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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved in effectiveness .

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to make excellent progress in all aspects of their individual development. This is because of the consistently high standard of care and support they receive from a highly motivated, experienced and competent team of staff who give their individual needs the utmost priority. Feedback from parents and professionals is consistently positive, with one social worker saying that she: ‘wished every children’s home could be like this one.’

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people speak very positively about living at the home and say that they feel safe and well-cared for. Relationships between young people and staff are a notable strength, in particular those that exist with their key workers. Staff use these relationships effectively to create a family-like atmosphere, which was apparent during the inspection. Young people clearly enjoy the company of staff and were keen to tell the inspector about some of the things they have done together. For example, one young person proudly spoke about walking the Yorkshire three peaks with his key worker and another told the inspector about completing a long-distance bike ride with staff, both raising money for charity.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two young people have left the home since the last inspection, both making a successful transition to a semi-independent placement in their home area. Staff worked closely with leaving-care professionals to ensure that appropriate placements were identified, including education and training opportunities. This included travelling with them to view their new home and attending interviews for college. Staff have continued to support young people after they have left and remain a point of contact and support should they require it. This demonstrates their commitment to ensuring that young people have the best opportunities to succeed and enables them to build on the progress they made during their stay at the home. A parent said, ‘The home has been so amazing for (name). With a lot of help from staff he has turned into a fine young man.’

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Placement matching is rigorous when considering new admissions. A range of assessment tools are used effectively to ensure that the home is equipped to meet fully the young person’s needs prior to admission. A high priority is given to the existing group and decisions have been made in their best interests regarding who comes to live with them in their home. This has resulted in a well-matched group of young people who have sibling-like relationships with each other. One young person said, We do our own thing but we all get on well. Sometimes some people can be over the top, but that’s life.’

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff take an educational approach to helping young people understand their own behaviour and how to keep themselves safe. Direct work sessions are undertaken with young people, focusing on their individual risks and vulnerabilities, as well as general themes such as social media awareness and internet safety. Staff know young people well, are vigilant and take swift action when concerns arise. For example, information shared with the police regarding one young person’s online social media activity resulted in the arrest of an adult who was found to be grooming a number of young people. A police officer wrote, ‘Excellent observations regarding safeguarding children online in relation to social media, has resulted in numerous other children being safeguarded.’

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are mostly well behaved and generally refrain from risk-taking behaviour, such as going missing from home. Staff know young people well and are proactive in their responses when responding to challenging behaviour or managing incidents of concern. Safeguarding concerns and allegations are routinely shared with relevant agencies to ensure that the right action is taken to safeguard young people.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is run by a passionate and hands-on manager who drives a very child- focused approach to caring for young people. She has a good understanding of what the home does well and is constantly looking for ways to support young people better. She uses a range of quality assurance processes to monitor and improve the home’s performance. This includes external scrutiny from an independent person and undertaking biannual reviews of quality of care, which are used to reflect on the previous six-months’ performance. However, it is not clear from the regulation 45 report how this process is being used to promote continuous improvement in the home.

p.3

Information about this children’s home

This is one of two homes 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.

p.4

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 07/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/12/2015 Full Outstanding 16/10/2014 Full Good 13/08/2014 Full Inadequate

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Better evidence how the regulation 45 process and the resulting report are used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4).

p.5

What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

p.6

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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

p.6

Information about this inspection

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 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 .

p.6

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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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,

p.7

Information about this inspection

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

p.7

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.7