Children's home run by Crossways Care Ltd in Tewkesbury

This monitoring visit:

This visit was conducted to monitor the home’s progress since the interim inspection on 30 November 2016. On that occasion, a compliance notice was issued regarding restraint practice.

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This monitoring visit:

One young person had been restrained 29 times since the full inspection on 9 June 2016. Three of these restraints involved unauthorised techniques which had the potential to restrict the young person’s breathing. On two occasions, staff were alone when they carried out the restraint. Restraining alone in challenging circumstances increases the risk to the young person and exposes staff to potential allegations, which are then difficult to investigate. In addition, the home’s managers had failed to ensure that restraints were adequately recorded and monitored.

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This monitoring visit:

There have been several further serious incidents since the interim inspection, but these have been much better staffed, managed and documented. All physical interventions have been for appropriate reasons and have utilised correct techniques. Specifically, there have been no floor holds. All incidents have been rigorously investigated and evaluated, with the interim manager interviewing all parties and recording his findings. Allegations made have been referred to the designated officer for child protection, as required by government guidance. To date, none of the allegations have been substantiated.

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This monitoring visit:

This means that all elements of the compliance notice have been met. The other four requirements made at the interim inspection have also been actioned. This is very good progress in a relatively short period of time.

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This monitoring visit:

Under the quality and purpose of care standard, the home was required to prepare accurate, up-to-date placement plans, contact plans and risk assessments for young people. The interim manager has now updated all of the home’s documentation to a very good standard.

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This monitoring visit:

The responsible individual was also required to ensure that the staff have the necessary skills to meet each young person’s needs. The interim manager has ensured that the staff received advanced training in attachment and child development, to help them to understand why some young people respond to situations in a particular way, and to acquire the skills required to manage these responses appropriately.

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This monitoring visit:

The home was required to ensure that there is clarity and fairness in relation to young people’s contact arrangements. The interim manager has worked hard to ensure that both young people receive clear and unambiguous information about their contact arrangements. One young person, who was previously struggling with inconsistent messages about family contact, now has a much more stable arrangement, which enables him to see family members every two weeks. This has been positive for the young person.

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This monitoring visit:

A requirement was made under the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, because the young people did not feel listened to. The interim manager and his deputy both spend time with the young people and ensure that they are consulted about the daily life of the home. Although the young people do not particularly welcome or feel that they benefit from house meetings, both receive regular key- worker sessions where they can talk about their feelings with the staff.

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This monitoring visit:

A requirement was made under the protection of children standard, because there were house cleaning chemicals on the office window ledge where the young people could potentially access them. These are now locked in a cupboard in the office, which helps to keep the young people safe.

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This monitoring visit:

A requirement was made under the leadership and management standard, because this was an area of substantial weakness at the interim inspection. The interim manager is an experienced person who has been with the company for nine years. He has now submitted an application for registration to Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit:

The interim manager has brought about a number of important improvements to the home in a relatively short period of time. He has ensured that team meetings take place regularly and that they provide a forum for practice matters. The staff team now receives regular supervision and external consultancy. The company’s previous practice of moving the staff around to meet corporate needs has now ceased.

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This monitoring visit:

Since the interim inspection, staffing levels have increased to improve the young people’s welfare and safety. One young person, whose one-to-one staffing was previously insufficient, now has the support of two staff throughout his waking hours. This has proved to be effective, in that incidents are managed safely.

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This monitoring visit:

Management monitoring is now much more effective. Every incident is followed by a well-recorded debrief for the young person and the staff involved. This means that any practice issues are identified and actioned immediately.

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This monitoring visit:

As practice improves and staff receive the training and support that they need to manage challenging situations, morale has increased. The staff now feel empowered through higher-level learning and their knowledge has given them additional strategies to use when working with the young people.

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This monitoring visit:

The manager has also ensured that a young person who was out of education has been enrolled in the company’s own school. This required some assertive negotiation, but it has been effective. Although it is early days, the young person is enjoying his time in school and has asked for his hours to be increased. Boredom and frustration over educational resources were major factors in the high number of incidents in the home, so this should now start to improve.

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This monitoring visit:

The final requirement was made with regard to behaviour management policies and records. The interim inspection found that the home’s managers had failed to adapt behaviour management techniques to accommodate the fact that a young person was approaching the age of 15. This young man’s physical and emotional development and, consequently, his behavioural management needs, are very different in comparison to when he was first admitted to the home at the age of 12. At the time, this had not been acknowledged or actioned. This inspection found that the behaviour management plans have been updated and are now appropriate to the young people’s current needs.

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This monitoring visit:

Because this was a monitoring visit which examined progress against the compliance notice and other requirements, the two recommendations made at the interim inspection were not examined in detail on this occasion. However, it is clear from the improvements to the quality of the environment that at least one of them is now met. For example, the interim manager has ensured that the stencilled messages on the walls, some of which were insensitive to the young people’s current situations, have now been removed as part of the home’s continuing programme of refurbishment.

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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 two children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a national provider of specialist services for children and adults with complex needs. The company also operates a small independent school for children who have special educational needs.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. out in 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 this guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

to 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

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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