supported in the task by a highly experienced care manager and deputy manager. The management team values the input of staff into how they can improve things for young people and develop practice. Partnership working with other professionals is very well established and the home has a good reputation within the sector. One professional noted that 'children really are at the heart of what they do.'

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Leadership and management

This is a home that shows a consistently high level of commitment in providing excellent, bespoke care to young people. Close monitoring and the regular review of young people's progress is influential in helping them to make excellent progress and maintain this forward momentum, building on early successes.

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Leadership and management

One professional stated that the home, in consultation with themselves, young people and their families, 'constantly reviews what's working' and adapts practice or interventions accordingly. 'They are always seeking to be on the front, not the back step', observed another.

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Leadership and management

The manager has high expectations of the staff team and they respond well to this, within a culture of transparency and reflective development. As a result the objectives and obligations outlined in the home's Statement of Purpose are achieved. Staff are highly competent and caring, and have a very good understanding of individual young people and their needs. They have positive relationships with young people and are interested in their lives.

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Leadership and management

The numbers of staff on duty are sufficient to meet the needs of young people. Staff feel well-supported and are developing their skills and knowledge through suitable and relevant training. Staff feel valued and have opportunities to develop professionally, undertaking training and gaining suitable qualifications.

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Leadership and management

The home is effectively monitored externally and by the manager which ensures that success is recognised and areas for development are identified. Young people's views are gathered and fed into these processes. However better use could be made of the wealth of evidence available to the manager in feedback from parents and other professionals. This shortfall has no adverse impact on young people or their quality of care they receive.

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Leadership and management

The home is very well resourced in all areas. For example the environment, the equipment, staffing arrangements and the services commissioned ensure that the highest quality of care is provided to each young person at all times.

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Leadership and management

Young people’s written records are securely stored and provide a clear and detailed picture of young people’s progress and experiences. The records provide a narrative of young people’s daily lives, observations about young people’s mood and behaviour, and analysis of their progress and development. However these do not always capture the detail of the excellent work being undertaken by staff. This shortfall has no adverse impact on young people or their quality of care they receive.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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