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

Inspection report children’s home: SC463926 1 SC463926 Registered provider: Bay View Child 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

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 who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC463926 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people feel that the home is their home. They want to live at the home and want to remain there until they are independent. They are fully invested in their placements, and make the most of the opportunities offered to them.  Young people’s views are taken into account about all aspects of their care. They feel listened to, and believe that their views shape the care that they receive.  There are examples of exceptionally warm, close and caring relationships between young people and staff. All young people spoken to could identify staff whom they felt cared about them, and they could trust.  Attendance and progression at education is a particular strength, as well as the effort put into supporting young people to get the most out of their education.  Young people are encouraged to become involved in the local community through sports, part-time local jobs and free time with friends.  Progression for most young people is beyond expectation. Where young people

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Key findings from this inspection

cease to make progress, this is understood and quickly acted on.  Risk-taking behaviours, for example committing criminal offences and going missing, dramatically reduce from young people’s starting points. Risks are clearly identified, and strategies are in place to reduce and minimise risks for young people.  The management team is particularly strong in this home. Managers are qualified, experienced, have very high expectations of care staff, and high aspirations for young people. They lead by example and spend time on care shifts to role model good practice to staff.  The staff team is stable and consistent. Staff work very well as a team and have good morale. They show very high levels of commitment to young people, and work hard to achieve the best outcomes.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/03/2017 Full Outstanding 14/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/12/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC463926 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are recognised as individuals. Staff understand young people’s specific needs and develop ways of working with them that are entirely personalised. Young people’s plans and assessments reflect the very different ways in which they are supported, and clearly identify what works best for each young person. Young people feel they are listened to. The home gathers their views and feelings on a daily basis through general conversation, and more formally through key-worker sessions, direct work and wishes and feelings sheets. The manager has also recently introduced a book for young people to write down their views or requests for her to consider when she is not in the home. Staff receive regular training in emotional differentiation. This helps them to understand young people’s behaviour and link this to their emotions. Staff’s depth of understanding of how young people’s emotional and behavioural presentations are linked help them to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

have an unusually high level of understanding about how young people present, and the best way to support them. Young people also engage with child and adolescent mental health services to help them process and understand their feelings. Additionally, the company has employed a person-centred counsellor to spend time in the home with the young people, and to develop therapeutic relationships which further support their emotional wellbeing. The quality of relationships between young people and staff is exceptional in many instances. Young people can identify adults they trust and who they can share their fears and concerns with. This leads to young people feeling secure and cared for. Observation of relationships in the home evidences highly positive, humorous and supportive interactions. The home genuinely has a relaxed, fun and homely feel to it. One young person feels such closeness to staff and other residents that they are included in his

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

family tree. Staff spoken to during this inspection showed commitment and genuine care towards the young people, wanting the best for them in every area of their lives. Progression for most young people is exceptional from their starting points. Young people who have previously found it challenging to engage in education now have very good attendance and are making beyond expected progress. Other young people who have specific safeguarding needs are supported and accompanied by staff. This means that they can access education alongside their peers and have as ‘normal’ an educational experience as possible. Where schools have difficulties in managing young people’s behaviour, the home is highly proactive in working with education providers to share best practice and strategies for enabling young people to get the best out of their education. All young people are developing maturity. Young people and staff alike take

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

pride in their progress. Young people are helped to develop independence skills in line with their age and developmental stage. Staff are skilful in providing support to young people to become increasingly independent while maintaining the sense of the home as a unit with a family feel. For example, young people who budget and cook independently still share Inspection report children’s home: SC463926 4 mealtimes with the other residents and staff, and are encouraged to join the group for ‘Sunday dinner’, where they are not expected to cook or provide their own food. Where young people’s independence is limited, for example due to bail conditions, they are sensitively supported to be as independent as possible, and to learn all the necessary skills for their future independence. Young people are integrated into the local community which promotes their sense of belonging and identity. Two young people play for local football teams and one has a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

