Children's home run by Crystal Care Solutions Limited in Cheshire East

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the registered manager and staff continue to provide good quality and consistent care to young people. One young person has moved into the home since the last inspection. He says he was made to feel welcome and staff bought him a box of chocolates and a card when he arrived. Assessments around the matching of young people are robust. Young people say they have positive relationships with their peers; they go on activities together such as go karting. Young people enjoy warm, caring and positive relationships with the staff. Staff know the young people and they use their relationships to support young people and to help them. A social worker said: ‘My young person has a good rapport with staff. He hasn’t had the big blow outs of behaviour as staff try to understand him’. Staff continue to promote young people’s education. Whilst some young people’s attendance and engagement within college is excellent; some young people have

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

struggled to engage. Staff are proactive in working with colleges to try to provide the support that young people may need to re-engage. Staff work in partnership with agencies such as connexions to provide young people with careers options for the future. Young people continue to receive good quality individualised care. Behaviour management plans are personalised and young people are involved with them. They review them with staff and staff complete in depth and frequent key working sessions with young people, in line with their care plan recommendations. Staff talk openly to young people about their risks, behaviours and what support they need. Staff continue to promote young people’s safety. Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in risk taking incidents for some young people, such as going missing and substance misuse. Staff continue to be proactive in managing occasions when young people go missing. For example, staff look for young people

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

through the night if they do not return. Staff have established and have positive relationships with the local police team and there is effective partnership working to manage young people’s risks. However, there is not always clear guidance about what situations staff are to follow young people to try to prevent them from engaging in risk taking incidents. For example, if young people return under the influence of substances and then wish to leave the home again. Young people receive return interviews after they have been missing and the registered manager incorporates any relevant information from them into young people’s risk management plans. A social worker said: ‘The staff support my young person with college and just getting him to go is a huge achievement. If he is missing they go out and search for him whatever time of night. Their communication has been excellent’. Young people’s behaviour in the home is well managed. As a result,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

there have not been any physical interventions or significant incidents of aggression or violence in the home since the last inspection. Partnership working is good. The registered manager and staff work collaboratively with a wide range of agencies, such as police, youth offending services and parents. This promotes the young people’s progress and provides young people with wide range of support services. However, there is not always clear guidance in conjunction with placing authorities regarding other support for young people around issues such as substance misuse, if young people choose not to engage with the formal support that is available. Since the last inspection, the manager has completed his registration with Ofsted and is now the registered manager of the home. He continues to be a proactive and child focused manager. Management oversight continues to be good and staff say that the supervision they receive is of good quality. The registered manager is

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

creative in how he supports young people. For example, he has written to a young person’s doctor to request substance misuse support and he has arranged for the youth offending service to come into the home so as to promote the young person’s engagement. The registered manager has met the requirements from the last inspection.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children’s home, registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/03/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that when a child needs additional health or well-being support, staff work with the child’s placing authority to enable proper and immediate access to any specialist medical, psychological or psychiatric support required (The Guide to the Quality Standards, Page 34, Paragraph 7.10).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children’s home staff take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the individual child’s needs about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action. Staff should discuss the decision with the child’s placing authority where appropriate. If a child makes a choice that would place them or another person at significant risk of harm, staff should assist them to understand the risks and manage their risk taking behaviour to keep themselves and others safe (The Guide to the Quality Standards, Page 42, Paragraph 9.7).

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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