Children's home run by Crossways Care Ltd in Tewkesbury

Inspection report children's home: SC068145 1 SC068145 Registered provider: Crossways Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run by a care company and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 21 to 22 November 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children's home: SC068145 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager is qualified and experienced. He is leading a caring team of staff that provides the young people with stability.  The manager and staff know the young people very well. They understand the young people’s needs and provide them with personalised and well-considered packages of care.  The young people spoken to during the inspection spoke very positively of the adults that care for them. Having lived in the home for a long time, the young people have formed strong, trusting and caring relationships with staff.  The manager and staff respond very well to the young people when they are upset. They reward and praise positive decisions made by the young people and, as a result, incidents of physical intervention and children going missing are rare.  The young people said that they are happy and safe in the home. They enjoy spending time with the staff, and also feel safe when they are away from the

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Key findings from this inspection

home with their friends and family.  The manager has a good relationship with other professionals involved with the young people. He shares concerns promptly and ensures that any changes made to the young people’s plans are ratified by the placing social workers.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager must consider ways to improve the bathroom facilities for the young people and staff.  The manager and staff must provide more opportunities to consult with the young people and for them to participate in the running and development of the home.  The manager and staff must develop strategies to promote positive behaviour that are effective and restorative.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/07/2016 Full Good 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC068145 3

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home's care. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(a)(iv)) 23/01/2018

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Recommendations

 Regulation 19(2) details sanctions that are prohibited in behaviour management. Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour, and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) In particular, ensure that sanctions are not used when a child has been missing from the home.  The design of the home should include any necessary adaption to meet the needs of children with disabilities or specific health issues. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.24) In

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Recommendations

particular, look to improve the bathroom and toilet facilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The two young people have made good progress since living in the home. Both young people speak very positively about their living experiences and, in particular, their relationships with the adults that look after them. Staff were seen to be warm, caring Inspection report children's home: SC068145 4 and loving in the way that they spoke and behaved towards the young people. These encouraging and patient approaches by staff have produced positive and trusting relationships with the young people. The manager and staff provide good care in accordance with the young people’s plans. Both young people access all necessary health and education services. Multi-professional meetings are routinely held to discuss the children’s plans and their progress, ensuring that any changes are well thought out and ratified. Since living in the home, both young people have made progress with their education. They regularly attend school and college, despite both having their own personal

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

struggles with learning. Prompt action taken by the manager and educational professionals has ensured that the young people’s educational packages are adjusted and tailored to meet their needs. As a result, the young people are not missing any learning opportunities. The manager and staff understand the importance of the young people having regular, positive time with their friends and families. The staff support these relationships and respond sensitively to the young people when the visits with their families are not as positive or as regular as the young people would like. The young people live in a home that is well furnished and homely, with lots of evidence of the young people’s identity, especially in their bedrooms. They are involved in many aspects of the running of the home, for example choosing holidays and planning activities and meals. However, there is insufficient evidence that the young people are

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

consulted about the recruitment of new staff, or in the development of their own care plans. A requirement is made to ensure that the manager and staff work harder to ensure that the young people are better involved. The home is very well kept and, overall, the young people have adequate facilities. However, the young people and staff said that having only one bathroom in the home is sometimes a problem, especially when everyone is getting ready for the day. The manager has repeatedly identified this as an area for development.

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

The help and protection offered to young people is good. This is because the manager and staff are well trained, experienced and undertake regular safeguarding and child protection refresher sessions. Good-quality relationships exist between the manager, staff and the placing authorities. As a result, assessments and behaviour management plans are up to date and effective. Young people rarely go missing from the home. However, when they do, staff closely follow the missing from home protocol. This means that the young people are safely and promptly returned to the home, where they are spoken to by staff that care and understand. Return home interviews take place and records are kept that help the staff to understand how to help the young people to make safer decisions. On three occasions, staff have sanctioned a young person who had been missing from home. While sanctions are rarely used, a recommendation is made to ensure that they are not

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

Inspection report children's home: SC068145 5 used when young people go missing from the home. The young people have lived in the home for a long time and they have formed trusting and loving relationships with the staff. As a result, the staff are able to help the young people to better understand situations that upset them or leave them feeling anxious or worried. Consequently, there are few incidents when physical intervention is used. Instead, young people have developed strategies to calm, and reflect on, their feelings. The manager reports all safeguarding concerns to the appropriate parties. A disclosure made by one young person has been handled sensitively and effectively by the manager and staff. The young person was helped to feel safe and listened to. A number of routine checks are carried out on a regular basis by the manager and staff. This ensures that the young people live in a house that is safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leadership and management is provided by a registered manager who has been in post for a number of years. He is well qualified and experienced. He leads a team of staff that has remained stable and consistent for a long time. Staff spoke extremely positively about the manager. One member of staff was particularly impressed with the manager’s leadership skills, saying that he ‘brings the team together with a common goal’. Another member of staff spoke of the consistent approach the manager provides and how this has helped to maintain a stable workforce, where changes are rare and there is no use of agency staff. The consistency of the staff team has had a positive effect on the young people. The help that staff give to young people moving into and out of the home is good. The manager ensures that all necessary documents are provided, and that there are clear objectives in place prior to a move. This means that staff can support the young people

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

in an informed and structured way. The manager works closely with other professionals involved in the care of the young people. His communication with other agencies is excellent, ensuring that they are kept up to date with the progress and achievements young people make, as well as any concerns and changes to plans. A range of monitoring systems, including regular scrutiny by the independent visitor and internal quality assurance visits by a member of the senior management team, means that practice in the home remains safe and effective. The manager provides helpful and supportive critique to the staff team through regular supervision and appraisals. Overall, the staff team provides the young people with good stability. The few new staff that are working in the home were safely recruited. The manager ensures that all new staff work alongside more experienced staff, and complete the necessary mandatory

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

training. The current training programme offers good opportunities for the staff to develop their skills. Training is also tailored to meet the individual needs of the young people that are living in the home. Inspection report children's home: SC068145 6

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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 differences 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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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: SC068145 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crossways Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christine Cameron

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Inspector

Linda Bond, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC068145 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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