Children's home run by Crossways Care Ltd in Tewkesbury

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 people have made very good progress in terms of education, personal safety and fewer serious incidents. External professionals are pleased with the home’s ability to help and support its young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff in this home provide good-quality, nurturing care which is tailored to each individual young person. The staff work hard to form warm, positive relationships with the young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The young people benefit from a wide range of activities to suit their interests and needs. Staff participation in activities has provided the young people with strong and effective role models.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The interim manager and staff have developed sound and productive relationships with parents and external professionals. Good communication helps to ensure that the young people receive consistent messages from each person involved in their care.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home is attractively and peacefully situated in open countryside within easy reach of good facilities for learning, sports and leisure activities. The home provides plenty of space to allow each young person to have privacy and a sense of security.

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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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12. The protection of children standard

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to ensuring that:

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12. The protection of children standard

 any safeguarding protocols agreed with other agencies comply with relevant statutory guidance (‘Working together to safeguard children’, HMSO 2015).  any allegation of harm or abuse is addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy.  compatibility risk assessments for the purpose of matching young people are readily accessible and on file.

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12. The protection of children standard

12.—(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s

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12. The protection of children standard

30 June 2016 child protection policies; (b) that 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; (c) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded; (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and (e) that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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13: The leadership and management standard

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to ensuring:

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13: The leadership and management standard

 that young people’s needs are matched to staff skills, and training is provided to fulfil any learning needs;  that training records are kept up to date to provide an accurate and effective management tool;  that placement plans reflect all of the young people’s needs and any changes in day-to-day arrangements;

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13: The leadership and management standard

the registered person must ensure that they enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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13: The leadership and management standard

(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 30 June 2016

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13: The leadership and management standard

48.—(1) If the person who is in day-to-day charge of the children's home proposes to be absent from the home for a continuous period of 28 days or more, the registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI of the proposed absence. 30 June 2016 (2) Except in the case of an emergency or unforeseen absence, a notice under paragraph (1) must— (a) be given no later than one month before the proposed absence commences, or within such shorter period as may be agreed with HMCI; and (b) specify with respect to the proposed absence— (i) its length or expected length; (ii) the reason for it; (iii) the arrangements which have been made for running the home during the absence (Regulation 48 (1)(2)). {an asterisk is added in the table above where Compliance = 'Y'} * These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Recommendation:

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendation:

Ensure that the company maintains good employment practice. The registered person must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, ensure that prospective employees record full information on the application form, including the months and years when their previous periods of employment started and ended. This enables the person responsible for auditing recruitment checks to establish whether there are any gaps in employment history (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality regulations’, page 51, paragraph 13.1).

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Information about this children's home

This independent children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people of either gender, who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a national provider of children’s services.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11 February 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

10 March 2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

The young people in the home receive high-quality, sensitive and responsive care from a caring and committed staff team. The stability and consistency of approach that the home provides have helped the young people to feel more secure and to start to self-regulate their behaviour. As a result, the staff and social workers agree that the young people’s progress and experiences are good in comparison with their starting points. Although there are shortfalls in safeguarding and leadership and management, to date these have had no direct impact on the overall experiences and progress of the young people.

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Good

One young person has only been resident for a few weeks, but has already begun to respond to a structured, activity-based programme and has also attended education every day. Previously, he had not been in school. This young person acknowledged that, because he now has strong and effective role models, he has not found it necessary to engage in the risk-taking and offending behaviour that marked his life prior to this placement.

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Good

Another young person has struggled to cope with education, but has now started to attend full time. This has helped her to improve her grades in a number of subjects. The young person is learning how to calm herself, which has reduced the number of incidents from nine a day, prior to admission, to occasional outbursts. Recently, there have been periods of up to two weeks with no incidents at all. Consequently, the number and frequency of physical interventions have also been reduced. The social worker said that this progress has enabled the young person to remain in this placement for longer than any previous open setting.

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Good

The home has worked well with the virtual head teacher and the head teacher of its own school to help re-establish young people in education. When there is an unexpected difficulty with attending, which happened during the inspection because the school was flooded, teachers provide the home’s staff with set work for the young people to complete. The staff help and encourage the young people to do so.

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Good

The young people have their own tablets and other IT equipment to support their learning and social development. Electronic communication is well monitored to ensure that contact with friends on social networking sites is appropriate and safe.

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Good

The young people are consulted on a daily basis about their care needs, including activities and menu planning. They meet each week with staff to talk about life in the home and have the opportunity to make any requests. They also receive frequent key-worker sessions which cover a range of subjects. The young people have access to their own staff, who listen to them and help them with any concerns. They understand how to make a complaint and each have an advocate.

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Good

Conversations with some young people showed that they understand that the home is helping them. They commented, ‘this is the best home.’ They like the staff team and were very protective towards it in terms of the home’s inspection.

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Good

The young people enjoy good health, and are registered with dentists, doctors and opticians to ensure that they receive regular checks. Young people’s sexual health needs are supported through the school’s tailored education programmes. The home’s managers and young people’s social workers have worked well with medical professionals to help to review some long-term residents’ healthcare needs. The staff ensure that young people have access to age-appropriate information to help them through their teenage years. Young people who require specialist intervention, for example from the child and adolescent mental health services and play therapists, are referred and supported to attend appointments as required.

