Children's home run by Crossway Services Limited in Liverpool

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:

 The young person is making measurable progress across all areas of her life.  The young person said that staff are approachable and caring, and that they listen. Therefore, she is able to discuss any concerns, thoughts or issues that she may have. A professional said, ‘I think she is so settled because there is a stable staff team that she knows well. She describes them as family.’  There is good continuity of support provided to young people. For example, all safeguarding incidents are robustly reported, and the home is instrumental in ensuring that strategy, planning, educational and health meetings take place. This means that all professionals are kept informed, and that they are working towards agreed goals and outcomes.  The young person is making exceptional progress in school. This is reflected in her being allocated to sit the higher exam papers in all subjects. This has been made possible because the staff work closely with her teachers and

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The children's home provision is good because:

they all work to agreed plans and strategies.  Preparations are being made for the young person to meet her mother for the first time. This includes having photographs of her mother and being prepared emotionally.  A professional described the home as warm, welcoming and friendly. She said that communication with the home is very good, that they are aware of all essential information and are kept up to date.  There is a long standing registered manager in place who has the welfare of the young person at the heart of his practice. Some shortfalls were identified within the robustness of the paperwork in the home. For example, he has neither evaluated the location risk assessment , undertaken a risk assessment on a member of staff who is pregnant, not looked for trends and patterns within documentation, updated the training matrix, nor addressed all verbal complaints formally. These shortfalls are not currently

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The children's home provision is good because:

impacting on the good outcomes for the young person, but have the potential to do so.

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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 ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation (Regulation 39(3)). 30 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

(2) In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure— (a) that staff— (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to having a robust risk assessment in place when staff undertake lone work with children while pregnant. 30 June 2016

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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

 The registered person must ensure that any review of the location includes the identification of risks and opportunities presented by the home's location and strategies for managing these.

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Recommendations

This is specifically in relation to evaluating crime statistics and the implications on admissions to the home (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1).

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Recommendations

 The Regulation 45 report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months and how those actions will be assessed.

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Recommendations

This is to include trends and patterns within the home's recording systems (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan. This should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working in the home (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8).

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children’s home can accommodate one young person with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

2 February 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11 February 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

The young person has been at this home for a number of years and has made good progress from her starting points. The young person said that this was a good home where she is happy and settled. She proudly said, ‘I am doing really well and I like being here.’ A professional said, ‘The progress she has made is remarkable and she is moving on with her life.’ She continued to say, ‘I have recently discussed future plans with …. (name of young person) such as fostering, but she said no, because staff at this home are like her family.’

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Good

The young person attends mainstream school. Staff work closely with her teachers to ensure that they are all working towards the same agreed plans and strategies. For example, if the young person receives a detention she is not allowed to have access to the Internet that evening. This has been effective and her detentions have been significantly reduced. The young person said, ‘I have been working extremely hard because I wanted to get into the higher sets in school.’ At a recent parents evening she was told that she had achieved this. She said, ‘I am so excited and proud of myself, and I can now sit the higher exam papers.’ Staff celebrated this by purchasing new make-up and books for her. A professional said, ‘How fantastic is this?’ The young person is an avid reader and has received several certificates for reading and being star pupil of the week. She also attends her personal education meetings, so she is aware of areas to focus on for

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Good

improvement. Staff assist her by ensuring that she completes her homework. They offer assistance when they can. One said, ‘She has gone past my level in maths and she has just shown me how to do fraction wraps, so I am learning from her.’ The young person said that she was unsure of what she wanted to do as a career, but wants good grades so that she will be able to have a choice.

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Good

The young person sees her sister on a regular basis, and they enjoy going out on activities together. This means that they can continue to build their relationship with each other. Over the years, the young person has requested to see her mother, but professionals involved in her life did not believe that this would be beneficial to her. At a recent review this was discussed again and all professionals agreed that, because of the progress, stability and maturity that the young person has shown, they could now proceed with this. Staff and professionals have ensured that good planning is in place prior to them meeting. The young person has received photographs of her mother. She said, ‘I think I look like her and I cannot wait.’ To help the young person to cope with this emotive event, staff have made a referral to the children’s mental health team so that she can receive additional support with her emotional health, if necessary. Good contact plans explicitly show

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Good

any restrictions to contact which have been notified by the placing authority. This ensures that young people are protected from unsuitable adults.

