Children's home run by Crossway Services Limited in Liverpool

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 The young person’s health plan is not robust because it lacks information. It does not cover his emotional health and there is conflicting information between his health plan and his risk assessments.  The young person is registered at a mainstream school but he refuses to attend. The local authority is looking for a more suitable school. In the interim, staff are trying to engage him in education within the home. However, the young person did not know what he was doing day-to-day because the home does not have an alternative educational timetable in place for him.  The recording of rewards is not clear. The record does not say what a reward was and why it was given.  The home’s statement of purpose has not been updated with the new manager’s details and has not been sent to Ofsted. Further to this, there are unfinished sentences within the document.  Staff say that they attend training regularly, but the training matrix has not

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because:

been updated for a significant period of time. In addition to this, the training record allows the manager to comment on any additional support or development needed for individual staff. These sections have not been completed.  The internal quality assurance document is poor because it does not identify any developments or actions for the home, so that the service can continue to improve. Further to this, the external monitoring reports are not sent in a timely way to Ofsted. Both reports have not identified that information has been scribbled out or that some documents are not signed by the authors. Therefore, the oversight of the home and records is not robust.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 A good impact risk assessment shows that consideration was given to whether the home could meet the young person’s individual needs.  The young person has settled in well. He said that this was because staff listen to and take an interest in him. This is evident in his continuing good behaviour.  The young person requires full supervision throughout the day to protect him and other young people in the community. There is good information around these concerns and a good risk assessment around him being supervised. These restrictions are in line with local authority’s wishes and the staff understand their roles and responsibilities in this area.  The home has ensured that good contact arrangements are in place. This is important to the young person as he wishes to return home in the future.  Professionals say that this home is very good at keeping young people safe and reporting and communicating with them when concerns arise.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The manager successfully challenges other professionals when services are not in place or when young people require more support.  The home has a good track record of stabilising, progressing and ensuring good outcomes for young people. It works with a range of professionals to ensure that young people’s plans are moved forward. For example, the last young person did very well and has moved into a fostering placement.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. This is specifically in relation to updating the management arrangements and sending it to Ofsted. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)) 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must ensure: 13 (2)(c) that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. This is specifically in relation to keeping clear records of training undertaken by staff. 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person must ensure: 10 (1)(a) that the health and well-being needs of children are met. This is specifically in relation to their emotional health and support required. 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure: 8 (2)(a)(ix) that staff help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to 31/10/2016 access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and return to school as soon as possible. This is specifically in relation to having an educational timetable in place within the home. 12: The protection of children standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure: 12 (2)(a)(i) that staff 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. This is specifically in relation to having a robust risk assessment in place on restricting access to the internet. Further to this, information within risk assessments needs to be factual. 31/10/2016

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.2)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recordings. This includes ensuring that records are up to date, signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Staff should understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46,

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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 03/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/11/2015 Full Good 13/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/07/2014 Full Good

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Requires improvement

The young person has recently been placed at this home. A good impact risk assessment was completed before accepting his referral to the home. This ensured that an informed decision was made on whether the home could safely care for him or meet his needs. Wherever possible, young people visit the home, stay for tea and staff visit them in their current placement. The young person said, ‘I came to visit and it was good to look around, meet staff and know where I was going.’ This means that young people are suitably placed and are settling in well. In addition to this, the home ensures that it has the most up-to-date local authority documents to care for young people well.

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Requires improvement

The young person is in good health. He has attended all his general health checks and his medication is reviewed annually by a paediatric consultant. Good medication records show that he receives his medication in line with his prescription. However, several documents within his file discuss the young person’s emotional health and his reluctance to share any of his feelings, fears, anxieties and emotions. Further to this, he has had an assessment with the child and adolescent mental health services team around his emotional and mental health. This information has not been included in his health plan. This means that staff do not have the most up-to-date information to be able to support him because there is no outcome, progress or agreed action and strategies. This does not ensure that staff are able to give consistent responses when incidents arise. This is extremely important because there is a current safeguarding investigation that cannot be

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Requires improvement

discussed with him, which may affect his emotional health and behaviour.

