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 registered manager provides strong, supportive leadership to the staff team. The care staff say that he leads by example, is approachable and genuinely cares about the young people.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The two young people who have lived in this home for over two years thrive on the nurturing support and guidance they receive from staff. The manager and staff are child focused, highly committed and enthusiastic. They strive to improve the good quality of care they already provide to young people. Young people’s individual experiences and achieving success are priorities to staff.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The home presents as a lived-in family home. It is warm, welcoming and comfortable. The quality of furniture and decoration is good. Young people are involved in making decisions on large projects, such as developing the outdoor garden areas. An area of decking now provides young people and staff with an alfresco dining space that they enjoy using.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Both young people have made good progress in a wide range of areas. One young person has recently completed her GCSE exams and has secured a college placement. The second young person has successfully completed her theory driving test and is taking driving lessons. Both young people are developing their independence skills, and their confidence and sense of self- worth have improved significantly as a result.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The young people are actively supported by staff to participate in their local community. Young people have donated clothes and other items to charity. In addition, they take their home-grown garden produce to the local food bank. This helps the young people to develop empathy for others and understand wider economic issues.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 The care staff say that the views, wishes and feelings of young people are very important to them. They said that they consult the young people throughout the day. More formal consultation systems are in place, but have not been used for a considerable time. Staff consider the young people’s responses to access their emotional well-being, which enables them to respond and provide direct support.

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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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The leadership and management standard

13. (2) In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must: (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (ii) feedback on the experiences of children. This is with specific reference to further improving the use of formal processes for gathering young people’s views and demonstrating how these have been used to improve the quality of care. 01/09/2016

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a privately owned care company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for two children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or a learning disability. 

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Strong relationships between staff and young people are evident. Relationships are respectful, warm and valued. Overall, young people benefit from a stable team of committed, enthusiastic staff, the majority of whom are very experienced and hold the relevant childcare qualifications. In recent months, some of the core staff have been redeployed to cover vacancies within other homes. This has not negatively impacted on the young people to date. The manager has raised his concerns with senior managers about this approach in order to seek to improve the situation.

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Good

Both young people have made good progress as a result of living at this home. One young person has secured a college placement, while another young person is taking driving lessons that will enhance her independence. Staff have high aspirations for the young people. They encourage both young people to embrace all the opportunities available to them and encourage discussions that focus on aspirations and desires. For example, when the young people ask whether friends can visit the home or request free time to meet their friends, the manager encourages them to have fun with friends and collect as many positive memories as they can. As a result, the young people keep themselves safe and have not engaged in any risk-taking activities. Their self-discipline and decision making is commendable.

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Good

The registered manager and staff team have created a welcoming home for the young people to live in. It is clearly the young people’s home and their belongings are apparent throughout the house and not only confined to their bedrooms. As a result, they are comfortable and relaxed in their surroundings. In addition, they enjoy spending time with the three new ducklings that are considered to be, and are looked after, as three new family members. Young people are successfully prepared for adulthood. They work on their independence skills, such as using public services to complete the weekly grocery shop. One young person in particular is thriving on being able to plan, shop and cook her own meals and is thoroughly enjoying spending free time socialising with friends. Young people are strongly supported to maintain regular contact with family members. One parent said: ‘The care provided is great, the deputy manager

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Good

in particular maintains good, honest and frequent contact with me. I am supported by the team with any decisions I make’. Staff talk every day with the young people. These discussions inform staff of how the young people are feeling and the state of their emotional well-being. Being able to make choices is commonplace in conversations and staff do their best to facilitate young people’s wishes, within reason. Weekly house meetings take place to allow young people to express their preferred choice of activity and menus, and to discuss what has gone well and make any personal requests. However, consideration has not been given to using formal consultation systems to enable young people to develop the future of the home.

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Good

Since the previous inspection in March 2016, there have been no recorded child protection concerns, missing from home episodes, physical interventions or major sanctions imposed. Young people say that they know how to make a complaint, but do not need to. The manager and staff team are competent in their knowledge of the home’s safeguarding procedures and manage unwanted behaviour well. Staff genuinely care about young people and build respectful, strong and trusting relationships. Young people respond positively to this approach. They feel safe and secure in their home. Staff have a positive approach to young people and use effective strategies that help young people when they are angry or feeling frustrated. Staff consistently apply rules and boundaries in a caring and calm manner. Staff know and understand the young people very well, which enables them to divert and distract young people to prevent potential difficulties.

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Good

The manager regularly considers environmental and social risks that may impact on the young people’s safety. The home’s locality risk assessment is informative and regularly reviewed, and assesses risks within the wider community. This includes response times and the operational times of emergency services. All newly appointed staff are assessed for their suitability. A comprehensive induction programme is provided, which means that they are well supported and receive the appropriate level of training and guidance to undertake their role as a carer. All staff have a good understanding of child protection and how to safeguard the young people they are caring for. A parent said: ‘There have been issues with my daughter spending too much time on the internet. The staff are monitoring her usage so there is a healthy balance’. The registered manager maintains strong links with the police and local authority

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Good

designated officers for child protection as well as the placing authority safeguarding agencies.

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Good

The registered manager is experienced and well qualified. He provides strong and consistent leadership. He is well supported by an experienced and qualified assistant manager. Together they are successful in supporting, guiding and developing the staff team, whose members value their accessibility and support. Morale is good, sickness levels are low and staff retention is exceptionally good. This means that the continuity of care provided to the young people is good. The young people are at the centre of staff practice. The care team shares the manager’s child-focused approach. They are highly committed, enthusiastic and reflective. A member of staff said that they look forward to inspections as they see this as an opportunity to receive guidance on how they can further improve the quality of care they provide to the young people. Another member of staff evaluated what they felt was good about the home, and said: ‘We are a team who

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Good

work together well. It doesn’t matter who you work with because we are consistent in our approach when working with the girls. The manager and deputy are very supportive; they work alongside us and do not ask us to do anything that they are not prepared to do themselves’. Team meetings are well attended, and discussions are focused on the needs and behaviours of the young people. Staff share young people’s achievements, and review patterns and trends in behaviours. Staff receive regular supervision that is focused and reflects the quality of care given to the young people. The training programme is good and ensures that the staff have the skills required to meet the needs of young people. The home’s development plan is effectively implemented. The recent garden project and the introduction of a duck pen and three ducklings are testament to the manager’s effective implementation of this plan. The manager demonstrates a

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Good

robust understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the service and is quick to address any weaknesses. Effective monitoring systems are in place and provide the manager with good oversight of the day-to-day experiences young people have.

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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 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 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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