Children's home run by Crossway Services Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 1 SC460761 Registered provider: Crossway Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home can accommodate one young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 1 November 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 At the home’s last full inspection in September 2017, the home was judged as being inadequate. An interim inspection took place in November 2017. There were no young people residing at the home at this time. Therefore, no judgement was given. Some requirements and recommendations were carried over to this inspection, as they could not be evidenced at that time. Some of these requirements and recommendations need to be addressed further, such as the home’s location risk assessment, the workforce plan and the regulation 44 and 45 reports. As a result, they have been repeated.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person’s local authority placement plan highlights several known risks. Not all of these risks have been identified and addressed by the manager. This does not help staff to safeguard the young person fully.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person’s file is not in good order. There are several repeated documents and some information is not stored in the allocated sections. This means that staff do not have the most up-to-date information to help them care for the young person well.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Two members of staff have not received medication and fire safety training since being employed by the company in June 2017. This does not demonstrate that all members of staff have the skills to care for the young person well.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person has recently been admitted to the home. He has settled in well and he said that he was happy, safe and that he was enjoying the one-to- one attention that he was receiving.

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Key findings from this inspection

 This is a short-term placement and the plan is for the young person to return to his home town. He remains on role at a mainstream school. The manager has liaised effectively with the school to ensure that he is undertaking the required schoolwork. An independent tutor is delivering this educational programme to him.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Meetings have been scheduled quickly. As a result, there is a clear plan for the young person to see his family.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person was registered with appropriate healthcare professionals quickly. He has received dental treatment and has new glasses.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person has many opportunities to engage in the community. A variety of activities means that he is active, having fun and experiencing new Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 3 things.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There is a stable staff team. This means that the young person receives continuity of care from staff who know him well.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2017 Interim Not judged 06/09/2017 Full Inadequate 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/12/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 4

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure-

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether –

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Requirement Due date

The conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(b)) 31/01/2018

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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-

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Requirement Due date

The quality of care provided to children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c)) 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure-

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purpose of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 31/01/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 5 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this is to identify any known risks in the immediate area. Further to this, the registered person must ensure that they consider the location review when completing impact risk assessments on new admissions to the home. The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and that they use this understanding to deliver care that meets the children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to-

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the care is delivered by a person who has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care. (Regulation 6 (1) and (3)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring all training is completed. 31/01/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 All children’s case records must be kept up to date. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) This is specifically in relation to ensuring that young people’s files are in a good order.

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improvement to be good

The young person has been at this home for a short period. He spoke with the inspector about the care he receives at this home. He said that he was happy, safe and that he was enjoying the individual attention from the staff team. He confirmed that he had received a welcome booklet. He said that staff had gone through this with him several times. Therefore, he confidently explained to the inspector how he could raise a concern, if he needed to. Prior to his admission, the manager completed an adequate impact risk assessment to ensure that the home could meet his needs. However, she did not Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 6 consider the home’s location risk assessment in this decision. Further to this, this document does not address all known risks in the community, such as the main road. This does not demonstrate that the young person is living in a suitable and safe environment.

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improvement to be good

The young person’s files are not well structured. There are several copies of some documents. In addition, there are copious numbers of emails that do not reference to other documents, and some information is stored in the wrongly identified allocated sections. As a result, the file is large, cumbersome and does not help staff to retrieve information when necessary. In addition to this, the young person and members of staff discussed with the inspector the progress that he had made since being here. However, the file structure and documents do not demonstrate this in all areas. For example, good progress has been made in the young person’s health. He was registered with a dentist quickly and attended a routine appointment. He was not brushing his teeth correctly. The manager brought an egg-timer so that he could time how long he brushed his teeth. This did not work. A member of staff spoke with a family member and they suggested a

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improvement to be good

particular song that encourages this. The young person is now brushing his teeth for the required time. However, this good practice is not recorded in his health plan and therefore does not reflect the progress that he is making in this area.

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improvement to be good

The plan is for the young person to return to his local authority area in the near future. Therefore, he remains on roll at his mainstream school. The manager has liaised with the school effectively. In the interim, an independent tutor is delivering 25 hours of education at the home. The home has his last school report, personal education plan and his educational and healthcare plan. The school has forwarded his timetable, subjects and classwork to be completed. This means that the tutor and members of staff are able to support him fully. The young person’s social worker said, ‘He really struggles with education, but the staff team is doing really well in encouraging him to engage with the work. He was completing a history subject and staff supported this by taking him to a museum.’

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improvement to be good

The young person is supported to engage in a range of activities. He goes to the cinema, bowling and to laser quest. He has been offered various club activities, such as the army cadets, but he has refused. He enjoys watching films and spends his pocket money on special edition DVDs. He said, ‘These films show you how all the effects are done and they often have additional footage in them. I love them.’ This means that the young person is trying new things, having fun and that his passion is supported. Staff continue to explore new ideas and seek the young person’s views on all aspects of his care through regular consultation sessions and house meetings. As a result, the young person said that he was confident that staff listen to him and that he could influence the care that he receives.