local paper round. Charitable events and volunteering are also supported in line with young people’s interests. Young people are involved in a wide range of activities, but often like to play football together (and with staff) on the local playing field, or play card games together at home. Transitions into and out of the home are extremely well planned. For young people whose placements are coming to an end, staff make every effort to make the ending a positive one. Staff also help settle young people into new placements and, where appropriate, maintain outreach support and telephone contact to ensure that young people know that staff still care about them. Young people moving into the home are very carefully matched to the young people already resident. Young people report that they are involved in welcoming new residents and are asked their views on new young people arriving at the home. One social worker was asked about the transition for a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

young person and commented, ‘The home went over and above to start the placement positively. They are so good at what they do, especially forming relationships… They did everything they could to say “we cannot wait to have you here’’.’ This provided the young person with a highly positive start to his placement, which increases the likelihood of placement success. Contact is promoted for young people in line with their best interests. Where contact is negatively impacting on young people’s emotions and behaviour, staff recognise this and advocate for changes so that contact arrangements are more in line with young people’s needs. Managers are involved in the delivery of life-story work alongside other agencies and help young people understand why they are in care. Young people are supported to write letters to family members where this is appropriate and are sensitively helped through difficult events, such as the adoption of siblings.

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

Young people’s risks significantly reduce from their starting points. For example, young people who have previously committed offences do not commit further offences. Young people are supported to engage with services such as youth offending teams, and successfully complete their identified work. Young people have risk assessments that clearly identify their risks and strategies to reduce or respond to risk-taking behaviours. Young people have invested in their placement and with staff and so respond positively to staff intervention in order to de- escalate and avoid potential incidents. Staff are well trained in safeguarding and show clear skills in managing young people’s behaviour. Staff understand each young person’s individual triggers and behaviours very well. As a result, they are alert to any signs that a young person may be escalating and Inspection report children’s home: SC463926 5 need some additional support.

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

Where concerns arise regarding staff practice, managers deal with this in an extremely robust manner, which helps support staff to understand and improve practice. Management investigations into incidents evidence a very thorough and balanced approach. One young person has experienced some very significant challenges due to his individual family circumstances. This resulted in an increase in his risk-taking behaviours and, ultimately, to his placement termination. Staff were alert to his increased risks, understood what external factors were influencing his behaviours, and did everything they possibly could to support him and maintain his placement. When it became clear that his risks could not be managed in the placement, staff worked very hard to make his placement ending both safe and positive for him. Young people are usually very settled at the home and do not go missing. The young person referred to above went missing on numerous occasions prior to being moved to

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

another placement. Staff worked proactively with external agencies to maintain his safety and communicated with him throughout the times he went missing to ensure that he was safe and well. All policies and procedures were followed in respect of the missing from home episodes and independent return interviews were conducted. Young people have individual missing from home plans which identify triggers, associates and likely places they may go missing. Their missing from home profiles are simple, with an up-to- date photograph to ensure that police are helped to identify missing young people. Physical interventions are rare in the home for most young people, although an increase was noted for the young person affected by his family circumstances. Each episode requiring physical intervention can be clearly linked to events in the young person’s life, and staff have a very detailed understanding of the young person’s emotions at the time

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

of the incidents. Physical interventions are recorded with a good level of detail, and young people are supported to reflect on the incident so that they can learn from it. Likewise, staff reflect on each incident to gauge whether anything could have prevented the situation from escalating. Young people have detailed online safety plans. Where they misuse the internet or social media, staff are quick to identify the misuse and put protective measures in place to prevent recurrence. Mobile phones and tablets are regularly checked for inappropriate use. Where risks are not manageable, young people lose access to their devices and have fully supervised use of the internet until they build up trust and engage in education around safe internet use. Staff use a range of resources and research to educate young people about safe internet use. There is clear communication with social workers around young people’s use of the internet and any restrictions imposed on this.

