Children's Home run by Crystal Care Solutions Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff are skilled in developing trusting and secure relationships with the young person. They invest time in understanding what is important to him and ensure his wishes and needs are at the centre of their practice.  The young person makes excellent progress in all areas of his development. Since his placement he has made significant progress in attending and engaging with education.  Staff work effectively with families and professional stakeholders to ensure that the young person’s needs are met. They are robust in their challenges where this is necessary to promote the young person’s welfare.  Staff provide clear, consistent and appropriate boundaries which support the young person to manage their own conflicts and difficult feelings.  The young person is treated with dignity and respect. Staff are sensitive to the young person’s identity and support him to maintain contact with his family and friends.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The young person feels safe and understands who to speak to about any concerns.  The registered manager ensures that transitions into the home are well managed.  There are some minor shortfalls. Staff do not check visitors’ identification on arrival. The registered manager has not ensured that the young person has always received continuity of care.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered provider, in particular reference to checking visitors identifications, must ensure that:-

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Requirement Due date

2(b) the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 29/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered provider must ensure the: -

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Requirement Due date

(e) home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 29/02/2016

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home forms part of a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

The young person benefits from receiving highly individualised care from staff who understand his needs and wishes. They spend time with him helping him to understand his situation and develop emotional resilience. Consequently the young person has trusting and secure relationships with staff and is able to talk to them about what is difficult for him. The young person said:’…my member of staff is mint, and the manager is the best I could have.’

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good

The registered manager and staff ensure that the young person’s education is promoted. They work effectively with the virtual school head teacher and placing authority to secure an appropriate educational placement which meets the young person’s needs. Where there are delays they ensure that the young person receives education from tutors and work is completed within the home. This minimises the impact of a lack of full time educational placement. The young person’s engagement has improved considerably from theirs starting point and is almost at 100% attendance. He is making progress as he works towards his pubic exams. Staff support the young person with his homework and in attending parent’s evening.

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good

Staff support the young person to engage with various activities in the community. This promotes his social skills and independence. He enjoys attending the local youth club, fishing, boxing, going to the skate park, gaming and the cinema. He engages in charity events in the local community.

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good

Staff promote the young person’s emotional and physical health. He is well motivated to be healthy and ensures he has a healthy diet and exercises. Staff support his engagement with the child and adolescent mental health service. Therapists recognise the skills of the staff, one said: ‘Staff developed relationships with him which had not happened in any other placement. His behaviours improved and incidents reduced. This was because staff maintained boundaries and rules with him.’

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good

Staff are skilled at promoting issues of equality and diversity. They challenge the young person’s knowledge and views about society and encourage him to develop a broader understanding of cultural issues. Staff support the young person to have contact with family and friends where it is safe and in their best interests. This ensures the young person maintains a good understanding of their own identity.

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good

Staff have a good understanding of how to promote the young person’s wishes and feelings. They engage with him on a daily basis and he is involved in meal planning and planning his time. He is developing skills to successfully manage his life as an adult including cooking and budgeting. Staff support the young person to make complaints and to access the services of an advocate to ensure his views are central to his placing authorities care planning. They ensure the young person is well prepared for his reviews and support him to attend and contribute.

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good

The registered manager and staff ensure that transition into and from the home are managed effectively. One parent said that: ‘Staff managed his admission well.’ A young person who has moved on keeps in contact with staff as he recognises their commitment to him.

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good

The registered manager ensures that suitably experienced and skilled staff are employed in the home and makes appropriate checks of temporary staff. This prevents unsafe people from working with the young person.

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good

Staff respond sensitively when a young person is new to the home. The registered manager and staff ensure that, through regular assessment and review, all risks can be managed proportionately. For example, staff reduce the level of supervision required in the community as the assessed risks reduce and the positive relationship between the staff and young person develops.

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good

The young person says he feels safe and the environment he lives in is generally safe. He knows how to complain and staff have supported him to make complaints about his placing authority when he has not received consistent social work intervention. Visiting professionals’ identifications are not always checked before they are allowed to enter the home. This slightly weakens the home’s safeguarding practice.

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good

Staff are proactive in developing positive relationships with the police. They have regular contact with their local PCSO who has been able to develop a positive relationship with the young person. This promotes his safety in the community. Staff understand the response required should the young person go missing. In the last year there have been no incidents of the young person going missing reflecting the strong positive relationship’s he has developed with staff.

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good

Staff provide consistent boundaries for the young person. They are developing as a team and are committed to sharing their skills and knowledge of the young person to ensure he complies with boundaries agreed by his family and placing authority. For example, they understand the risks associated with use of the internet and introduce parameters regarding e-safety.

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good

Staff support the young person to develop skills in managing his own behaviour. As a result, he has not needed to be restrained within the home and has been able to walk away from incidents of aggression towards him at school.

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good

Staff understand child protection procedures, including those to be followed when there are allegations against staff, and respond to any issues appropriately. They keep Ofsted informed of any significant incidents so that any patterns can be evaluated by the regulator.

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good

The home is managed by a suitably experienced and skilled registered manager. He has been the registered manager for two years and holds the level five diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. He has addressed the regulatory requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection.

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good

The registered manager ensures that the home is operated in line with the statement of purpose to provide a ‘nurturing and accepting environment’. Staff understand this and develop positive relationships with the young person to maximise his potential.

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good

The registered manager prioritises the needs of the young person at all times. He is robust in his challenges to placing authorities when the young person’s needs are not being meet. He works effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team maximising outcomes for the young person.

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good

He has a clear understanding of the progress which the young person is making across all areas of his care plan. Regular reviews of plans and assessments ensure that the young person is aware of his progress and this is reflected in his risk assessments and consequently his care. This ensures he is able to take age appropriate risks within safe boundaries.

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good

The registered manager provides a supportive environment and staff feel valued. He has ensured that all those who work in the home are appropriately inducted. Staff benefit from receiving training which reflects their role caring for young people with complex needs. The registered manager understands their need for continual professional development and seeks out training which will strengthen the staff team’s skills. For example, in understanding the impact of loss and in restorative justice.

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good

The registered manager is aware of the team’s strengths and weaknesses. He has started to take action to address previous instability in the staff team. This includes reducing the numerous use of agency and temporary staff to cover staff shortages. This has helped to develop a core staff team, however, this is in it’s infancy with more changes ahead which leaves maintaining the continuity of care an ongoing risk.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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