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

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The home provides a settled and stable environment where young people who have experienced disruption establish regular predictable routines and begin to thrive.  Young people have excellent attendance at education and close links with education providers allow for good levels of joined up consistent care.  The home environment is warm and welcoming with décor and furnishings of a very high standard, the young people therefore take pride in their home and rarely cause damage to it.  Internal and external monitoring systems are used to very good effect which promotes continuous improvement.  The care that young people receive is highly individualised resulting in their differing specific needs being met to the highest standards.  The approach of the home is underpinned by research and a particular model; staff are trained in the model and show a good understanding of the theory and how this is put into practice.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The staff team are highly committed and positive, reporting that they enjoy coming to work which contributes to the happy and positive atmosphere in the home.  The staff are strong advocates for the young people in their care and challenge others, including families, where their response does not fully prioritise the young person’s needs.  Risk taking behaviours for most young people significantly decrease over time. Where areas of risk are not decreasing the home takes effective action to address this.  Young people benefit from good health and there is a very high level of support offered to young people to ensure that their health needs are fully met.  Contact with young people’s families is promoted to a very good level and the home challenge local authorities when they believe that progression in contact is not being planned for.  The quality of recording is exceptionally high and thorough ensuring clarity

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

and transparency. The progress the young people make is clearly evidenced.

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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

 Children should be supported to understand how to build friendships with other children. They should be able to spend time in the local community, in their home area, and by having friends visit them at the home, in line with the child's plans, age and understanding. The Guide to the quality standards, p.38, 8.7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept which enable the registered person to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. The guide to the standards, page 49, 9.59

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Recommendations

 The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Specifically the shift leader should ensure the appropriate deployment of staff should they anticipate a young person needing additional support. The guide to the quality standards p 54, 10.15

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Information about this children's home

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 of either gender with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

06/05/2014 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress due to highly individualised care planning and because staff understand their specific and unique needs. Placement plans are of a very high standard and reflect a considered and thoughtful approach to all aspects of each young person’s care.

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outstanding

Positive relationships are developed between staff and young people with a strong key-worker system that allows young people to develop deep trusting relationships with individual staff members. The registered manager is seen as a ‘mother’ figure and exudes emotional warmth and maternal concern resulting in the young people feeling a sense of being genuinely cared about. One young person reported ‘ I get on well with the other boys and with all the staff. If I was upset I could go to anyone and I know they would listen – I feel like they care’. The positive relationships also encourage young people to feel accountable for their behaviour and some high quality restoration work takes place where there have been incidents where young people have threatened or assaulted staff.

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outstanding

Some young people have developed positive relationships with their peers and spend significant amounts of time out in the community with friends, which is in line with their age. For other young people social isolation is an issue relating to their geographical location and their specific safeguarding concerns. A sharper focus on developing friendships would help develop young people’s social skills and for some young people enable them learn to manage themselves safely in the community without adult support.

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outstanding

Young people who have previously had very poor attendance or not engaged at all with education now have very good attendance and achieve well at school. One head teacher said ‘ he had had very negative experiences of school previously…staff were really good at helping him settle in…they are extremely considerate of his needs and are completely behind him.’

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outstanding

The health needs of young people are met to a very high standard and direct work sessions are completed with each young person around there specific health issues. Some young people smoke but are required to walk off site in order to do so; this has reduced the amount of cigarettes they smoke. Smoking cessation services are consulted and information is provided to young people about the effects of smoking. Younger children who are thought to be smoking are supported through doctors’ appointments and room searches are carried out to ensure they are not bringing cigarettes into the home. Young people who have emotional health needs are well supported by the staff team, and a creative approach is taken to ensuring they receive support when they choose not to engage in mental health support services. A consultancy service is employed by the home to give bespoke training to staff in emotional differentiation

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outstanding

and this improves staff understanding of young people’s emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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outstanding

There are a number of systems in place for gathering the young people’s wishes and feelings and the key worker and direct work sessions undertaken by staff are numerous, meaningful and effect positive change. Young people report that they feel listened to. If their wishes cannot be acted upon they are helped to understand this in a sensitive way.

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outstanding

Independence work is a specific area for two young people and there are clear progression plans in place to ensure they will be ready to move on from the home into semi independence over the next year.

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outstanding

Contact with family members is understood to be key to young people’s wellbeing and staff work hard to promote contact positively, working with local authorities and families to ensure that contact fully meets the young person’s needs. One young person said ‘ staff have really helped with getting contact for me in my home area.…I am really happy with that as I will be going into semi independence in that area near my mum when I leave here.’

