Children's Home run by Crossways Care Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report children’s home: SC452009 1 SC452009 Registered provider: Crossways Care Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Strong, positive and trusting relationships exist between the one young person living in the home and all staff.  The manager and staff team provide packages of individualised care and Inspection report children’s home: SC452009 2 support that significantly improve the outcomes of young people.

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 The young person has, with the help and support of the manager and staff, made very good progress in all aspects of her life, in particular her education, emotional well-being, keeping herself safe and exploring new opportunities.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The young person spoken to during the inspection is extremely complimentary of the staff team and her experience of living in the home. She feels safe and says ‘ I am so happy ’ and the children’s home has been the ‘ best placement I have been at. I have no idea where I would be now if I hadn ’ t moved here ’ .

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The manager is passionate about achieving positive outcomes for young people living in the home. He prioritises transitional planning, ensuring that the young person is prepared and supported well to manage change.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff feel supported in their role and have regular supervision and appraisals of their practice. In doing so, they are given sufficient opportunities to reflect on their practice and update their practice through training.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The manager needs to improve the current monitoring system to ensure that the evaluation of records is more effective.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The manager and staff must develop sanctions that are effective and restorative.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/06/2016 Full Requires improvement 17/02/2016 Full Requires improvement 03/11/2015 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC452009 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (2)(c)) 26/09/2017

p.3

Recommendations

 Ensure that any sanction used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In particular, sanctions must not be used when young people go missing from the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The one young person who has lived in the home for two years benefits from being cared for and supported by a small, stable staff team. Caring and trusting relationships exist between the young person and staff. This has resulted in the young person making very good progress in all aspects of her life and developing strategies to manage conflict and change.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In particular, the young person has made significant progress from her starting point in respect of her education. With the help of the staff, she has a school attendance of 100% and achieved a number of GCSEs. As a result, the young person is ambitious and determined to continue studying at college. Inspection report children’s home: SC452009 4 The young person benefits from individualised care, provided by staff who know her very well and are sufficiently skilled and experienced. Opportunities are provided for the young person to explore her identity and develop her own interests. Staff are sensitive and responsive in their approach. This means that the young person has vastly improved her ability to keep herself safe when in the community and away from the support of staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager recognises the importance of helping young people learn to take risks and develop resilience and a sense of resolve. There are considered and detailed risk assessments that are ratified by all professionals which help the young person get ready for moving on to adult life.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is encouraged to follow a healthy lifestyle and make the right choices in respect of nutrition and keeping fit. She attends all necessary appointments and has access to psychological services either provided by the company or via the local authority.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person enjoys quality time with friends and family members. The manager and staff team understand the importance of young people living in a children’s home experiencing safe, positive and healthy relationships with friends and family. As a result, the young person has friends to stay overnight and regularly visits her family. The young person recognises and appreciates the support she has received, saying ‘ I have so much respect and love for everyone who has got me to where I am now. ’

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young person is supported to take age- and ability-appropriate risks. This means that she is able to experience new opportunities safely. In turn, this builds her confidence and resilience, and broadens her life experiences.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young person is safe when out in the community and engaging in activities. Increasing levels of independence and a reduction in staff supervision provides the young person with opportunities to safely rehearse the transition from living in a children’s home to independent living. Robust and carefully tailored risk assessments, which are ratified by the local authority and family, safely support the young person.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young person trusts the staff team. Stability of the staff team for the time the young person has lived in the home has resulted in trusting and sound relationships. The young person says, ‘T hese people have stuck by me from day one of meeting me, regardless of what challenges I ’ ve thrown at them. ’ Caring and nurturing responses to challenging behaviours have resulted in a significant reduction in serious or concerning incidents. Physical interventions do not take place and the young person chooses not to go missing.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The use of sanctions has reduced significantly and they are now used rarely. The manager and staff team recognise the importance of praise and reward as an approach Inspection report children’s home: SC452009 5 to supporting behaviours. However, on two occasions sanctions were inappropriately used and were not in line with policy. A recommendation is made to ensure that these measures are reviewed.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Overall the staff team has remained stable for a number of years. The files scrutinised during the course of the inspection for a new employee confirm that safe and robust procedures are followed. There is careful monitoring of all visitors to the home and identity is routinely checked.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Regular health and safety checks are carried out by the manager and staff. This means that the young person lives in a property that is safe and well maintained. Professionals spoken with during the course of the inspection confirm that the young person is cared for safely, communication is good and incidents of concern are reported swiftly.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leadership and management of the home is provided by an acting manager. He has the necessary skills and qualifications, and is experienced as a registered manager. Since the last inspection, the home has undergone a change in manager. The impact of this change has been positive and stability has been maintained.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All but one of the recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. As a result, all records are kept up to date and safely stored, and the missing from home protocol is in line with statutory guidance. However, the use of sanctions continues to require reviewing to ensure that they are not used as a response to behaviours.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides a supportive environment for the staff team, which is as passionate as the manager about supporting the young person effectively. Staff spoken with confirm that they have high aspirations for the young person and demonstrate a sense of pride in the young person’s achievements. The staff are all qualified and receive good levels of supervision that include reflection and guidance. Along with regular training, staff’s continuous professional development is supported. As a result, staff feel ‘supported’ and ‘managed well’ by the manager, and their practice remains up to date.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of the relationships between the manager, the staff team and professionals is excellent. Communication is reported as ‘outstanding’ and ensures that all are fully engaged and involved with the young person. All notifiable events are reported on swiftly.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager consistently puts the individual needs of the young person at the centre of his practice. He strives for improved outcomes for the young person; this has resulted in the young person making significant progress from her individual starting point. A number of plans are in place, which are reviewed regularly and approved by the local authority and family.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager encourages feedback from the young person, family and professionals. Inspection report children’s home: SC452009 6 Complaints are rare, but when they take place they are looked into quickly and responses are positive. The development plan in the main identifies strengths and areas for development and there are clear actions set that outline how to achieve these. However, evaluation of the progress of the young person, and the improvements necessary for the home, are not clear enough. This has not had an impact on the quality of care provided. However, it is a missed opportunity to document and plan targeted development via the regulation 45 reporting mechanism. A requirement is therefore made.

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

p.6

Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC452009 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Crossways Care Ltd, Unit B2, Elmbridge Court, Cheltenham Road East, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL3 1JZ

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christine Cameron

p.7

Inspector

Linda Bond, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC452009 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8