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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 1 SC463926 Registered provider: Bay View Child Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered in May 2013 and is operated by a private provider. The home provides care for up to five children of either gender.

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Information about this children’s home

The home does not currently have a registered manager. The home is being overseen by suitable and experienced people.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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

Date of last inspection: 30 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/10/2019 Full Outstanding 16/10/2018 Full Outstanding 23/10/2017 Full Outstanding 27/03/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home are making good progress. They share secure and trusting relationships with staff which make them feel safe, secure and cared for. As a result, children are settled, happy and are enjoying living here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff support children to attend education. Each child has an educational provision and timetable which is most appropriate for their present needs and abilities. Children regularly attend and are working towards their individual targets. Education is prioritised and children have good daily routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to access physical and mental health services. They regularly attend appointments and are actively encouraged and incentivised to engage in physical activity. As a result, most children are healthy and active. One child requires additional support and guidance to attend to his basic health needs. There are no formal health plans in place to monitor this. This means that there are no clear, agreed or holistic plans to address identified concerns or to review children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from engaging in meaningful extra-curricular activities. For example, children took part in raising money and collecting items for charity. They did this by planning to ‘walk to Wembley’. Ultimately, children and staff covered a greater distance than planned and collectively they walked the equivalent distance to Europe. This was a huge achievement for children as they were able to positively contribute to society and help others in need. This promotes children’s self-esteem and worth and gives them a sense of pride and achievement. Furthermore, this serves to improve their overall physical health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to visit their families and friends. Children say that ‘staff never fail’ to ensure that they see those who are important to them. Because of this, children are benefiting from time with family members, which has improved in quality and increased in frequency. This means that children are maintaining positive relationships outside of the home and have additional support networks to help them now and in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Assessments that consider the effects of children moving into the home and comprehensive forward planning ensure that children have positive experiences of moving into and out of the home. However, not all the local authority plans which are required when a child moves in are held in the home. A requirement has been made to address this.

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

There are detailed safety plans in place to protect children. The plans are up to date and relevant to children’s individual risk-taking behaviours. Plans are clear and child Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 4 centred. Staff spoken to at the time of inspection were familiar with children’s plans and the individual procedures in place to protect children. This serves to protect children and maintain their welfare.

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

Missing-from-home episodes are not usually for long periods of time. This is because children want to return to the security and safety of the home. However, there was one occasion when a child was missing for several days. During this time, concerns were raised about this child’s emotional well-being. On this occasion, staff did not take sufficient action to contact the child or find out where they were. This reduces children’s safety and increases the risk of harm.

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

There have been several occasions when one child has been found swimming in a nearby river. Staff responded to this by achieving open-water swimming qualifications and then taking him to swim in a supervised and safe environment. However, this significant location is not included in the home’s locality assessment. Therefore, not all risks presented by the local area have been thoroughly assessed or mitigated. This has the potential to hinder children’s safety when out in the local community.

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

Appropriate procedures and protocols are in place to manage the spread of COVID- 19. Some children living in the home did contract the virus. They recovered well and there have been no lasting effects. Children said they were kept safe during this time and were very well cared for.

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

Relationships between children in the home are positive. There are few incidents between those living together and episodes of bullying are rare. Staff demonstrate a quick and robust response to behaviours which may constitute bullying or escalate to bullying. Staff act to resolve issues by talking to children, ensuring that they understand and helping them to reflect. This promotes empathy, improves relationships between children in the home and helps to maintain peer relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is no manager currently registered to oversee this home. In the absence of a registered manager, the responsible individual has appointed appropriate people to manage the day-to-day running of the home. A new manager has been appointed, but at the time of this inspection had not yet applied to register or begun assuming responsibility for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children feel listened to in this home. They know how to make a formal complaint but rarely feel this is necessary. Children are confident in raising issues with staff and leaders, and say that issues are resolved quickly. When formal complaints have been raised, these have been clearly documented, investigated and responded to in line with the organisation’s policies and procedures. Children have been satisfied with the outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 5 Monitoring and review systems in place are effective. Independent monitoring is detailed, effective and timely. Children are spoken to as part of this process. This supports leaders to address shortfalls and respond to them quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home and feel well supported. Newer members of staff have received a detailed induction and are benefiting from regular supervision. They are confident in their roles and have a good understanding of children’s needs and the organisation’s policies and procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff regularly attend training and are keen to increase their knowledge and develop in the organisation. They hold the relevant skills, qualities and qualifications to fulfil their role. As a result, children are provided with high-quality care by motivated staff and managers. Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that there are plans in place in which children’s health and well-being needs are recorded. Use these plans to monitor and review whether children are making progress. 9 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; 9 December 2021 Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 7 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should take effective and appropriate action when children are missing. Furthermore, location risk assessments should be updated to include areas that are of significant concern regarding children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17 (2))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure the managers and staff have access to the required local authority plans to deliver agreed, focused care. 9 December 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene, etc); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. They should ensure that children’s bedrooms are personalised and that fixtures and fittings are free from damage. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 for children’s home: SC463926 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bay View Child Care

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Amanda Carpenter

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Inspector

Natalie Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 9 to 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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