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Requires improvement

The young person is registered at a mainstream school but he refuses to attend. The local authority has acknowledged that he requires a more specialised school. They are currently exploring options in the area. A member of staff said that they were providing the young person with education at the home, until a suitable school was found. On the day of the inspection, the young person was playing a board game with staff and had baked a cake the previous day. The young person said, ‘I do not know what I am doing every day. I just do what I fancy.’ The home cannot demonstrate what alternative educational opportunities are being offered because there is no plan or timetable in place. This does not ensure that the young person has a good routine and structure to his day. In addition to this, the last resident received rewards around his education but the information was unclear. The record did not say what he received or why. On one record there was a

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Requires improvement

stapled incentive chart that showed that he had not attained any of his targets for that week. Therefore, it was unclear why a reward was given. This does not show that there are good systems in the home to encourage young people to improve their behaviour.

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Requires improvement

The young person said that he was fully confident in being able to raise a concern or complaint but had none with regard to the home. He said that he could approach any member of staff, his family and his social worker if he had a concern. He continued to say that he was enjoying living there because the staff team listened to him well. The young person was unsure of the long-term plan for him but knew he would remain at the home until December 2016 when an investigation will have concluded. He said, ‘It is my review tomorrow, so I will know a lot more. The staff team is helping me to prepare for this.’ This means that the young person’s views, wishes and feelings are listened to and he is well supported to express them in the right venue.

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Requires improvement

The young person said that contact was important for him. He said, ‘I am happy to stay here while things are sorted out but I eventually want to go home.’ All of the young person’s contact is supervised due to safeguarding concerns. The arrangements, times and dates are explicitly detailed within his contact plan. This includes good instructions, actions and strategies for staff to take if there are any breaches. This means that contact can take place safely.

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Requires improvement

The young person said he is fit and well. He said, ‘I eat a wide range of food and like to sample different things. I go out on my bike and I like to try different activities but I also enjoy spending time on my Xbox.’ The young person is restricted in his movements and especially around being with other young people in an unsupervised environment. Therefore, staff have been looking for new activities where he can be supervised by an adult at all times, while learning new skills. This means that he is supported safely while still having the opportunity to have fun, exercise and try new things.

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Requires improvement

Young people have moved from this home in a planned manner. Good transition plans prepare young people for their move. This involves visiting, staying for tea and in some cases staying overnight before moving in. A previous young person is now settled and doing well in foster care due to these good arrangements.

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Requires improvement

The young person takes pride in his bedroom and keeps it clean and tidy. He said that now that he feels more settled he is going to decorate and personalise his bedroom. Other areas of the home are well maintained, nicely decorated and furnished. This gives a welcoming feeling. Judgement grade

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Good

The young person described staff as ‘great’ and ‘approachable’. He said that the best thing was that they listened and tried their best. He continued to say, ‘I feel safe here and I like it because it is quiet and there is no fighting.’ A member of staff said, ‘It is early days, but we try to get to know young people quickly and because we are honest, listen to them and treat them with respect. They often see the benefits of this.’ Another member of staff said, ‘We often work with some really difficult young people, but we pride ourselves in turning their behaviour around.’ This is evident with the last resident who was able to go into foster care because of his marked improvement.

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Good

The young person has only been in placement for a short while. He was placed here directly from his family home. Therefore, there is little information about his previous behaviours other than the current safeguarding concern. As a result, he has not shown any negative behaviours within the home and appears to have settled well; they have not been restrained, received a sanction or been reported missing from the home.

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Good

Professionals say that members of staff and the manager are good at discussing potential concerns and safeguarding issues, or in updating them on the progress of an issue. Therefore, they were confident that the home follows all procedures and protocols in reporting and sharing information. Staff are fully able to support young people in areas around safeguarding, child sexual exploitation and online protection because they have ongoing training that is refreshed frequently. This means that staff are aware of any changes to approaches or legislation.

