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:

 Young people experience highly individualised care. This gives them a good sense of belonging when they are separated from and miss their families.  Safeguarding protocols are robust. There are no concerns about missing from care or child sexual exploitation at this home.  Young people feel listened to and valued, because the manager respects their views and resolves their complaints.  The manager and staff work collaboratively with parents and the placing authority to manage complex risks so that young people benefit from safe contact with family members.  Young people grow in maturity, because staff have respect for their previous experiences and implement strategies to promote safety, both inside and outside the home.  Leadership is strong and strategic, and drives consistent development and improvement. 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 one young person with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

10/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

This home is judged as good, because young people make good progress across all aspects of their lives. Young people appreciate the help and support that they receive from staff. While they are frustrated by high levels of supervision, they also acknowledge that this is a result of placing authority decisions. Staff support for young people to attend school results in excellent attendance, and young people are ready to achieve their set academic targets. Staff rewards for attendance and achievement help young people to understand the importance of education and builds their self-esteem. Young people say that the range of activities on offer contributes to building good relationships with staff, keeps them positively occupied and builds their confidence. They build an array of interests and skills. For example, photos within the home clearly show going fishing with staff as a favourite pastime, and their success in

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Good

carp fishing. Improvements in behaviour can be seen as young people manage their behaviour well. They have far greater ability to manage the challenges of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with less conflict and better relationships in the home, at school and with family members. Young people maintain positive relationships with family members and enjoy extended family contact, because staff support safe and appropriate contact. Young people now look forward to returning home. They eagerly embark on this transition with more maturity and ongoing support from staff, as the manager works collaboratively with the placing authority and parents. Regular health checks and staff encouragement to eat healthily and exercise well promote young people’s good health. Staff support a range of physical activities, such as football and boxing, to promote good health. Young people’s progress in maintaining personal hygiene and their own physical environment means that they

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Good

are more able to promote their own health and have better self-confidence. Staff’s high regard for young people’s mental and emotional health supports young people to express their emotions and receive relevant medication. Staff have good insight into and explore the reasons for their behaviour, in order to provide the most effective strategies. Their understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and possible traits of autism enable effective communication and more stable behaviour for young people. Robust medication procedures and liaison with child and adolescent mental health agencies protect young people’s medical and health needs. Young people mature and develop good social skills, because their views are valued by the manager and staff. Inclusion and participation of young people in their placements and the running of the home are integral features of this service. For example, young people are able to discuss the allocation of their key worker.

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Good

Staff also value an independent voice for young people. They have been integral in arranging independent advocacy. This is now essential in young people’s management of plans and timescales for their transition home. Improvements such as new decor and the maintenance of the garden contribute to a more homely environment. The manager acknowledges the need for further improvement and has good practical development plans in place.

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Good

Safeguarding is robust and rigorous. There have been no child protection or missing from care concerns since the last inspection, or over young people’s lengthy placements at this home. There are no concerns about bullying at the home. The care planning framework is effective, comprehensive and places safety and emotional welfare at the forefront of young people’s support packages. The manager and staff are strategic in information sharing and ensuring that plans meet the needs of young people and the placing authority’s requirements. This child-centred and collaborative approach to care planning ensures that individuals are safe and that young people reach their potential. Staff have good understanding of safeguarding procedures within the home, and constant vigilance and supervision is a requirement. Safeguarding protocols, inter- agency liaison and staff practice respond effectively to the risks and vulnerability of

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Good

young people. Recording is of very high quality and demonstrates the importance that staff place on safeguarding and caring for young people. Their skills in relationship building and working alongside young people make an essential contribution to the safety of young people and others. While staff are able to meet safeguarding requirements, they are also skilled at putting young people at ease with a child-centred approach. Risk is well managed and strategies are adapted as risks change. These adaptations give an effective balance to managing potential danger and behaviour, and enabling young people to pursue more independent activities, such as family contact. Behaviour management plans are detailed and again place the young person at the centre of staff practice. Attention to detail is excellent and strategies connect across all aspects of young people’s lives, including education arrangements, use