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good

Risk assessment and risk management is of a consistently high standard and most young people show continuous improvement from their starting points. One young person reported ‘ I have been here for quite a long time…in that time my behaviour has changed completely, I used to get into trouble and get arrested and now I never do. I used to go missing but I don’t much anymore, I am a lot better behaved.’

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good

The use of forward planning and detailed impact risk assessments ensure that plans are in place prior to young people moving into the home to promote all young people’s safety. Where safeguarding issues are identified following a young person moving into the home there is a thorough, proactive and timely response to managing the risk.

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good

There is a robust response to young people who go missing. Where missing episodes are a bid to have greater freedoms and do not engender high levels of risk, plans are amended in (in consultation with local authorities) to allow for additional free time and overnight stays, thus reducing the need to go missing. Where missing from home episodes are linked to drug misuse, care plans are reviewed and direct work undertaken in an effort to reduce risk. There is strong evidence of a proactive multi-agency response to missing from home.

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good

There are minimal incidents of self-harm at this home. On the occasions when this does happen a robust and proactive response is delivered to address the underlying issues and prevent recurrence.

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good

Behaviour management is consistent across the staff team and is regularly discussed and reviewed for effectiveness. External agencies report the home to be assertive and sophisticated in their response to challenging behaviour and young people themselves report positive views of the rules and boundaries; ‘ this is the best children’s home have been in. My other children’s home just let me do what I liked and I got into trouble, there are rules here and it is better, they keep me safer’, and ‘ my behaviour is definitely better since I came here – they have good rules and they explain them and when I get punished then I don’t do it again.’

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good

E-safety is well understood and all staff are trained in this area. Young people are given advice and information and participate in direct work sessions around keeping themselves safe online.

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good

The home occasionally uses physical intervention to manage young people in crisis. Staff are trained in team teach and work hard to de-escalate situations and reduce the incidents of physical intervention. Recording of physical intervention is detailed with evidence that reflective practice is used with both staff and young people. Further analysis of trends or underlying reasons for patterns in physical intervention would assist forward planning in this area. There is a commitment to reducing the need for physical intervention with young people, especially those preparing to move on, and the young people are fully involved in planning and strategizing for this.

p.8

good

All staff have recently undertaken a two day safeguarding training event and report high levels of confidence in recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns.

p.8

outstanding

The home is managed by a suitable qualified and experienced registered manager. The manager brings enthusiasm, commitment and high expectations to the home and the staff team, and clearly communicates her high aspirations for the young people placed.

p.8

outstanding

The needs of the young people are central to all aspects of the management of the home. This is evidenced through the records, discussions with staff members and young people and by the high standard of décor and furnishings within the home.

p.9

outstanding

The progress young people make is kept under rigorous review and managers employ creative and adaptable thinking to ensure progress is continuous. Commitment to young people is high and where young people are not progressing as hoped there is a good understanding of this, a robust approach to improving progress and a realistic appreciation of when the placement cannot continue to meet the needs of the child.

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outstanding

Strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified through the development plan alongside thorough internal and external monitoring systems. Decisive action is taken when areas for improvement are noted.

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outstanding

One area identified for further development is in ensuring that shift leaders confidently and effectively deploy staff so that additional support is available to young people and staff where a need for this has been pre-empted.

p.9

outstanding

The home is achieving its aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose, allowing parents, placing authorities and other interested parties a good understanding of the care and services the home provides to young people.

p.9

outstanding

Staff report high levels of satisfaction with the support, supervision and appraisal they receive. They are a happy and committed team who continue to strengthen and develop with enthusiasm, and who are fully engaged in their work.

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outstanding

Managers at the home take a pro-active approach to developing relationships with partner agencies, including placing authorities, schools, health, police and youth offending teams. Such agencies all report the home to work jointly with them in meeting the young people’s needs.

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outstanding

Records relating to the young people have been reviewed and now provide a detailed and thorough picture of every aspect of the young person and their care.

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outstanding

The home is well resourced. Good levels of high quality training are provided, staffing ratios are high and there is a sufficient budget to provide the young people with a wide a variety of foods and various leisure activities.

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outstanding

At the last full inspection one requirement was made relating to fire drills which has been met. Two recommendations were made, both of which are met. All staff are now trained in E-safety and are due to undertake advanced E-safety in the near future, and there are clear recorded in the home detailing the date, time and length of each supervision carried out.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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