Children's home run by Crystal Care Solutions Limited in Cheshire East

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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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Staff do not always implement young people’s risk-management plans in relation to young people’s risk-taking behaviours, such as missing episodes, free time and substance misuse. This has placed young people at risk of harm.  Recording of significant incidents does not give enough information about precipitating events. This reduces the opportunity for staff to learn from significant safeguarding events in order to prevent future incidents occurring.  Young people’s risk-management plans do not contain enough information about their individual risks. Staff do not have enough information about how to provide young people with individualised care that meets their needs.  The registered manager has not sought advice from external agencies, such as the fire service, regarding young people’s risk-taking behaviours. This potentially places young people and staff at risk of harm in their home.  There is a lack of learning from safeguarding incidents. Debriefs do not take

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

place after safeguarding incidents have happened, for the young people or staff.  Young people do not always have key working sessions to reflect on their behaviours or to be able to understand their risk-management plans.  Agency staff are not thoroughly checked prior to working in the home. They do not always have the relevant experience or skills to meet the needs of the young people. The registered manager does not verify their references.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people speak positively about their relationships with staff.  Staff are committed to their young people. They stick with them through difficult times. Young people acknowledge the support that staff have given to them.  Young people attend and engage with education. Staff support young people to achieve qualifications. Some young people make good progress.  The registered manager is child-focused. He escalates concerns appropriately with placing authorities.  Partnership working is a strength of the home. The registered manager works with other professionals to find ways of managing some young people’s extremely complex risk-taking behaviours.  Communication with placing authorities and other agencies is good.  Staff support young people to see their families, including young people who live a significant distance from their families.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

To meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must ensure

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Requirement Due date

(2) (b) (iv) that staff provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. 09/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard To meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must ensure (2) (a) (v) that staff communicate to each child expectations about the child's behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child's age and understanding (x) that staff are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. 09/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard To meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure (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 (v) that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person 09/01/2017 (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare (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. 13: The leadership and management standard To meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must ensure (2) (c) that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children's home (Regulation 25(a)) 09/01/2017

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/07/2015 Full Good 24/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/09/2014 Full Outstanding

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Requires improvement

Young people’s behaviour management plans lack individualisation. They do not contain enough information about the young people’s individual needs and how staff should work with them in order for the young people to reach their full potential. Agency staff and new staff who do not know the young people do not have enough information about the young people to be able to work with them effectively, or safeguard them. Young people’s behaviour management plans do not always reflect the placing authority’s aims of the placement around issues such as safe internet use, and staff do not talk to young people about staff expectations of young people’s behaviours. Young people do not have enough opportunities to learn about unacceptable behaviours after significant incidents have happened. For example, after safeguarding incidents relating to substance misuse, inappropriate peer relationships or missing episodes, young people do not always have follow-up key-

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Requires improvement

working sessions. Although staff try to complete debriefs with young people, young people do not always engage and staff do not make further attempts to engage them in discussions about the incident. Young people make some progress in their education. They attend colleges and have good attendance. Staff promote young people’s education by helping them with their schoolwork. Staff have good relationships with young people’s teachers. Staff talk to young people about the importance of education, and they actively encourage young people to gain qualifications. For one young person, staff went into college and sat with him while he completed his exams. One young person has struggled to engage in further education despite staff’s best efforts to source various courses for him, such as bricklaying. Staff and young people have good relationships with one another. Staff are committed to the young people in their care. They are tenacious and remain

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Requires improvement

supportive of young people despite some young people’s lack of engagement in the placement. One young person said to the inspector, ‘I get to do lots of things here like going to the cinema, walks and going to the gym. I don’t think that staff could do anything better. I like it here.’ Staff encourage young people to engage in activities. They find clubs for young people based on their interests, such as football or boxing. Despite staff’s best efforts, some young people choose not to take part in activities. Overall, young people say that they have positive relationships with their peers in the home. However, some young people are affected by their peer’s complex behaviours and have been exposed to significant risk-taking behaviours. This potentially impacts on some young people’s emotional well-being and progress. Independence work is a strength in this home. Staff encourage young people to learn adult life-skills, such as budgeting, shopping and cooking. Young people take

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Requires improvement

part in key-working sessions which staff use to encourage them to have aspirations for their futures. Some young people live a significant distance away from their families. Staff facilitate young people seeing their families. They take young people to see their families despite them living far away. A young person said that this helps them to feel less homesick.

