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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC416318 1 SC416318 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

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2010, and the manager registered on 1 October 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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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: 13 February 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC416318 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2024 Full Good 03/03/2023 Full Good 16/03/2022 Full Good 01/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC416318 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children currently live at the home. Two children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. These moves were well-planned and in line with the children’s wishes and feelings. One child has lived at the home for more than four years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed trust in the people who care for them. Children say that they find the staff approachable and feel that the staff and the managers care for them well. This supports children to share any worries or fears they may have. The children all said, ‘We feel safe living here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are in good health. The staff support children to attend all health appointments. Managers ensure that the right support is in place to meet children’s individual needs. This support enables the children to achieve good health outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children all attend education. The registered manager and staff encourage children to fully engage in education. When children are not in education, the manager and staff advocate on their behalf to support their return to education. There is effective communication between staff and the children’s education providers. This approach supports the children’s educational attainment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to develop their independence skills. For example, they are helped to understand how to use the washing machine and how to cook. When children are ready, they are supported to start to shop and cook for themselves. This gives children the necessary skills required to meet their goal of living independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support children to safely take part in a range of planned activities both inside and outside of the home. Activities include cycling, jump rush, crabbing and cooking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to spend time and remain in contact with their family. This encourages the children to stay connected with people who are important to them and supports their identity and sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have personalised their own bedrooms and are settled and happy at the home. However, the carpet on the stairs needs replacing and some décor needs upgrading.

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

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect current risks and behaviours. They provide staff with clear guidance on the actions to take to keep the children safe. This helps to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416318 4 Staff complete the required training for their role as well as training specific to each child’s needs. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to support children’s individual needs.

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

A therapist visits the home weekly, working closely with staff to understand the needs of the children. The staff apply strategies learned from the therapist to respond to the children in a way which supports them to manage their feelings and behaviour.

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

The children’s guide helps to make the complaints process clear for children. When children raise complaints, their concerns are listened to and addressed by leaders and managers. Children are kept updated about the actions being taken and the outcome of their complaint.

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

The staff use restorative strategies to encourage and reinforce positive behaviours from children. Additionally, each child has an individual incentive plan. For example, one child receives immediate rewards for demonstrating good behaviour.

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

Physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep children safe. Staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. The registered manager evaluates all holds used in the home and has evaluated them as being appropriate and proportionate. However, some physical intervention records lack detail regarding the hold administered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic about driving the development of the home. The manager has a clear vision for the service and is supported by an experienced deputy manager. They manage the home effectively and promptly address any shortfalls. Staff understand and effectively respond to the needs of the children. For example, when one child was questioning their gender identity, staff encouraged the other children to understand and develop tolerance and openness to the child’s needs. This promoted positive relationships between the children and helped the children to feel safe and nurtured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager creates an environment that actively promotes and supports staff’s professional development. All staff expressed that they feel professionally supported. For example, a new member of staff reflected on how she has been supported in the role and is really enjoying working in residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals provided positive feedback on the quality of communication and updates they receive about the ongoing care of children. A social worker informed the inspector that communication is excellent, noting, ‘I receive weekly update reports and am notified immediately if there has been an overnight incident.’ Relationships with external agencies and professionals are strong and constructive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although staff understand the individual needs of the children, children’s written records do not consistently reflect this knowledge. For example, PEPs are missing for some children. Staff keep their own records of all meetings, thereby limiting the impact of this oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416318 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is well maintained throughout, specifically some carpets and internal décor. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.3)  The registered person should ensure that the case records for children are kept up to date, specifically paperwork provided by the local authority to support the child’s education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: SC416318 6

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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: Core Assets, Malvern View, Saxon Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Thompson

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Inspector

Debbie Dawson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC416318 7 regulates and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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