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

Inspection report children’s home: SC416318 1 SC416318 Registered provider: Bay View Child Care Ltd

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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 a privately owned children’s home that is registered to provide care for up to four children, aged between ten and 17.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned from his position in June 2019. A new manager has been appointed and he has applied to Ofsted to be registered.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: N/A Inspection report children’s home: SC416318 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2018 Full Outstanding 25/09/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/11/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC416318 3

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Recommendations

 Staff need to have the knowledge and skills to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. If a child’s progress is not in line with their agreed targets or next steps, staff should seek expert advice from education professionals, such as the Virtual School Head, SENCo, learning mentor or teacher. Staff must challenge the child’s education or training provider if the child does not receive sufficient support to progress as outlined in their relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has created a safe environment in which children can start to make good progress. The staff’s ability to develop meaningful and trusting relationships with the children is good and supports them to change previous negative behaviours. In addition, children have started to talk openly to the staff about previous and current risky behaviours and issues that are concerning them around transition out of the home. This enables the staff to support them in reconsidering their lifestyle choices and in keeping themselves safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and his staff team work with a range of professionals to ensure that children make progress in their education, health and social development. Arrangements to support children to overcome their barriers to learning and to take part in meaningful education are challenging at times. Staff show commitment to help the children to overcome these barriers. Each child has an individual plan; however, the manager and staff are not very well informed of it. For example, the manager and staff did not know what course a child was attending at college, or the name of the organisation that was providing education to another child. The staff maintain effective communication with some, but not all, education provisions and work closely with education leaders, teachers and virtual headteachers to ensure that the most appropriate education placement is found.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team members listen to the child, take their views, wishes and feelings seriously and act as a result. Children feel comfortable in expressing their views. Five complaints have been made since the last inspection. All have been investigated and reviewed and concluded to the satisfaction of the children involved. Children are Inspection report children’s home: SC416318 4 supported to engage with the wide range of professionals involved in their lives and the staff will advocate on their behalf when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Improvements to the home’s admission processes have included more robust communication with local authorities to ensure that decision-making reflects best practice. This has led to improved placement stability.

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

The staff help children to understand risk and how to stay safe. Where indicated, children receive support from a wide range of professionals. Relationships between the manager, his staff team and the numerous professionals involved in the children’s lives are good.

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

The staff are trained to keep the children safe. Safeguarding training is targeted and meaningful. The manager undertakes regular safeguarding competency testing to ensure that his staff team keeps up to date and uses this to identify individual training needs. Children say that they feel safe at the home and with the staff team.

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

Child protection and safeguarding concerns are managed efficiently and effectively. There is, in the main, good-quality monitoring and auditing of all incidents and referrals made, which ensures that they are followed up in a timely manner.

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

The staff understand the risks that the use of the internet and social media may pose to children. The staff use key-worker sessions and other appropriate opportunities to help children to understand how to keep themselves safe.

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

The staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs. Well-written individual risk assessments provide clear strategies to lessen the risks associated with known or new presenting behaviours. Collaborative working with social workers, specialists and therapists results in care plans that are well informed and through their application children’s needs are well met. The use of risk assessments and accompanying strategies contributes to a reduction in challenging behaviours. Children are gradually learning how to manage their anxieties and worries.

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

Robust health and safety checks ensure that the physical environment for children is safe and secure. Good recruitment procedures and regular monitoring of the staff help to prevent unsuitable people being employed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has seen several changes within its staffing and management team since the last inspection. The registered manager resigned after six months in post and moved, along with a number of staff, to another organisation setting up in the area. This caused some instability within the home and impacted on children in placement. A new manager has been appointed and is in post alongside a full complement of staff. He has developed his management skills considerably since being appointed. He leads an increasingly Inspection report children’s home: SC416318 5 stable team of enthusiastic staff. The members of the staff team work well together, and they enjoy their roles and the time that they spend with the children. Staff morale is much improved since the summer months. Overall, this has a positive impact on children’s progress, experiences and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed effective working relationships with other professionals who are involved with each child. A social worker spoke positively about the communication received from the home and of the care practices in the home. One social worker was particular impressed with the work around identity with a child from a European heritage.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive mandatory training so that they can practise safely. Staff have also attended Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) training, which they feel has given them an insight into children’s history and its impact on their presenting behaviours. Staff have requested autism training to support them in their care role. Staff are supported well through supervision. They are well informed and focused on their roles. They practise without prejudice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are strong advocates for the children. Records are organised and well written. The manager challenges other professionals appropriately when it is in the child’s best interest.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the home’s strengths and areas for improvement. He has concentrated on developing a stable staff team whose members can deliver good-quality care. He is clear in his commitment to continually develop the home. He is supported by senior managers and leaders to make improvements.

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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: SC416318 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bay View Child Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Inspector: Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC416318 7 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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Children’s home details

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Children’s home details

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Children’s home details

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

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