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:

 Robust missing from care protocols, and young people’s developing awareness about promoting their own safety, mean that they are at less risk of child sexual exploitation.  High-quality relationships with staff result in young people making meaningful attachments and trusting relationships.  Young people enjoy extended and safer family contact since living at this home.  Self-injurious behaviours reduce due to staff interventions and positive relationships.  Young people feel listened to and valued because the manager respects their views and resolves their complaints.  Young people improve their education attendance and look forward to taking their GCSEs this year.  Leadership is strong and strategic with significant improvement since the last full inspection. There are no shortfalls identified at this visit.

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned home is registered for three children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The statement of purpose details the age range of children and young people from 8 to 17 years of age.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10 February 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

5 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people have good experiences and make significant progress across all aspects of their lives. Relationships are high quality, and staff understand and promote the importance of making attachments and relationships with young people. The young people grow in self-esteem and confidence and are more able to articulate their emotions and views as a result of relationships with staff. The care-planning shows good collaborative work with the placing authority and results in good progress for young people. Social workers have a very positive view of safeguarding outcomes, and one said, ‘Staff bend over backwards for the young person, who has brilliant relationships with the staff, especially her key worker.’ Young people are significantly safer as a result of living at this home. For example, robust risk management and positive relationships with staff help young people to reduce self-injurious behaviours. They say that talking with staff helps them to

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Good

determine their moods and to accept practical strategies so that they do not self- harm. Young people develop greater emotional resilience due to the strong attachments with staff. They greatly value being able to talk about family connections and experiences. Greater confidence and understanding result in safer, better-quality and renewed contact with family members. Regular health checks and staff input about healthy eating and exercise ensure that young people enjoy good health. Shopping and cooking with staff lead to a growing awareness about a healthy and balanced diet. Activity planners include regular outings to local parks. Young people say that walking and talking promote their good physical and emotional health. A positive sense of safety and trusting relationships promote young people’s mental and emotional health. They feel understood because staff have good insight into young people’s backgrounds and emotional development. Staff pay

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Good

good attention to detail, so that quality of care is individual and meaningful to young people. This insight is essential in understanding and rectifying young people’s disconnection with education and in promoting positive family contact. Detailed and reflective records give good insight into young people’s experiences and their views. Staff write about young people positively and clearly, and young people understand what they are working towards. They receive meaningful feedback including areas to improve and progress, through high-quality key- working sessions. Young people also provide monthly feedback to the manager about their care, wishes and feelings. Young people grow in self-esteem because the manager listens to and addresses their concerns. For example, he values young people’s strong relationships with core staff, particularly their keyworkers. Young people have a far greater sense of permanency as a result of action taken in response to their complaints.

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Good

This home makes a difference because safety from child sexual exploitation and improvements in education now mean that young people can look forward to returning to their home location. Their greater sense of maturity means that they can realistically look forward to living independently, attending college and being close to their family members. Young people live in a safe and well-designed home that meets their needs. They say that the physical surroundings and the conduct of staff make the house very homely. Regular team meeting discussion on safeguarding and health and safety ensures that all staff take responsibility for keeping young people and themselves safe.

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Good

Young people are safer and well cared for due to a good care and safeguarding framework. Care-planning places the welfare and safety of young people at the centre of practice in the home. Their needs are initially brought together in a short summary through which staff can identify young people’s key risks and welfare factors. This very useful document gives staff a very clear focus for their day-to-day practice and support for young people. Young people are safe due to robust implementation of going missing protocols. Individual management plans about going missing and other risks, such as self- harm, aggressive behaviours, substance use and family contact, ensure that clear strategies are in place and consistently implemented to keep young people safe.

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Good

Rigorous staff practice and working partnerships with education, police, and the placing authority effectively manage young people’s behaviour and safety. Meaningful review and realistic risk management promote young people’s welfare and development. There is a good balance between managing risks, such as that of child sexual exploitation and the benefits of safely exploring responsibilities and independent activities. For example, young people who were at significant risk of child sexual exploitation now manage their own free time. They have the trust of staff over the use of a mobile phone and safely return home without gravitating towards previous associations with child exploitation. Robust risk management and positive relationships with staff reduce self-injurious behaviours. Talking with staff helps young people to determine their moods and to use practical strategies so that they do not self-harm.

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Good

Behaviour improves, and young people grow in self-esteem because they value the rewards that they receive when they do well. They enjoy treats such as beauty treatments. They grow in maturity because they earn trust and more free time. Boundaries are consistently implemented, and young people understand that going missing and abuse of free time are not appropriate. They accept sanctions, such as suspended spending money and reduced free time, as being fair. Sanctions are now seldom used, as young people grow in maturity and make progress. Lack of the use of physical interventions demonstrates the improvements that young people make in their behaviours and in risks to their safety. Records are accountable and show that any physical interventions are used only as a last resort and only to keep young people safe. There are no current concerns about bullying at the home. Compatibility assessment places the potential for bullying as high priority and promotes young

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Good

people’s safety and sense of well-being. Robust medication procedures protect young people’s medical and health needs.

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Good

The registered manager has managed this home since September 2015. He has good experience and is suitably qualified with a level 5 diploma in management. The majority of staff are either qualified or about to complete the level 3 diploma in caring for children in a residential setting. The manager effectively drives improvement, and the statutory requirement from the previous inspection is met. Significant improvements in the arrangements for young people’s education mean that the registered manager and staff meet the home’s statement of purpose. Staff are keen to look at and enable young people to navigate obstacles to learning. Their attendance is improved since the last inspection. Improved structures within the home support young people’s sometimes reduced attendance. Weekly plans for homework, revision and education trips promote good opportunities for young people to learn and to take their five GCSE exams.

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Good

The registered manager continues to drive improvement in promoting education across the care-planning framework. A new education plan holds young people’s learning as a high priority. Individualised assessment promotes early intervention, and greater partnership working promotes more effective engagement with education agencies. Young people can now engage with learning immediately on arrival at the home. Clear and robust referral processes ensure the ongoing stability to the home. Compatibility assessment is effective, thorough and robust. While the process is yet to be tested under this registered manager’s appointment, the manager and staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the importance of matching new young people to the home. They also have a positive network of working partnerships to ensure that young people’s safety and welfare needs can be met directly on admission. Staffing arrangements meet the needs of the young people. The manager and staff

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Good

effectively provide stability for young people during a period of some management changes. Staff promotion from within the home gives young people a good sense of permanency and maintains the very important working relationships between staff and young people. Regular core training supports the competency of staff. Additional training, specifically relevant to the young people living at the home, promotes a good quality of care. For example, staff training in self-injurious behaviours, substance use and mental health awareness have a positive impact on young people. They successfully address these risks and improve their emotional health and behaviour. Teamwork is strong, and staff meetings are used as a key focus in organising staff practice, evaluating outcomes and focusing on consistent care. Social worker comments include, ‘The staff are fab at communicating. It couldn’t be better − telephone calls, emails and a weekly chronology. My young person may be living

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Good

away from her home location, but I get to know what the young person is doing on a day-to-day basis.’ The manager drives further improvement with developments in supervision. The staff team grows in cohesiveness as the manager enables staff to evaluate their skills and the impact of their practice. They are keen contributors to improving the home. For example, staff comments include, ‘It is not just about what we do but how we do it and how we might do it better.’ There are no requirements or recommendations, because monitoring is robust, focused and maintains a good quality of care and outcomes for young people.

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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, 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 children looked after 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 that 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 whom 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’. 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

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.

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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