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Good

The young person receives good support and advice on all aspects of her health. She attends all appointments when necessary. The young person eats a balanced, healthy diet, but does not like exercising. Past incentives have not worked, such as having a gym pass. Therefore, staff are encouraging her to do more strenuous activities such as trampolining, and walking to the shops rather than going by car. This means that she will increase her fitness while having fun. All staff hold a first aid qualification and are trained in dispensing medication. This means that the young person would receive her medication in line with the prescription, if required.

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Good

The young person said that she knew how to raise an issue or complaint, and had recently done so. She was unhappy that the manager would not let her stay overnight at her friend’s house and thought this was because of her sexual identity. The good procedures in place ensured that another manager from the company investigated the complaint. The young person agreed that she had not recently approached the manager on this subject, but had been told no last year and assumed that this was still the case. As a result, she is happy that the manager and her social worker will discuss this issue and let her know. This shows that young people’s concerns are taken seriously and that they are satisfied with the outcome. She continued to say that she could identify different staff to talk to if she had a concern, and was confident that they would listen and respond quickly. She was also able to identify several independent people, such as Ofsted,

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Good

her social worker, advocate and the independent visitor, whom she could raise any concerns with, if needed.

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Good

The young person is offered a range of activities, which include going ice-skating with her sister, bowling with her independent visitor and to the cinema with her friends. She likes visiting museums and shopping for clothes with staff. She said, ‘I have made lots of friends and we often go out after school to the shops or the local park. I go to their homes and they come to mine. It’s great.’ This shows that young people have a range of opportunities and that significant people are included. This means that relationships are supported and that the young person is involved in the community.

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Good

The home is nicely decorated, and all maintenance issues are dealt with quickly. The young person has been involved in decorating the home and her bedroom. She displays her photographs and artwork around the home. This shows that she is comfortable in her surroundings. Judgement grade

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Good

The young person said that she felt safe and well cared for at this home. She talked about the good advice that she was given to help keep herself safe in the community. In the past, concerns were raised around her being at risk of child sexual exploitation when accessing the Internet. Therefore, she was being fully supervised when online. However, due to her increasing progress and maturity, this is being reassessed. A member of staff said, ‘We are aware that she can access the Internet through friend’s mobiles or at places within the community. Also, this technology is now part of normal life and she needs to understand how to use it safely. We are putting together a package of support which will include her doing some online training, assessing her understanding and being time- limited.’ This shows that the home is not risk averse, and that good plans are in place to allow the young person to do this safely.

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Good

Care plans and placement plans clearly identify individual needs, daily living, routines, concerns and risks. These are incorporated into the young person’s behaviour management plan. This ensures that staff are able to work consistently with the young person, and that the young person receives the same responses. Therefore, the young person understands what is acceptable behaviour and the consequences of negative behaviour. These plans are routinely reviewed in staff meetings to ensure that they are current and are updated regularly. Staff discuss expectations with the young person, who is given the opportunity to make things right through restorative practice. For example, they have written letters of apology when they have been disrespectful to staff. Staff say that this gives young people the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour and to make things right. They also involve young people in exploring what staff or what they could have done

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Good

differently to manage their behaviour. The manager said, ‘We often find that reflecting on the incident rather than putting in negative consequences works better.’ Incentive and reward schemes work well at this home. The young person can earn additional books, major activities, personal items and beauty treatments, depending on their choice. This has led to improvements in their behaviour, attendance at education and inclusion in daily routines.

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Good

Effective and meaningful partnerships between the home, police and other safeguarding professionals promote young people’s safety and welfare. Staff spoken with during the inspection fully discussed their roles and responsibilities in ensuring that young people are safe and the procedures to follow. A professional said that the home and its manager communicate effectively with them, that they often instigate strategy or planning meetings, and that they are fully informed of any incident or concern immediately. Therefore, they had confidence that all appropriate action is taken to safeguard young people fully. Young people have not been restrained at this home. Staff are well trained, should an incident occur that requires a young person, for their safety, to be held.

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Good

The young person has not been reported missing from this home. Staff continue to keep their knowledge updated in this area through discussions within the staff team. The home has the local missing from home protocol from the police in place. A robust risk assessment identifies the vulnerabilities of the young person and the action to take if an incident were to occur.

