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

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The young person experiences excellent, nurturing relationships from a highly committed staff team.  They have excellent attendance at school and are making very good progress.  They engage in and enjoy a wide and varied range of social and recreational opportunities.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The manager and staff have high aspirations and work hard to improve the life chances for the young person.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Family and professionals confirm excellent communication between them and the staff. Highly effective partnership working has led to improved outcomes for the young person.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of the home well and can provide evidence of continuous improvement. She is extremely focused on making a difference to the young person’s life.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The young person’s views, wishes and feelings are central to how the home operates. They feel listened to and able to have a positive influence on decisions about them.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Proactive practice reduces the risk of harm. Any potential risks to the young person’s welfare are identified, assessed and managed effectively.

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

17/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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outstanding

The young person has built trusted and secure relationships with the adults working in the home. He benefits from a warm, nurturing and child-centred environment that provides him with long-term stability. As a result, he is making excellent progress across all aspects of his life.

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outstanding

Staff persevere and work hard to improve the young person’s experiences and help him achieve his full potential. His school attendance is exceptional, as is his achievements. For example, he attained level 4s in his Year 6 SATs. He has successfully moved to high school and made friends. Staff are ambitious for the young person and have built exceptional relationships with educational professionals. One commented: ‘I attended meetings at the primary school prior to him starting high school…the information sharing was fantastic…he has settled better than we thought…he is making friends and loves it.’ A relative said: ‘He has settled well into high school and I’m really proud of him for that.′ The young person has embraced every aspect of school life, including taking part in after- school activities.

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outstanding

The young person benefits from a stable and consistent staff team who have cared for him over a significant period of time. As a result, he has built up trust and developed safe and secure attachments with adults who know him exceptionally well. As a result, he is growing in confidence and maturity; learning to manage his previous challenging behaviours more effectively and willing to accept advice and guidance from the staff. A relative commented: ‘The staff are brilliant with him…he has calmed down loads…the home are helping with his anger…keeping his routines, he’s learning right from wrong…I’m pleased with it, he’s doing really well.′

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outstanding

Staff are excellent advocates for the young person, including being very proactive in supporting him to take a stand against racist behaviour by one of his peers. This not only promotes his social inclusion, but increases his self-confidence and feelings of self-worth. He benefits from a wide range of activities that included a residential trip with school and a camping holiday with a friend and his family during the summer holidays. He also enjoys lazer quest and is encouraged to take a friend along to play this with him.

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outstanding

The young person continues to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He benefits from a healthy diet and regularly takes part in physical exercise, including riding his bike and swimming. Specialist help is available, such as play therapy which supports and promotes his emotional well-being.

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outstanding

The young person is highly valued and respected by the staff. They place his well- being at the centre of their practice. The numerous records of key worker sessions referred to as ‘significant conversations’ clearly demonstrate that his views and opinions are listened to. He is able to play an active part in the running of the home, including meals choices, what to do when spending time with family and choice of activities. Furthermore, he is encouraged to undertake small household chores, such as keeping his bedroom tidy and preparing snacks. This means the young person is provided with a range of opportunities to develop both his social and self-care skills.

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outstanding

Staff consistently promote and support contact between the young person and his family. He looks forward to spending time with his aunty twice a week, which often takes place in the home. Staff manage and facilitate these contact arrangements extremely well. The aunt confirmed that the staff also support her to attend appointments with them relating to her nephew. She said: ‘they always tell me if I need to know anything…Kath (the manager) is always there for me.′ This helps to sustain important attachments and give the young person a real sense of belonging.

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outstanding

The young person said he feels safe living in the home. Proactive safeguarding practice means the young person has a strong sense of safety and well-being and he does not go missing from the home. Strong links with other safeguarding agencies ensure staff have access to advice and guidance to support the welfare and safety of the young person. Staff are very well trained in child protection and are clear about their safeguarding responsibilities.

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outstanding

The staff take a positive approach to managing the young person’s behaviour. Staff do not use physical intervention, instead they are highly skilled in using diversion or re-direction to prevent escalation of behaviour. Sanctions are very rarely used. Records of key working sessions demonstrate that they work consistently with the young person in order to help him understand and take responsibility for his actions. This means staff provide safe and consistent boundaries to behaviour.

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outstanding

Detailed behaviour management plans and robust risk assessments clearly identify any potential risks and outline strategies to ensure the young person’s welfare is protected. This enables staff to keep him safe in the community and allow him to take age appropriate risks as a part of his growth and development.

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outstanding

Staff recruitment and selection procedures are sufficiently robust to prevent unsuitable people having access to vulnerable young people. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks to ensure the home is a safe and secure place to live.

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outstanding

The Registered Manager has been in post since 2006. She holds a relevant childcare and management qualification. She is highly motivated to improving outcomes for the young person and delivering the highest quality of care. She communicates high expectations to staff and can clearly demonstrate the extremely positive impact that living at the home has had on the young person’s life.

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outstanding

A clear Statement of Purpose ensures that the aims and objectives of the home are clearly set out. This means that the young person, relatives and placing authority have current information about the home.

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outstanding

The staff team are very experienced and qualified to either level 3 in childcare or undertaking it. They benefit from regular supervision, team meetings, an annual appraisal and on-going training. Since the last inspection, the manager has made improvements to the appraisal system by consulting with the young person. The staff team are enthusiastic and demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering a high standard of care, they are very proud of the progress the young person has made. A member of staff said: ‘We are a good team and supportive of each other.′

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outstanding

The manager and staff have excellent working relationships with the key professionals involved in the young person’s life. This means he receives the support and services he is entitled to in order to meet his needs. He is being extremely well cared for in line with his care plan.

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outstanding

The Registered Manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and uses both internal and external monitoring to ensure the high standards of care practice are maintained. Excellent record keeping contribute to an understanding of the young person’s progress and provide a comprehensive picture of his life in the home.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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