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Requires improvement

Staff do not always promote young people’s safety because the ways in which staff implement young people’s risk-management plans are inconsistent. For example, staff do not consistently document that they go out and search for a young person when he fails to answer staff’s phone calls. On one occasion, staff did not seek medical advice when a young person had taken substances, as is specified within his risk-management plan. However, these incidents are not common practice, nor did they impact on young people’s immediate safety and well-being. On one occasion, poor risk assessment and decision-making by staff led to a significant safeguarding incident. Staff did not take into consideration the escalating risk-taking behaviours of a young person. This led to both young people becoming involved in risk-taking behaviours and the police being called to the home. Staff have not documented clearly the precipitating factors which led to the

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Requires improvement

incident, and the registered manager has not talked to the staff or young people about the incident. This demonstrates a lack of learning from safeguarding incidents which could prevent future similar incidents from happening. Some young people’s risk-taking behaviours have recently increased. Overall, staff have implemented young people’s risk-management plans and kept young people as safe as possible, despite one young person’s increasing risk-taking behaviours. Staff have worked tirelessly to try to stabilise the young person, and have remained committed to supporting him. When young people go missing, staff search for them regardless of the time of night. Some staff have put themselves at significant risk, and been victim to physical assaults, in trying to keep young people safe. As a team, staff have tried to remain consistent in their approach to managing young people’s behaviours. However, the use of different agency staff,

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Requires improvement

who do not know the young people, has led to inconsistencies in boundaries and in implementation of risk-management plans. Young people’s risk-taking behaviours prior to placement have not been thoroughly risk-assessed within the wider environment of the home. For example, the registered manager has not consulted with the fire service to make sure that the home is as safe as it can be against the risk of fire. The homes fire risk assessment does not take into consideration young people’s individual risks. This potentially places young people and staff at significant risk of harm.

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Requires improvement

Partnership working is a strength of the home. The registered manager and staff encourage and promote multi-agency working so as to support the safety of young people. A youth offending worker said to the inspector, ‘Staff are brilliant at communicating with me regarding engaging the young person. They couldn’t do anything else to keep him safe. They attend meetings with me and other professionals, such as the police and placing social worker, and they are putting in every sort of intervention they can to keep him safe.’ The registered manager and staff escalate their concerns appropriately about young people’s risk-taking behaviours, and staff work with agencies, such as the police, to share important information. This has led to the disruption of some young people’s risk-taking behaviours.

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Requires improvement

There is a registered manager in post who is qualified up to national vocational qualification (NVQ) Level 5 in leadership and management. He is an experienced manager and child-focused in his approach. The home has a small team consisting of four members of staff. Three of them are qualified to NVQ Level 3 in residential childcare. One member of staff is currently completing their qualification. An experienced and child-focused deputy manager supports the registered manager. He is a strong advocate for the young people he cares for, as is the staff team as a whole. The registered manager is aware of the strengths of the home, such as the continuing commitment of the staff despite the recent increase in some young people’s risk-taking behaviours. The registered manager is aware of the impact of the recent increase in risk-taking behaviours on the staff team and the running of the home, such as staff not always completing paperwork to the previous high

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Requires improvement

standard. The registered manager knows the skills of the staff team and he takes decisive, and well-considered, action when the staff are no longer able to meet the individual needs of young people. A recent increase in the use of agency staff has led to inconsistencies in the boundaries given to young people. Although the registered manager has said he has tried to make sure that the agency staff are consistent, this has not always happened. Some agency staff have very little experience, if any, of working within a residential childcare setting such as this provision, or in working with young people with such complex needs, and the registered manager has not verified agency staff’s references or experience. This places extra anxieties on the staff team. Management oversight is, on the whole, good. The registered manager knows the young people. He communicates effectively with placing authorities. A social

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Requires improvement

worker said to the inspector, ‘The staff and registered manager are good at communicating with me. They have been good at building relationships with my young person. I feel that I don’t have to worry while my young person is there.’ Both the registered manager and the staff team are strong advocates for young people. The registered manager escalates his concerns appropriately to make sure that young people receive the service they need from other professionals and their placing authorities. The registered manager’s focus on multi-agency working means that overall the home is delivering its Statement of Purpose. The registered manager offers good support to his staff team. A staff member said to the inspector, ‘I have good support in my job. The registered manager listens to us as a staff team and he is very approachable.’ Supervisions are frequent and focused. Staff have opportunities to reflect on their practice. However, staff do not

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Requires improvement

always have the opportunity for debriefs after significant safeguarding incidents. Staff care very much about the young people, but do not have much-needed opportunities to talk about how young people’s risk-taking behaviours affect them. The registered manager sources training for staff relating to young people’s risk- taking behaviours. For example, staff have recently had training in the effect of psychoactive substances and the recent legislation in this area. This demonstrates strong management oversight and a commitment to trying to make sure that the staff team can meet young people’s needs.

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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 that 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

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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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