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Good

of mobile phones and internet, and accessing the local and wider community. The absence of the use of physical interventions demonstrates the success of the positive behaviour management and the improvements that young people make in their behaviours. Behaviour management procedures and staff practice fully reinforce that physical interventions are used only as a last resort and to keep young people safe. Young people improve behaviour and have a greater understanding of growing up, due to the strong and realistic boundaries in the home. Young people enjoy receiving rewards in terms of financial gain. They now realise that money is not a direct right, but has to be earned through positive behaviour and consistent school attendance. Young people also receive additional activity money and staff are clear that this money must be spent on hobbies and trips out that will provide them with new opportunities and experiences. Young people now spend time with their key

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Good

worker to share ideas about activities and budgeting, for example a trip to Liverpool, a visit to a premiership football match and a trip to Thorpe Park. Effective risk assessment, management and staff diligence also mean that young people are able to go on holiday away from the home, with staff support. A high regard for health and safety ensures that all staff take responsibility for keeping young people and themselves safe.

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Good

The recently registered manager has managed this home since April 2016. She has good experience and is suitably qualified with a level 4 qualification in management. The manager’s constant drive for improvement and self- development includes her near completion of a level 5 diploma in management. Staffing arrangements meet the needs of the young people. Staff are either qualified or due to complete the level 3 diploma in caring for children in a residential setting. Infrequent use of agency staff and close core-team work provide young people with a good sense of stability and permanence. When staff changes have taken place, the manager has been of key importance in ensuring a procedurally sound home, consistent practice and security for young people. Strong leadership, child-centred care and robust partnership working ensure that this home meets the aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose.

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Good

Individuals receive good information about the service, because the home’s statement of purpose is kept up to date with staff developments, and there is a thorough staff induction, and very effective staff training and practice supervision. Training and development is well organised and gels the staff team to provide consistent care. Supervision is very effective, because managers provide regular support and routinely assess areas for development. This approach feeds directly into staff training, which covers and refreshes core areas such as safeguarding, behaviour management, and health and safety. Staff are also able to access more specific training in order to meet young people’s needs. For example, staff comments include, ‘Drug and alcohol training has made me more aware of the effects. I have informed the children who I work with about this and I can now identify more signs of a person who is under the influence.’

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Good

Staff value supervision and appraisal, and they state, ‘It helps me to see what areas of training I need. My manager will also provide me with tasks to improve my working practice’, and ‘It helps to see what area to improve on, for example how to challenge young people.’ Training and development opportunities also ensure that staff keep abreast of social care issues. For example, they have recently completed training against radicalisation. In addition, staff have recently been updated with information about gang activities in the local community, due to the manager attending community forums. Complaints are well managed. The manager and staff value young people’s views. Their concerns are taken seriously. While some young people acknowledge that their complaints have been made in anger, they appreciate the detailed investigations carried out by the manager. Staff also make time to have key- working sessions to ensure that the actions taken are acceptable. The young

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Good

person’s voice is integral to the operation of the home, and this shows in the positive relationships that young people have with staff. The registered manager shows strong leadership and good partnership working when resolving complaints with neighbours. For example, changes in the parking arrangements at the home are addressing the complaints from a neighbour. The manager’s pragmatism and close working relationship with the police mean that conflict is resolved in a safe manner and that young people’s and staff’s welfare is promoted. The registered manager has good insight into the strengths and areas of development in the home. She demonstrates a clear understanding of the impact of monitoring and her regulatory responsibilities to review the quality of care at the home. Her ability to be open to feedback from both independent sources and young people drives improvement across the service. Monthly consultation with

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Good

young people meaningfully feeds into the manager’s evaluation of the quality of care in the home. For example, the arrangements for the storage of young people’s money and the processes for administering medication are the result of listening to the views of young people. The seamless administration, organisation and the positive outcomes young people result from consistent staff practice and robust monitoring by the manager. There are no requirements or recommendations set from this inspection.

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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’. 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 looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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. 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 ‘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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