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Good

There are some good risk assessments that identify the vulnerabilities of the young person. They include the history, triggers, strategies or actions for staff to take if an incident were to occur. However, there is some conflicting information within the home’s records. For example, the home’s general risk assessment states that the young person has a history of drug and alcohol misuse, but this is not mentioned in his referral documents, care plan or placement plan, and these issues are not discussed within his health plan. The manager said that this is an error within the initial general risk assessment recording. In addition to this, the young person’s access to the internet and social media is restricted, but there is no risk assessment that details why this restriction is in place or how this is managed. This does not ensure that consistent responses or agreed strategies or action are taken to safeguard young people.

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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 were safe and they were clear about the procedures they would follow, if an incident occurred. All professionals spoken with said that the home was excellent in sharing information, keeping them up to date and having the safety of young people at the heart of their practice.

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Good

A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose a risk to young people and staff. Young people are taken through the emergency fire evacuation procedure within 24 hours of their arrival. This is refreshed periodically throughout their stay. This means that they know how to evacuate the building safely in the case of an emergency. These measures help to ensure that young people continue to live in a safe environment.

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Requires improvement

There is a new manager in place and she successfully registered with Ofsted in June 2016. She has advanced from being the deputy manager of this home for four years into this position. Therefore, she knows the staff team and the organisation’s policies and procedures well. She has levels 3 and 4 in childcare and the registered manager’s award. As a result, she understands her role and responsibilities in managing the home.

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Requires improvement

The home’s statement of purpose has not been updated and sent to Ofsted to reflect the changes in the management structure. Further to this, there are some unfinished sentences within the document. This means that stakeholders, including social workers and commissioners, would not have the most up-to-date information available to them.

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Requires improvement

The home has a locality risk assessment in place that clearly identifies all risks within the local area. The local police force has provided the home with statistical information on criminal activity in the area. The home has used this information well, especially when considering referrals for the home. This means that young people are suitable placed.

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Requires improvement

There is a long-standing staff team. Any identified shortfalls, because of sickness or holidays of staff, are covered by known staff within the company. This ensures that young people receive consistent care by a staff team which knows them well. All the staff have a suitable, recognised childcare qualification. They are very experienced in working with young people who have a range of behaviours that include: sexually harmful behaviours, challenging or behavioural difficulties, criminal offences and self-harm. As a result, they can safely manage a range of behaviours and have a good record of promoting positive outcomes for young people.

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Requires improvement

Staff say that they receive regular training in a variety of subjects and that this is refreshed regularly and within timescales. However, this could not be confirmed by the inspector because their individual training records and the home’s training matrix have not been updated for a significant period of time. A new training document was put in place over 18 months ago, which included a section for managers to fill in as part of the staff’s supervision and appraisal. The training officer said that this was to capture staff’s individual learning styles, developmental needs and extra support that they may require through training opportunities. However, these have not been completed. The training officer said, ‘It has been difficult to get the managers to engage in this process and I often do not know if staff have attended or have not.’ Therefore, the home cannot demonstrate that the staff receive support and development opportunities when required.

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Requires improvement

Several members of staff said that they were supported by their manager and work well together as a team. A member of staff said, ‘We are a really strong and experienced team. The manager listens to us and responds to any issues we have.’ Staff attributed their success with young people to having good handovers, reflective staff meetings, regular supervision and working closely with a range of professionals to secure good outcomes for young people.

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Requires improvement

The home is good at working in partnership with a range of professionals, parents, placing authorities and other agencies. This ensures that the appropriate support is in place to meet the young person’s identified needs. The manager has successfully challenged several professionals in the past, to ensure that young people get the services they require. She is currently ensuring that an educational placement is found quickly for the young person by contacting the local authority regularly for an update.

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Requires improvement

Internal quality assurance does take place regularly, but the manager has not made a thorough audit of the home’s records. For example, the home’s statement of purpose has unfinished sentences, some documents contain information that has been scribbled out and some records have not been signed by the authors. Further to this, she has not included any identified areas for improvement and development for the home or consulted with young people, staff or other parties to ensure that their wishes are integral to the running of the home. It is not clear whether the external monitoring has identified these shortfalls because the monitoring reports have not been sent to Ofsted. This does not ensure that there is good external and internal monitoring of the quality of care within the home.

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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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

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

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