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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC477209 1 SC477209 Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to three young people. The home specialises in providing a therapeutic environment for young people who display sexually harmful behaviours. A private company manages this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was appointed in June 2018. He has made an application to register with Ofsted which is currently being processed. The manager holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 8 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC477209 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/11/2016 Full Good 25/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC477209 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 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure 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. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(i)(b)) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b), (2)(c)) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the name of the child; details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure 31/12/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC477209 4 (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children‟s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1), (2)) 31/12/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC477209 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are extremely positive about the young people who live in the home. This is despite young people at times displaying complex behaviour. One member of staff told the inspector, „Every day is a new day‟. Because of this approach, young people are consistently supported to rebuild relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home operates a therapeutic parenting model. Staff receive training and guidance on how to apply the therapeutic parenting model from the organisation‟s therapist team. Consequently, young people benefit from receiving care that is well coordinated and delivered by staff who know how to help young people who have suffered childhood trauma.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager consults with the therapy team to identify the preparation required before a new young person comes to live at the home. Because of this attention to detail, young people feel welcomed to the home when they arrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in encouraging young people to attend school. When young people do not have a school placement, staff ensure that young people have access to a range of activities at the home that help to promote their ongoing learning. This helps young people to understand the importance of education and ensures that they have an established daily routine ready for when a new school placement is found.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are creative in how they gain young people‟s views about things that are important to them. This includes using individual key-work sessions and young people‟s meetings. Each young person receives a monthly letter which praises their achievements in the past month and identifies any areas for improvement. This ensures that young people can see the progress that they have made and are clear about their targets for the future.

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

Young people have risk assessments in place that help to provide staff with clear guidance on how to respond to their individual needs. However, staff do not always update the risk assessments with new information. This can leave staff without current information that enables them to safeguard young people.

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

Staff understand safeguarding procedures and are clear about what action to take if they have concerns about a young person‟s safety.

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

Incidents of young people going missing from the home are rare. When young people do go missing, staff are responsive. For example, staff will follow young people to encourage them to return.

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

Managers ensure that all staff who come to work at the home are subject to the Inspection report children‟s home: SC477209 6 required vetting checks before they start work with young people.

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

The acting manager was appointed to the home in June 2018. He has made an application to register with Ofsted which is currently being progressed. The acting manager has previously managed other homes operated by this organisation.

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

Staff do not consistently receive supervision. This omission leaves staff without regular opportunities to reflect on and to improve their practice.

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

Staff do receive good training that enables them to fulfil their role in caring for vulnerable young people. However, new staff do not receive all their essential training in their first few months. This leaves them without the essential skills and knowledge required to provide care for the young people.

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

Managers have failed to monitor the systems that support the safe operation of the home. For example, the home‟s gas certificate has expired and staff‟s attention to food hygiene arrangements is unsatisfactory. This prevents young people from living in a safe environment.

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

Management oversight of physical intervention records continues to be poor. For example, managers have not ensured that staff complete these records in a timely way. Shortfalls in the oversight of recording mean that managers are without accurate records in the case of an allegation or complaint.

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

The acting manager has reviewed the suitability of the location of the home. However, in doing so he has failed to review all local factors or to seek the views of all relevant professionals. These omissions leave staff without an understanding of the risks faced by young people in the local area.

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

The acting manager acknowledged the shortfalls identified during this inspection and was quick to act to start to remedy them. Inspection report children‟s home: SC477209 7

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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 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 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: SC477209 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bank House, Market Square, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 1ET

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Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC477209 9 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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