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 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 managed by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in 2013, and the current manager registered in September 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspection started on 12 August 2025. Inspectors returned on 3 September 2025 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2024 Full Outstanding 27/06/2023 Full Outstanding 25/05/2022 Full Good 27/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have lived at the home for a sustained period. This helps children to establish positive and trusting relationships with staff. Staff support children to make progress in key areas of their lives. This enables children to thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support children to engage in education or employment. Staff support children to develop new skills in line with their age and understanding. This helps to promote children’s independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to build relationships with children. Children say that they know that the manager and staff care about them. Children who move out of the home experience carefully planned moves. Staff celebrate children’s time living in the home. This ensures that children have a good experience of living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak to children about the care they receive. Children understand how their views have been considered and responded to. Staff support children to contribute to their care. This ensures that children’s views inform the decisions that are made about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their family and friends. One social worker said, ‘The managers and staff have worked to reintroduce one parent back into a child’s life by completing a picture book and life work with them.’ This provides children with the necessary support to maintain relationships with people that are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to pursue their own interests and provide them with a wide range of experiences. Staff help children to integrate with their local community and attend local groups. For example, one child attends a music club and has written and sang their own song.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment presents as warm and nurturing. However, one child’s bedroom contains inappropriate materials for the age of the child, and another child’s bedroom contains damaged furniture. This detracts from the environment being homely.

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

Leaders, managers and staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and risks. Leaders, managers and staff work with relevant safeguarding professionals when risks escalate. This ensures that children receive a well-rounded multi-agency approach to keep them safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 4 Since the last inspection, there have been incidents when children have made allegations against staff. The registered manager follows safeguarding processes and informs relevant safeguarding professionals if any incidents occur. However, shortfalls were identified in respect of the registered manager’s systems to review and evaluate safeguarding incidents. This has not had a direct impact on children’s safety.

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

The registered manager does not always review the effectiveness of consequences for children. On one occasion, the consequence given to a child did not relate to the circumstances. This does not ensure that consequences are consistently proportionate and reasonable.

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

Staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. Staff use physical intervention as a last resort. Records demonstrate that the registered manager reviews incidents in line with regulation and to ensure that children and staff are safe. Managers speak to children about the incident. This ensures that staff’s safeguarding practices are carefully considered.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been incidents where children have gone missing from home. Records demonstrate that staff manage these incidents well. Staff have a good understanding of the missing-from-home procedures. They actively look for children when they are missing and communicate with relevant professionals to help minimise risk.

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

Leaders and managers follow safer recruitment processes. This helps to ensure that only suitable staff are employed to work with children.

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good

The home is managed by a dedicated and caring manager. The manager ensures that she is present in the home and available for staff and children. The manager speaks about the children with warmth and enthusiasm.

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good

The management oversight of significant incidents is not consistently robust. This is partly due to the various systems that the registered manager has in place. This could lead to confusion about all actions taken by staff to keep children safe.

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good

The managers’ internal monitoring and review systems are not always effective in identifying any shortfalls in staff practice. This does not help the manager to support staff to make continuous improvements in the quality of care staff provide for children.

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good

The registered manager has not consistently notified Ofsted about all serious incidents. This means that the regulator does not have sufficient oversight and scrutiny of the management of significant incidents to monitor children’s safety effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 5 Staff attend regular staff meetings. Staff meetings include a training element from research and practice. However, not all known concerns and strategies to support children are discussed. This is a missed opportunity for staff to make any improvements to the care they provide for children.

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good

Staff access a range of training opportunities. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet children’s individual needs.

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good

Despite the shortfalls identified at this inspection in leadership and management of the home, staff said that they are supported by the manager. One member of staff said, ‘[Name of manager] will always have time for you. She is a great mentor; I learn so much from her every week.’ 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, 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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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective monitoring and review systems in place, so leaders and managers have effective oversight of staff practice and the impact on children’s safety and experiences. 31 October

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate;

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a detailed record of any consequences which are fair and proportionate. 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 7 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s bedrooms are suitable and decorated in line with the child’s age. 31 October

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 8

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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 9

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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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Inspectors

Deborah Turner, Social Care Inspector Anna Belshaw, Social Care Inspector Stacey Ilaboya, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC463926 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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