Children's Home run by Pike View Care Ltd in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2795951 1 Registered provider: Pike View 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 children’s home is owned and operated by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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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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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in August 2024. The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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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: 2795951 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make considerable progress when living in this home. They form trusting relationships with staff and say they feel safe and happy in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with children to help them to understand their emotions. This nurturing approach helps children to develop their confidence. Children are also supported by play therapists and psychologists, who are helping them to understand their past experiences. A social worker said, ‘I am so pleased with this service. The difference they have made to my child’s life is so positive. He is definitely at home there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is consistently promoted. Children are provided with additional learning resources to enhance their education. Staff spend time reading with children and strive to make learning enjoyable and achievable. When educational difficulties arise, the manager and responsible individual take appropriate action to escalate concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Daily structured routines are in place to enable children to understand their plans for each day. However, the educational routine for one child awaiting a new educational placement is not fully developed. This results in the child not always being aware of the plan for their day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s health care needs. Some children’s reluctance to attend appointments has reduced due to staff support and education regarding the importance of good health and well-being. Consequently, children have made progress in areas such as personal hygiene, relationships and emotional regulation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support, supervise and promote children spending time with their family. Staff understand the complexities of some family relationships and ensure that this does not impact on the child’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to undertake activities and build friendships in the community. Children are engaged in football teams and regularly attend football matches. In addition, the home uses therapy dogs. Children frequently take the dogs for long walks and help with grooming and caring for them. A child said, ‘I love the dogs. They are so cute. I love going on muddy walks.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are regularly consulted in this home. Children are supported to design their bedrooms, menus and activities. Likewise, children are encouraged to voice their views and opinions about the home and about improvements if any are needed. However, children do not regularly review the work undertaken with them, such as key-work sessions and assessments that identify risks. Therefore, opportunities to evaluate children’s views on the progress they make are missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2795951 3

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

The safety and well-being of children are prioritised in this home.

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

Assessments that identify risks are good. Staff work in partnership with external agencies to develop detailed strategies to reduce and manage risk. Likewise, consistent key-work sessions help children to understand the impact of behaviours on themselves and others. As a result, previous risks are significantly decreased. A professional said, ‘My child has grown in confidence and is happy and settled in the home. His whole persona has significantly improved.’

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

Children understand the expectations of positive behaviour in the home. They are supported by individual behaviour management plans that clearly identify triggers for challenging behaviours and the agreed strategies to manage such incidents. Positive behaviour is consistently reinforced, praised and rewarded.

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

Staff are trained in the use of holding a child to keep them safe. From the initial starting point for one child, the use of a hold has significantly reduced. The manager evaluates all incidents where a hold has been applied, to ensure that the child and staff member are suitably debriefed, and any new behaviours are documented in the child’s risk management plan.

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

Children are cared for by staff who are appropriately vetted before starting to work in the home. Records of staff recruitment confirm that safer recruitment policies are consistently adhered to.

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

Since the home opened in August 2024, there have been no children reported as missing or absent from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team create a consistent, caring, supportive and aspirational culture for the children to thrive and grow in. The children receive informed and consistent high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Half of the staff have successfully completed a relevant childcare qualification. The remainder of the staff team are enrolled on the diploma at level 4. External services provide consistent training to assist staff in how they support the children. However, specific training in relation to the health needs of one child did not take place prior to the child moving into the home. Although this training has now taken place, delays in ensuring staff have suitable knowledge and skills to manage a child’s health care needs have the potential to place a child at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager sets the standards for the team and leads from the front. He provides regular formal and informal supervision and guides the staff in the development of a safe and nurturing environment for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2795951 4 There is a mix of experienced and inexperienced staff working in the home. Rotas demonstrate that new staff are consistently guided by experienced staff, and this aids their continued learning and development. Staff say that they are happy in their role and that there is consistent support and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The external monitoring by the independent visitor is consistently undertaken. Reports are thorough and provide a detailed analysis of the care provided to children and identify any shortfalls in practice. The manager takes swift action to address any matters raised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is consistent in his approach to monitoring the quality of care provided, and he recognises the positive effect that this is having on the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2795951 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19).  The registered person should ensure a structured educational routine is in place when a child is not in receipt of full-time education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15).  The registered person should ensure that staff receive specific training in relation to a child’s health needs prior to the child moving into the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12).

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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: 2795951 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Wyndham Avenue, Bolton BL3 4LQ

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2795951 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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