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Good

A permanent staff team is in place. This ensures that the young person receives continuity of care from staff who know her well. Staff pride themselves on these relationships, in that they have worked closely together to improve outcomes for the young person. The young person said, ‘Staff are great. We get on well together and I can talk to them about anything.’ A professional said, ‘The stability of this staff team means that she has made excellent relationships and this is evident in the excellent progress that she is making.’ She continued to say, ‘I have recently discussed future plans with her, but she is adamant that she wants to stay here because the staff are like family to her.’ However, one member of staff is pregnant, but the manager has not identified any risks to her or the young person. This does not ensure that there are good plans in place that show what action should be taken in the event of an emergency. This does not fully safeguard everyone.

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Good

All certificates for renewing items and ensuring that the items are safe are routinely completed. Staff and young people take part in monthly fire evacuations to ensure that they can respond to an emergency safely, if necessary.

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Good

The manager was registered with Ofsted in 2004. He has the relevant qualifications and experience to lead a staff group and to manage the home. He also manages another one-bed home. He ensures that he spends equal periods of time at each home. He is supported by a well-qualified, experienced and trained staff team.

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Good

All staff are qualified in caring for young people. Staff report that good arrangements are in place to ensure that they receive monthly supervision, annual appraisals and development opportunities. They said that staff meetings are open forums to discuss young people’s progress, practice issues, legislation and relevant topics that are highlighted in the social media. For example, staff have recently discussed Ofsted’s safeguarding policy on children and young people and vulnerable adults, against the protection of children quality standard. As a result, they are confident that their own practice, policies and procedures reflect these. In addition, this keeps their safeguarding training updated and refreshes their knowledge. The company has identified an experienced member of staff to oversee all mandatory training and to access additional training, if necessary. She has completed individual training matrices for all staff, and put together additional

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Good

questions for managers to test staff’s knowledge when completing online training. This means that staff are well supported in their role and have the skills to care for young people well. Staff receive regular training and this is refreshed regularly, but some staff’s training matrices have not been kept up to date. For example, one member of staff missed a training event due to sickness and has been allocated another date, but this has not been entered on the matrix. Some staff have undertaken training that has not been entered on the matrix. This means that records held in the home are not accurate.

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Good

Care plans and placement plans reflect the individual needs of the young person. They are updated regularly to reflect her changing needs. Reviews are held frequently and the young person said that she attends them. She said that she could influence her care plan and has regular opportunities to comment on her records. The manager prioritises the needs of the young person very well and has a clear understanding of the progress that she has made and the further help that she requires. He knows and understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home and incorporates these, and feedback from professionals, into the home’s development plan. The home is achieving its aims and objectives, as set out in its statement of purpose. There are good professional relationships between the home, families, placing and host authorities, independent reviewing officers, police, schools and health services. This ensures that there is the best possible all-round

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Good

support to the young person across all areas of her development.

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Good

In general, all formal complaints are actioned and addressed appropriately. However, the home has not formally addressed a verbal complaint from a member of the public. The manager did contact the person in question by telephone to find out the nature of the complaint, but she did not wish to pursue it with him and said she would speak with the social worker. The manager has not recorded this and, therefore, cannot demonstrate what action he has taken. This does not ensure that all complaints are taken seriously and that robust action is taken.

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Good

The home has a location risk assessment in place that identifies any immediate or potential risk to young people in the community. However, the document discusses crime statistics from 2013, even though it has the most recent information from the police. Further to this, it has not evaluated these statistics to show what the impact would be on any young person living here.

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Good

Regulation 44 visits are undertaken by an independent service. The manager has challenged the visitor previously around the content of the information supplied. He has seen a small improvement, but said, ‘They still need to improve further so they assist me to develop the home, and I am continuing to monitor them.’ The manager also completes a monthly audit of the quality of care within the home. However, he has not looked at whether there are any trends or patterns within the home’s records. For example, the young person sometimes receives detentions at school and the records could reflect whether this is on a certain day, with an identified teacher or subject, so that strategies could be put in place or action could be taken to address this. Also, the report does not show what actions are needed to develop or improve the home over the coming months.

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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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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.

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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 ‘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 0300 123 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, work- based 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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