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

Some young people have risk-assessed free time to enable them to build up friendships and their links in the community. Staff maintain regular contact with young people to ensure their safety and welfare. Staff ensure that boundaries for young people are consistent through close communication with each other and adherence to young people’s plans and routines. Young people report that the rules and boundaries are fair. They are involved in setting Inspection report children’s home: SC463926 6 their own incentive targets and understand how to achieve the targets in place, as well as what the reward will be. Young people feel confident to raise concerns if they feel they are being bullied. Staff address this through direct work with all young people and discussion in team meetings. Steps are put in place to minimise the negative impact one young person may have on others. On one occasion, where this had been raised by young people as an issue, they

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

were listened to and effective actions were implemented, ultimately resulting in the ending of one young person’s placement. Young people at this home are not high risk in respect of radicalisation and extremism. However, they have completed online training to educate themelves about the risks. Staff have also completed the Home Office Channel training to raise their awareness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a qualified and experienced manager who has consistently achieved very high standards. The manager has high aspirations for young people and high expectations of her staff. She leads by example and regularly works care shifts, both to monitor the care staff and young people, and to role model good practice. She is supported by an equally committed deputy, who brings an additional skill set into the management team from his previous position in another of the company’s homes. Managers at the home are clear about young people’s plans, and work towards achieving their aims. Managers can articulate and evidence the significant progress most young people have made. They are also fully aware when young people have ceased to progress and put plans in place to address this. Alternatively, they transition the young person into a placement better suited to meet their needs. The home has a stable, committed and well-qualified staff team that delivers consistently

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

high-quality care to young people. Staff receive an extensive training package to support and develop them in line with the company’s solution-focused and emotional differentiation approach. Training is bespoke to the young people resident and to the staff team, taking into account staff’s individual learning styles. Managers identify training for staff as new issues and risks arise with the young people. For example, all staff have recently been asked to complete training on the effects of pornography on children and young people, which is a current issue for some young people in the home. Staff have the opportunity for professional development in the home. The manager delegates some responsibilities and staff who want to progress are supported to achieve management qualifications. Performance management is used positively, not only to address poor practice but also to support and develop excellent practice. Staff who have

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

been through the performance management process were positive about the support they were offered. Staff receive regular supervision which they find useful. They report managers to be visible in the home and always available to offer advice and support. Staff morale is high and there is a clear and positive team identity. Staff enjoy working at the home and this is evident in their enjoyment in spending time with young people. A particular strength of the home is its commitment to multi-agency working. The partner agencies spoken to during this inspection were unanimous in their praise for the Inspection report children’s home: SC463926 7 home, and records examined evidenced strong multi-agency working and very regular, detailed communication about each young person. A new independent visitor has been appointed and has commenced visits to the home. Managers feel positive about this, and feel the independent visitor will support them to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

continuously improve practice and identify areas for development. The manager’s own monitoring activity is thorough. Monitoring takes place on a weekly and monthly basis, and the manager compiles evaluative six-monthly reports. The manager seeks feedback from young people and external agencies to improve the service. There is clear evidence that managers learn from incidents, such as serious events, placement successes and placement breakdowns, to make improvements to the care provided to young people. The ethos of the home includes a commitment to embedding research-informed practice into delivery of care. Extensive training is in place for staff to develop their knowledge of emotional differentiation and the impact of early life experiences on young people’s brain development. For example, staff have been trained on the APET model (active agent, pattern seeking, emotion, thought) and Panksepp’s negative emotional systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people are very tolerant of each other and staff clearly communicate their expectations around tolerance, equality and diversity. Where young people express racist views, they are sensitively supported to respect others and are educated about racism.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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 children’s home: SC463926 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bay View Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Borough, 3-5 Dalton Square, Lancaster LA1 1PP

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Inspector

Charlie Bamber, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC463926 9 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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