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Good

Medication is safely stored and administered according to clear protocols. The medication administration record had not been signed on the morning of the inspection, but this was an isolated oversight. There is currently a medication review planned to help to counteract some young people’s adverse experiences with certain medicines.

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Good

The young people are given clear and structured care which helps them to make suitable choices about how to behave. The staff have a very good understanding of how some young people’s behaviour has developed. They use clear strategies to reduce incidents and manage any outbursts. One external professional commented that the staff’s commitment in continuing to care for young people, even though they have been physically harmed by them, has been valuable in demonstrating to the young people that the home is not going to give up on them.

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Good

Young people engage in a wide variety of fun activities with the staff. They have taken part in a shared trip to the cinema, which went well. Some young people enjoy playing pool, going to the skate-park, and to speedway and banger racing. These constructive and exciting activities have helped to fulfil their need for excitement, which previously led them to engage in high-risk, gang-related behaviours.

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Good

The young people are not yet ready for transition or independence plans. The staff are fully committed to helping and supporting them with their life skills, and work on an individual basis to encourage them to care for themselves. For example, one has started her life skills folder, has joined the library and opened a bank account. The home has admitted one new young person since the previous inspection. The process of introduction was careful and sensitive. The social worker commented positively on how well this was managed. When the young person was initially reluctant to come to the home, senior managers showed great flexibility and child- centred practice in how the introductions were managed. They visited the young person at home, and worked with parents and the social worker to help to make the transition as easy for him as possible.

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Good

The manager has a plan to update the children’s guide with more photographs. This was in response to a suggestion from the independent visitor. She understands the importance of young people retaining positive memories of the home. She keeps a journal for each young person and saves items to help them to remember exciting days out and pleasant experiences.

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Good

The young people are encouraged and supported to have positive contact with their parents and friends. Parents have been welcomed to the home, and one is to have an overnight stay. Young people have been able to participate in family holidays, with support from the staff team. This helps the young people to understand their role in the family and supports the development of their personal identities.

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Requires improvement

The home’s ability to help and protect young people requires improvement, because the managers have not demonstrated sufficient confidence and challenge in facing pressure from other agencies to modify child safeguarding procedures.

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Requires improvement

Some young people have experienced periods of extreme distress which have caused them to harm themselves, the staff and other professionals. Making allegations has sometimes been part of the pattern of this behaviour. The home responded to the young people correctly in every instance, but agreed to the introduction of a modified safeguarding protocol. Prior to the latest allegation, a multi-agency meeting concluded that a revised child protection protocol should be implemented for one young person. This would allow the home’s managers to determine whether or not an allegation was clearly untrue before escalating the matter to the local authority designated person. If the decision was made that the allegation might have some basis in fact, only then would the matter be reported to them. This is contrary to the government’s guidance in ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (2015).

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Requires improvement

The home’s interim manager decided to report the matter to the designated person, irrespective of the revised protocol, so it was not followed to the letter. The allegation was passed to the designated person three days after the incident. Although this was outside the prescribed timescale, it was at least reported.

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Requires improvement

There was limited impact from this particular instance, because the allegation was withdrawn. However, following the revised protocol to the letter is discriminatory, because it singles out certain individuals. By removing one of the essential checks and balances in the safeguarding system, there is also considerable potential to cause a genuine case of abuse to be overlooked.

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Requires improvement

During the inspection, the manager was unable to locate her compatibility risk assessment. She stated that the risks of admitting a new young person had been assessed but, this could not be evidenced. The document was produced after the inspection.

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Requires improvement

The manager has ensured that there are effective individual risk assessments in place for the young people’s personal needs, behaviours and activities. These provide the staff with detailed strategies to help them to manage behaviour and keep the young people safe.

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Requires improvement

The staff ensure that the young people live in a safe home which provides a good- quality, attractive and relaxing environment for them. Some areas of the home are awaiting repair and refurbishment, and the manager has a clear plan to progress this work. Health, safety and fire prevention checks have been completed at the recommended intervals to help to keep the young people safe.

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Requires improvement

Although they have not lived together for very long, there are signs that the young people are learning to accommodate each other’s behaviours. Some young people who went missing from previous placements no longer do so. Their personal risks have been reduced significantly since arriving at the home.

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Requires improvement

Staff and volunteers working with children and young people are subject to a careful selection process. The company has worked hard to resolve the regulatory shortfalls found in its recruitment processes. The files checked for this home show that recruitment information is now largely complete. The only residual weakness found was that some prospective staff have recorded their employment history in whole years, and not in months and years. Without challenge and further clarification, this leaves open the possibility that there are substantial gaps. A recommendation has been made.

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Requires improvement

The young people benefit from very clear boundaries and understand what is expected of them. The staff team works well together to promote positive behaviour and to ensure that there is a consistent approach to managing any incidents. The staff have received support from external professionals with specific expertise in self-harm and behaviour management to help to ensure that the staff’s responses optimise the young people’s chances of making progress. Physical intervention has been necessary for one young person, and has been managed in line with statutory guidance. The manager reviews all incidents and challenges staff practice when necessary. Young people have the opportunity to comment on incidents, and their views are recorded. The manager has identified increasing periods of time when there have been no incidents, or when the young people have managed to find their own strategies to calm down.

