Children's Home run by Crossway Services Limited in St Helens

Unique reference number SC068206 Inspector Michelle Bacon Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Crossway Services Limited Registered person address 8 Black Brook Close Heapey Chorley Lancashire PR6 9AJ Responsible individual Pauline Ann Croft Registered manager Kathleen Mitchell Date of last inspection 07/03/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 08/10/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care outstanding Keeping children and young people safe outstanding Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make sustained progress across all areas of their welfare and development. This is underpinned by effective, high quality support from staff. Care planning and practice are highly personalised to meet the needs of young people. As a result, they thrive in a caring and nurturing environment. Young people say this is a good home.

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Overall effectiveness

Unsafe behaviours are non-existent in the home because staff have a good understanding of safe working practice. Staff place young people's care at the centre of their practice. Young people experience placement stability which enables them to feel safe and secure.

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Overall effectiveness

A young person who recently moved to the home commented ‘I'd give this home a 100 out of 10! I really like it here…the staff make me feel safe…they are good people to talk to when you're upset and worried because they make you feel better.′

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Overall effectiveness

A social worker said ‘the staff are really on the ball…I'm happy with the placement although it's early days it is working for her.’ The home can clearly demonstrate the impact and value that living at the home has had on young people's lives and how their life chances have improved over time. 3 of 9 The Registered Manager provides strong leadership and consistently communicates high expectations to her staff to deliver improved outcomes for young people. The one recommendation from the last inspection is repeated. This is because the visits carried out under Regulation 33 do not consistently secure the views of parents and others to help inform the standard of care provided at the home. In addition a further two recommendations are made in relation to staff appraisals and the fire risk assessment. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

The home, run by a private company, provides care and accommodation for one young person with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2014 Interim good progress 05/12/2013 Full good 21/02/2013 Interim good progress 05/12/2012 Full outstanding

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually and this appraisal takes into account any views of children the service is providing for(NMS 19.6)  ensure that visits carried out under Regulation 33 include all relevant checks as set out in regulation, specifically secure the views of parents and others to help inform the standard of care provided at the home (NMS 21.7)  ensure there is a system in place to monitor the quality and adequacy of record keeping and take action where needed. This is specifically in relation to the fire risk assessment.(NMS 22.1) 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people enjoy a stable placement which enables them to form and sustain positive attachments to staff. Consequently, they make progress to develop a positive self-view, emotional resilience and confidence. As a result, young people successfully move on from the home to live in foster care or semi-independent living.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people’s general health needs are well met. They are helped to understand the importance of healthy living, although at times they have struggled to put this into practice. They are involved in menu planning and cooking so that they learn the importance of healthy eating and how to maintain a healthy diet. However, this has not always been successful for some young people, particularly when following their independence programme. As a result, staff had to intervene to ensure they continued to eat well.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people engage well in their education and have very good attendance. One young person successfully passed some exams this summer. They have aspirations for the future and have taken the opportunity to extend their learning at sixth form college. Young people also have the opportunity to engage in a range of social opportunities, such as attending a youth club, guides and drama club. This improves young people's self-esteem and social skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from regular contact with their family. This enables them to maintain and develop relationships with those who are important to them. Staff are very effective at building relationships with family members and often provide transport and support to young people when seeing their family. They ensure where possible that this is a positive experience for young people and their family.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people learn to develop their practical skills dependent on their abilities. One young person was fully involved in decisions regarding their move to more independent living. This means young people are fully prepared for their move on from the home.

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Quality of care outstanding

Staff have consistently high expectations for all the young people they care for. They place the well-being of young people at the centre of their practice. Young people benefit from living in a stable, nurturing and supportive environment where they develop a real sense of belonging. For example, young people say they enjoy staff reading to them at bedtimes. Consequently, they form excellent relationships and positive attachments. 6 of 9 Staff are fully committed to helping young people achieve the objectives of their local authority care plans. They build extremely close working relationships with social work services and other agencies to ensure that individual needs are thoroughly met. Feedback from a placing social worker shows they are very happy with the quality of care planning. Individual needs are appropriately identified and positively addressed in both care planning and daily living. Young people are welcomed into and leave the

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Quality of care outstanding

home in a well-planned way which enables them to feel valued and respected.