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improvement to be good

The young person is placed a good distance away from his home town. Initially, contact with his family was suspended because of some concerns. A meeting took place quickly and contact was re-established. An adequate contact plan shows the dates, times and arrangements for contact. Restrictions implemented by the local authority are identified, such as staff supervising some contacts and staff have received training in this area. This Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 7 means that they can support the young person and take action if necessary. The inspector discussed with the manager that the contact plan could be further enhanced by including actions for staff to take if any identified adult came to the home unsupervised.

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improvement to be good

Before the young person came to the home, the home was redecorated and new bedroom furniture was bought and installed. The young person has chosen new bedding and has displayed personal items around the home. This means that he lives in a homely environment and it shows that he is settling in well.

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

The young person said that he feels safe and well cared for at this home. He said, ‘Staff are great. They listen to me. We discuss ideas and I think I am improving because of this.’ All members of the staff team have recently completed additional safeguarding and bereavement training. Therefore, they demonstrated a strong understanding of their duty to safeguard and protect the young person and they are able to empathise with the difficulties and losses of the young person being so far away from home. As a result, they are able to support him emotionally.

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

The young person is establishing positive relationships with staff. There are good boundaries to assist the young person with his routines. When the young person has challenged these, the staff team has continued to apply the boundaries. De-escalation skills are applied well and this means that the young person has not been held for his or others’ safety. The young person’s social worker said, ‘There have been two incidents, but the staff team has stuck to the boundaries and I am really pleased on how they have handled the situations.’ As a result, there has been a reduction in his challenging behaviour and this indicates that he is feeling safe and secure here. In addition to this, the young person has not been reported missing from this home. The staff team receives regular training in these areas, so that its skills and knowledge are refreshed.

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

Generally, there are good risk assessments that identify the young person’s vulnerabilities. They give clear information on the level of risk, triggers, agreed strategies and actions for staff to take if an incident was to occur. This means that staff are consistent in their approach. However, one risk identified by the local authority has not been assessed. This does not ensure that staff know and are able to take effective action in this area.

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

Staff use positive reinforcement and rewards to promote good behaviour. The young person has received additional rewards for attending education and for helping with chores. There have been two occasions when the young person has received a consequence for unacceptable behaviour. The same consequence was used and the young person wrote that he was ‘not bothered’. The manager has identified that this consequence had not been effective. This gave the staff an opportunity to discuss other forms of restorative or alternative consequences. This shows that there is good oversight of the record. Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 8 There have been no new members of staff since the home’s last inspection. Previous scrutiny of the home’s recruitment records found them to be thorough. For example, pre-employment checks demonstrate that only those who are suitable work at the home. Staff request identification from visitors to the home, ensure that they are logged on to

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

the home’s computer system and accompany them while they are at the home. This means that young people are protected from those who may wish to cause them harm.

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

Health and safety checks are carried out regularly. All appliances and utility services are certificated and renewed appropriately. The young person, staff and visitors are routinely taken through the emergency evacuation procedure. These good practices mean that the environment is safe and that everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2017. She has 13 years’ experience of working with young people. She has a relevant leadership and management qualification. She is supported by an experienced deputy manager. Together, they run the home in line with the aims and ethos in the statement of purpose. There is a stable staff team. Its members demonstrated that they understood the young person’s vulnerabilities and needs. Staff are suitably qualified or are working towards a recognised qualification in childcare. This shows that the young person receives consistency of care from a staff team that knows him well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Members of staff report that they enjoy working at the home and say that they are supported well by the manager. They have guidance, policies and procedures to support their practice. Social issues and relevant research are discussed in team meetings. For example, the staff team has recently discussed a documentary that covered child sexual exploitation. As a result, the staff team was able to discuss what impact this would have on their practice. Members of staff receive regular supervision. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify ways to improve or develop. Similarly, appraisals further enhance staff’s practice in delivering care to young people. However, two members of staff have not received training in medication and fire safety since being employed by the company in June 2017. This does not demonstrate that all staff have the skills and knowledge to care for young people well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The monitoring and review systems at the home need to be strengthened to enable the manager to identify areas for development and to take action to address any shortfalls identified. A new independent visitor has been identified. He has undertaken two visits to the home. Further to this, the manager has updated her six-monthly monitoring report since the last inspection. However, neither reports discuss or evaluate the findings of the last two inspections. In addition to this, the manager has not included feedback from the young people or professionals about how the home functions or on the care that the young person receives. This means that the home cannot demonstrate that they have taken forward any lessons learned to improve or develop the home. Similarly, the manager has updated the home’s workforce plan. She did this over a period but did not ensure that she was using the same document. As a result, there is not a clear

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

workforce plan that meets the requirements of regulation 16. Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 9 Liaison with other agencies is effective. Positive relationships exist between managers and other professionals. One professional said, ‘Communication between us is very good. I am regularly informed by email and telephone. I am impressed with the care that he has received and by how well he is settling at the home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

At the home’s last inspections, several requirements and recommendations were made to improve the service. Good progress has been made in several areas. The manager has ensured that the home can meet the young person’s individual needs, that the young person’s education plans have been received, that she has engaged with the wider system, that staff have discussed research and practice in their team meetings, that notifications are sent appropriately, that records have been signed by the author and manager and that visitors are taken through the evacuation procedure. These improvements mean that the service continues to develop its practice.

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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: SC460761 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crossway Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rouse House, 2 Wyther Lane, Leeds LS5 3BT

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 11 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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