North Devon childcare firm launches innovative new app

A North Devon residential childcare firm has launched its own ground breaking app to help the children it cares for to stay safe, communicate better with staff and to talk to their friends across the company’s homes.

The B-Herd app from Blue Elephant Childcare is the inspiration of Lucy Squire, Operations Manager, after speaking with her son via text message.

Lucy said: “I was at home and got into a text conversation with my son who was in his bedroom. He found it easier to reach out for help by message rather than speaking. That got me thinking about how we can help the children in our care to reach out for help, if they can’t find the words to actually speak about their problems.”

With the help of local app developer Robert Sumner, Lucy and the Blue Elephant team created the B-Herd app with the name combining the need to be listened to and the sense of belonging to the ‘Blue Elephant herd’.

The app gives the children the independence to see their diary, message their friends in their home and other homes run by the organisation, access the message boards, plan activities and more.

“When children come to us, their lives have been turned upside down,” added Lucy.

“Having a phone is a big safety net for them. They’re not isolated when everything else they’ve known has gone. Like most young people they spend a lot of time on their phone and so the app will help them know more about what’s going on, but importantly if they can’t talk about their problems, they can message staff to talk instead via text.”

The app also has a help button which provides staff with the location of the child and the ability to ring them instantly. So, if they have got into a difficult situation, they have an ability to get immediate assistance.

As well as for children in care, B-Herd is also available to young people who have been through Blue Elephant homes and left after turning 18 years old so they can remain in touch with staff should they wish to.

B-Herd is only available through Blue Elephant Childcare, a company which runs seven homes across North Devon for children who require residential care.