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Quality of care outstanding

Well established forums, such as house meetings and key work sessions, give young people the opportunity to express their views on all aspects of their care and the running of the home. Consequently, young people feel listened to and that their opinions are valued. Young people confirm they know how to complain but rarely have the need to do so.

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Quality of care outstanding

Staff effectively address young people's educational needs. They establish and maintain proactive links with education providers to ensure young people are enabled to achieve their full potential. Staff value the importance of education in improving young people's future life chances and aspire for them to have the same opportunities as their peers.

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Quality of care outstanding

Individual behaviour management plans identify effective strategies for managing young people's behaviour. Staff actively encourage positive behaviour through the use of key work sessions, incentives, rewards and praise. Consequently, there has only been one sanction issued since the last inspection.

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Quality of care outstanding

Young people live in a home that provides a very good standard of accommodation. They are able to personalise their bedroom to their own style and taste. Young people are able to take ownership of the home by displaying photographs of their family in the communal areas.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

One young person confirmed they feel safe and protected. They feel confident in discussing any issues or concerns they may have with staff. Young people believe staff care about them and have their best interests at heart. Staff are well trained in safeguarding matters and are very clear about their responsibility to safeguard young people. The home only accommodates one young person at a time, which means they do not experience bullying in the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

There are clear and effective missing from home procedures in place. Individual risk assessments identify actions staff should take and these are well known. Young people do not go missing from this home. Staff are trained in child sexual exploitation(CSE) so that they are competent in recognising and responding the signs and symptoms of sexual exploitation. This promotes the welfare and safety of any 7 of 9 young person who potentially maybe at risk from sexual exploitation. Young people receive high levels of support and supervision in order to maintain their overall safety.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Young people are not at risk of harm. They do not engage in aggressive or bullying behaviour. Clear and consistent boundaries enable young people to learn to regulate their emotions and feelings. Staff are trained in behaviour management including de- escalation techniques. The home does not use physical intervention.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Young people are protected, as far as is possible, by safe recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure they are only cared for by suitable people. Staff do not commence working in the home until all the relevant checks are complete.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Young people live in an environment that is physically safe and secure. Annual health and safety checks ensure the home is free from any potential hazards. Staff hold regular fire evacuation drills with young people to ensure they know how to exit the building safely.

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Leadership and management good

The experienced and highly competent Registered Manager has been in post since 2006. She is qualified to level 3 and 4, as well as holding the Registered Manager award. She is also the Registered Manager for another home within the organisation but divides her time well between the two homes.

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Leadership and management good

The home meets the aims and objectives of its statement of purpose. This has recently been updated to ensure compliance with the revised regulations. This means that young people and placing authorities have current information about the service. The home can clearly demonstrate the impact and value it has had on young people's lives and how their life chances have improved over time.

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Leadership and management good

Most staff are very experienced and suitably qualified to level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People. New staff undertake a comprehensive induction programme. Staff have access to training to develop and improve their skills, knowledge and practice to effectively meet the needs of the young people they care for.

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Leadership and management good

The one recommendation from the last inspection is repeated. The views of parents and others to help inform the standard of care provided at the home have not been consistently sought. However, the organisation has recently employed the services of an independent person who is being more proactive in this area.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and use the monitoring of the home to improve practice and the quality of care. She communicates high expectations to her staff about sustaining improvement. 8 of 9 Staff benefit from regular team meetings, supervision and appraisal to support their practice and development. However staff appraisals do not take into account the views of the young people. That said, staff are very motivated and morale within the team is high. As a result, young people are cared for by staff who are totally committed and enjoy their work.

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Leadership and management good

Young people's records are stored safely and securely. However, there is a minor shortfall in relation to the fire risk assessment. It is not clear who has updated this because there is no name on the document. This shortfall is not currently impacting on the welfare and safety of young people. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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