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Requires improvement

The leaders and managers have worked well with the police to identify patterns of behaviour and the most appropriate response. This has reduced the risk of young people facing criminal proceedings unnecessarily. The manager identified that, on occasion, some staff had resorted to calling the police prematurely, and this has now ceased.

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Requires improvement

The home requires improvement, because the registered manager left to take up a promotion without providing Ofsted with advance notice. His role at this home concluded on 31 March 2016, but he had not been in day-to-day control of the service for approximately six weeks before that date. A requirement has been made, because this is a breach of regulation.

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Requires improvement

The interim manager and staff have effective relationships with other agencies, but failed to challenge other professionals’ revision of safeguarding practices that did not comply with the home’s own policies or with ‘Working together to safeguard children’ (2015).

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Requires improvement

Case records, training records and management decision-making tools, such as compatibility risk assessments, have not all been completed accurately. For example:

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Requires improvement

 There were discrepancies in dates and a lack of attention to detail in the recording of one safeguarding incident. The interim manager amended the dates to provide a correct record during the inspection, but this may not have been picked up and resolved, had the inspector not pointed it out.

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Requires improvement

 Some young people’s cultural and religious background information has not been recorded.

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Requires improvement

 Recently, contact arrangements have been reviewed to enable a young person to communicate with family members by video link. This change in arrangements was recorded on some documents within the home, but was not reflected in the relevant section of the placement plan.

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Requires improvement

 Placement plans have not always been updated, for example with significant changes in body weight. It is important that staff have rapid access to accurate personal details to pass on to medical professionals if there is an emergency requiring prompt treatment.

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Requires improvement

 In addition, the manager was unable to locate an important risk assessment document, as discussed above.

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Requires improvement

There was a challenging transition period while the registered manager was away from the service, which may have had an impact on the quality of leadership and management. A requirement has been made under the leadership and management quality standard to encourage the service to look at ways to support the interim manager in her new role.

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Requires improvement

The requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection were made when the former registered manager was in post. The recommendations have been met.

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Requires improvement

The requirement under quality standard 6 has not been fully actioned. This stated that staff must receive specific training to meet the young people’s identified needs. Some training has been organised, but there are still some deficits. For example, good-quality training in attachment has been organised for the week following this inspection, but not all of the staff have been trained in understanding self-harm, which is another important area of need.

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Requires improvement

The interim manager was unclear about the action that she needed to take to meet the regulation. Discussion took place during the inspection about the need to identify the young people’s assessed needs and match them to staff skills. Where there are deficits, the staff must be trained so that they can meet those needs.

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Requires improvement

In addition, training records are incomplete. They do not, for example, record the manager’s degree-level qualification, or the fact that she is one of the team members who has received training in self-harm. Inaccuracy limits the value of these records as a management tool.

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Requires improvement

There are several references in the statement of purpose to previous legislation that has not been in place since March 2015. The manager undertook to amend these errors after the inspection, and the document was submitted to Ofsted as required by regulation, so no requirement has been made.

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Requires improvement

The company has appointed a manager internally. At the time of the inspection, she had not submitted an application to Ofsted, but stated that she intends to do so. The new manager has a bachelors’ degree in early years and education. She also holds a national vocational qualification at level 3 in the care of children and young people.

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Requires improvement

The interim manager’s previous management experience is in early years provision, and as a deputy manager in several children’s homes within this company. She does not hold a level 4 or 5 qualification in leadership and management, but says that she believes her degree to be equivalent. The inspector has requested evidence to demonstrate this.

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Requires improvement

The home’s staff and managers work well with other agencies and, if necessary, call multi-professional meetings to find a solution to specific difficulties with the young people’s placements and threats to their safety.

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Requires improvement

Leaders and managers have forged strong relationships with other agencies and professionals to help to promote good-quality care for the young people. Social workers praised their communication and commitment to improving the young people’s life chances. They confirmed that good progress has been made since the young people arrived in the home. All notifications to Ofsted have been made in a timely manner, and the interim manager was responsive to suggestions made during the inspection to improve the service further.

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Requires improvement

The manager ensures that all staff members receive monthly supervision. Some sessions are completed by one of the company’s senior childcare professionals, who supports the registered managers and helps out where she can. There are regular staff meetings to support effective team building and consistent practice.

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Requires improvement

The home has a statement of purpose that is effective and provides sufficient information about the service to inform parents and relevant professionals. The aims and objectives set out in this document are broadly met by the service. The statement of purpose has been updated with the changes to the management team, and was sent to Ofsted at the inspector’s request.

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Requires improvement

Progress made since the previous inspection includes the provision of professional consultation sessions with a qualified mental health practitioner, who can provide appropriate strategies for helping young people with their behaviour. The home has also acted to replace the damaged cooker, and continues to work on providing a healthy, well-balanced diet for the 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 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

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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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