Children's home run by Bayleaf Care Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 1 Registered provider: Bayleaf 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 privately run and can provide care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is newly registered from July 2024, and the first child moved into the home in August 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children had moved on from the home and there was one child living in the home. The inspector met and gathered feedback from the child.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a spacious and well-furnished home, which provides a welcoming and comfortable environment. The home features a large outdoor area with a trampoline and swing set, offering opportunities for children to enjoy physical activities. The presence of various animals inside and outside the home adds to the nurturing atmosphere. A tortoise, parrot and regular visits from the manager’s puppy contribute to a homely feel, while the children take pride in helping to care for the chickens, ducks, peacocks and doves outside. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, allowing them to create spaces that reflect their individuality and preferences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home can feel busy due to the dual use of the site for meetings and senior staff working on site. For one child, this has caused anxiety, as the noise and activity levels have occasionally detracted from the otherwise calm and nurturing environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build and sustain meaningful relationships with children, demonstrating a genuine commitment to understanding their unique needs and experiences. Children feel confident seeking support and know that they can turn to trusted adults in the home. This secure foundation helps children to feel comfortable and valued, and they report having strong, positive connections with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is actively promoted, with children receiving encouragement and support to engage in learning. One child has made notable progress from initially struggling with education to attending more frequently and participating in work experience. This is testament to the nurturing approach of the staff, who tailor their efforts to each child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from taking part in a diverse range of enriching activities beyond the home. Regular outings to the cinema, local parks and holidays provide opportunities for personal growth, new experiences and the development of social skills. These activities enhance children’s quality of life and create positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planning for children moving in or out of the home requires improvement. There have been instances when children moved into the home during a crisis, meaning that their needs were not fully assessed beforehand. Furthermore, two children have experienced unplanned endings, with notice being served on their placements. While this does not support positive moves, staff consistently act in the best interests of all children. They prioritise children’s welfare and ensure that the needs and feelings of other children in the home are carefully considered. Overall, the children benefit from warm, supportive relationships and access to meaningful opportunities that promote their development. Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 3

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

Children’s safety and well-being are a priority in the home, with systems in place to identify and manage risks effectively. Risk management plans are updated regularly, ensuring that they reflect the changing needs of children. However, there is scope to enhance these documents by providing a more detailed and thorough exploration of key risks. This would ensure that all potential risks are fully understood and managed in the most effective way. Staff are mindful of the language used in children’s records, but further efforts are needed to ensure that all documentation is consistently child friendly and accessible.

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

The home demonstrates a robust and transparent approach to safeguarding. Investigations into allegations or suspicions of harm are promptly shared with the relevant agencies and managed in line with statutory guidance. These are handled fairly an without delay. Support is provided to the individual making the allegation and the person subject to it. This ensures a fair and balanced approach that prioritises the welfare of all involved.

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

The home has navigated a challenging period when there was an increased number of incidents that required a child to be held. Each instance was appropriate, carefully risk assessed, and in line with the child’s risk management plan and deprivation of liberty order. All staff are fully trained in the use of such interventions, ensuring that they are carried out safely and professionally. Positive behaviour is actively promoted, with staff employing de-escalation techniques and creative, individualised strategies to meet the needs of each child. Holding children is only used when necessary to protect the child or others, and incidents are recorded, reviewed and monitored by leaders. The views of the child, depending on their age and understanding, are sought and meaningfully considered as part of this process.

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

Episodes of children going missing from the home are handled with sensitivity and care. There is a clear system in place to address such incidents, and the number of missing episodes has reduced for one child. Staff demonstrate an in-depth understanding of each child’s triggers. They respond promptly when a child is missing from care, actively searching for them and ensuring their well-being upon their return. Staff take the time to explore the reasons behind the child’s decision to leave and use this understanding to inform future care planning.

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

Safeguarding practice is effective, and staff demonstrate a proactive and reflective approach to managing risks, addressing incidents and promoting positive outcomes for children. There are areas for development in documentation and risk management plans, but these do not detract from the safe and supportive environment provided for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate and committed to ensuring positive outcomes for children and the smooth running of the home. She brings a wealth of experience to her role and demonstrates a proactive approach to her own professional development, responding Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 4 positively to feedback and advice. The manager is highly visible and accessible to both staff and children, fostering a culture of support and collaboration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the staff team. She has implemented thoughtful plans to support staff growth and skills, ensuring that the team is equipped to meet the needs of the children. Staff benefit from regular and effective supervision, which provides both support and challenge. They feel valued and encouraged in their roles, and speak highly of the manager’s leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

It is evident that staff know the children well and place their welfare at the heart of their practice. They invest time in building strong relationships, listening to the children and celebrating their achievements. This child-centred approach is embedded across the team and contributes to the nurturing and supportive environment of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is largely positive. For example, one child’s social worker noted that the child ‘loves’ living at the home and has developed positive relationships with the staff team. While there have been occasional challenges with communication, the manager has acknowledged these issues and put plans in place to ensure smoother collaboration with external professionals going forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is experienced, with many staff already holding relevant qualifications. They benefit from additional support through team meetings and management oversight. The emotional impact of their work is recognised and well managed by the manager, who ensures that staff feel supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Mandatory training is completed, and the team is well prepared to meet the needs of the children in their care. However, there are gaps in key training areas, such as understanding learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, children with autism and responding to ligature use. The manager is aware of these gaps and is taking steps to address them to enhance the team’s knowledge and skills further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, the home benefits from strong and effective leadership. The manager sets high standards and is committed to continuous improvement, ensuring that staff are well supported to deliver good practice and prioritise the well-being of children. While there are some areas for development, particularly in training, these do not detract from the positive and aspirational culture created by the manager and her team. Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 5

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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, The 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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Requirements Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirements Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirements Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirements Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, this relates to reducing the number of staff on site at any one time to reduce the impact on children’s experience of living in the home. 4 February 2025

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Requirements Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirements Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirements Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 4 February 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 6 plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(iii))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that the registered manager works with the local authority to ensure that children are supported to move into the home and on from the home in a positive way.

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that risk management plans are updated in line with the needs of the child. 4 February 2025

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Requirements Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirements Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that staff are appropriately trained to meet the needs of the children. 4 February 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2786126 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bayleaf Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Bankside, The Watermark, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE11 9SY

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Brittany Cox-Kinally

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Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 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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