Children's Home run by Bayleaf Care Limited in Derbyshire

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 3 children with social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. The inspector observed and communicated with all of the children.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2026.

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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: 1 September 2025

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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: 2786126 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/09/2025 Full Good 03/12/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 3

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Summary of findings

Children are supported by skilled staff who demonstrate a good understanding of the children's needs. Staff seek to build relationships with children through activities in and out of the home. Children are supported to undertake activities that align with their interests and identities. All children attend a school that meets their needs and they achieve good attendance. Children's social workers are pleased with their progress. The manager takes decisive and effective action to reduce risks to children. He encourages reflection and learning from practice to improve children's experiences. Leaders and managers ensure that there is a stable staff team and continuity for children. Staff are provided with relevant training and supervision to achieve positive outcomes for children. Staff are safely recruited. Some aspects of the property, inside and outside, are in need of attention.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Children have long-term, stable placements. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and one has moved out. Two of the current children have lived here for 17 months and 21 months. This stability enables children to make progress from their starting points. For example, staff have supported one child to make considerable progress with their personal care, which has had a significant positive impact on the child's quality of life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Children have well-planned moves at a pace that suits their needs. When children move in, staff meet with children several times and they share information about what will happen next and when. When children move out, they take mementos and photographs with them to help them remember their time living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Regular, planned and unplanned discussions take place between children and staff. Communication aids are in place to help children understand complex issues. Staff consistently support children to make choices about their day-to-day care and to be more independent. As a result, children grow in their independence, self-esteem and overall wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Parents and carers say that communication is good and the staff involve them in decisions about their children. They say that children have staff who they like and who know them well. Staff include parents in activities with children. For example, one parent joined their child on holiday. This is positive both for the quality of relationships and children's wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Staff understand children's health needs. Staff support children's physical health through regular exercise. Over one month, one child completed a 10-mile sponsored walk with staff. This is an incredible achievement for the child who came to the home with limited mobility and could walk only short distances. Additionally, staff support children's Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 4 emotional health. They talk with children about puberty and their changing bodies and about their feelings and emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Staff support children to express their individuality and uniqueness. They take children shopping and help them to choose clothes that they like. Children's achievements are celebrated and staff support them to engage with their identity and culture. For example, one child was supported to choose and buy special food and donate this to a charity of their choice to celebrate a festival relevant to their religion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Children's bedrooms are personalised in line with their needs and personal tastes, and photographs of children are on display. However, 2 children's bedrooms have external bars at the window, and downstairs windows have visible window restrictors. Areas of the home require cleaning. The shower in one child's en-suite bathroom has visible mould, and windows throughout the house are dirty inside and out. Additionally, soiled items used for personal care were left in an uncovered bin in the garden. The bars at children's windows were removed during the inspection and the soiled personal care items were appropriately disposed of.

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

Clear risk management plans guide staff to manage children's complex behaviours. Staff consistently respond to children's needs and implement clear boundaries and routines. Staff implement a recognised model of care and use creative and effective distraction techniques. Fidget toys, physical activities and playfulness are used to help children to remain calm. Children feel safe, contained and become more able to regulate their behaviours.

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

Incidents of restraint to manage children's complex behaviours have recently reduced. All staff are trained in the chosen method of physical intervention. Managers monitor incidents effectively when children show complex behaviours. When necessary, they challenge poor practice and introduce new routines to support children's self-regulation. After an incident of restraint, there are discussions held with children and staff that demonstrate a reflective culture.

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

Incidents of self-harm are well managed by staff, who demonstrate kindness and care to children in difficult situations. Risk management and care plans ensure that the response to any concern is swift and that the right support is provided. Strategies based on research are in place to support children and staff to manage children's self-harming behaviours.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. Staff are vigilant around children and closely supervise children in line with their risk management plans. On occasions, children have run from staff because of a sensory need. Strategies have been introduced to keep children safe while allowing them freedom of expression. As an added precaution, children have individual missing protocols, and information has been shared with the local police. Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 5 Staff help children to understand risks and make safer, more positive choices. This is done through discussions that aim to increase their awareness of risk and promote safer decision-making. For example, staff talk with children about stranger danger, road safety and being safe in the car.

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

Positive behaviour is encouraged, recognised and rewarded. Children receive rewards and verbal praise for having a good day and being kind and helpful. There is no bullying in the home. Staff encourage children to be kind and tolerant. When necessary, they support children to apologise to other children. This approach helps the children to make good choices and contributes to their overall emotional and social development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

The manager has high aspirations for children in his care. He is supported by an experienced deputy and, together, they ensure that children are at the heart of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

Managers work closely with a range of external agencies, and feedback from professionals is extremely positive. Social workers praise managers and staff for the care and nurture their children receive and the progress children make. They say that communication is a particular strength of the home. Managers share information with all relevant professionals and with parents and carers. There is evidence of joint working on any decisions made for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

The manager uses a range of monitoring systems to measure the quality of care. He has a good knowledge of the home's strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

Staff enjoy their roles and speak positively about the support and guidance they receive from managers. They say that effective inductions, supervision sessions, appraisals and team meetings provide them with regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and develop their skills. Staff describe managers as 'the best'. Staff said, 'They listen to you and they encourage you to be innovative.'

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

Staff receive training to meet children's needs and keep them safe, equipping them to provide effective support. Training is good quality and is delivered both online and face to face. Additionally, managers promote a learning environment by delivering workshops based on research in team meetings. Aspects of this research and the subsequent strategies introduced to manage one child's behaviours are excellent and worthy of wider dissemination within the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

The home is fully staffed and agency workers are not used. This means that children receive consistent care from adults who know them well. Four staff have a qualification relevant to working in a children's home and 7 are enrolled on training. There has been a delay in enrolling 5 staff within timescales set out in the workforce development plan. A plan is in place, with timescales to enrol these staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that for children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply 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. Specifically, staff should ensure that all areas of the home are clean and hygienic and that decisions regarding modifications, such as window restrictors and bars across windows, are informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child's needs, properly recorded and kept under regular review. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraphs 3.9 and 3.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.14)

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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 7

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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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Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2786126 8 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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