Children's Home run by Crystal Care Solutions Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report children’s home: SC367551 1 SC367551 Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. He has been registered with Ofsted since February 2016. He is also the registered manager for another home in the same area that is owned by the company. The registered manager is not currently in day-to-day charge of the home.

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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: 10 September 2018

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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: SC367551 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2018 Full Good 19/09/2017 Full Good 19/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/04/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC367551 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 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; use this understanding to deliver care that meets 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 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(2)(c)(i)) 28/06/2019

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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 help each child to understand how to keep safe and to ensure that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii)(v)) 28/06/2019

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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 and ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(e)) 28/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. In particular the registered person must ensure that a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(c)) 28/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their 28/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC367551 4 performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c))

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has experienced a period of change since the last inspection in September 2018. All but one member of staff have left the home and a new staff team is in place. Despite this period of uncertainty, staff have worked hard to ensure that young people have not been disrupted. It is testament to the commitment of the staff that young people have continued to make progress during this period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to go to school. This helps young people to make good progress. One young person has started to attend education after a period of non- attendance. Another young person has achieved the highest GCSE grade in his class for science.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to make healthy lifestyle choices. Staff encourage young people to eat a balanced diet. The implementation of a calming bedtime routine has helped one young person who has difficulty sleeping. This proactive approach to keeping in good health supports young people’s overall well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to develop the skills that they will need for adulthood. Young people are encouraged to shop and cook for themselves. One teacher told the inspector, ‘[Staff] encourage active participation in social events and support his independent learning, bolstering his self-esteem, confidence, sense of identity and respect for himself and others.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of young people keeping in touch with people who are important to them. Contact between young people and family members has increased through staff taking young people to and from visits.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work to ensure that the home is a clean and welcoming environment. However, delay in completing maintenance negatively impacts this. For example, a delay in sourcing alternative window coverings for one young person has left him without blinds for two weeks. This lack of attention prevents young people from taking pride in their home and having sufficient privacy.

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

The acting manager promotes positive behaviour. She has introduced a rewards system for young people that focuses on achievement and positive regard. Each young person has an individual plan with goals that reflect their personal interests. This development is helping young people to make positive changes to their behaviour. As a result, incidents where staff need to physically intervene are very low. Inspection report children’s home: SC367551 5 The acting manager ensures that young people’s risk assessments offer clear guidance to staff about how to keep young people safe. Timely updates mean that information to help safeguard young people is current. However, staff still do not always record that they have read these updates.

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

Young people show an awareness of when they are not safe and seek support from staff to help them manage risky situations. For example, one young person asked for time away from the local area to break negative relationships, which staff provided. However, practice in this area is not consistent. Staff do not always offer individual time to young people after an incident. This is a missed opportunity to reflect with young people on the reasons for their behaviour.

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

Young people rarely go missing from the home. When they do go missing, staff respond quickly and are proactive in looking for young people, ensuring that they return promptly.

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

Staff do not always use recording systems effectively to document young people’s medication. Poor recording heightens the risk of medication errors.

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

The registered manager is not currently in day-to-day charge of the home. An acting manager has been appointed to provide management oversight in the interim. Managers have failed to address three requirements and one recommendation raised at the last inspection.

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

Despite staff working hard to ensure that young people do not have their placements disrupted as a result of staff changes, previous concerns regarding staff consistency have remained. For example, in a three-month period, 33 different members of staff worked at the home. Managers have now addressed this shortfall by recruiting a new staff team. This is now starting to give a more stable workforce.

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

Managers do not ensure that staff have training to help them meet the individual needs of young people living in the home. For example, one young person has a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but only one member of staff has received training to raise their awareness of this condition. This means that staff lack essential knowledge to support them in their roles.

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

New staff have clear induction plans and are well supported when they join the home. The acting manager has made improvements to the frequency and content of supervision. As a result, staff feel well supported in their roles. However, managers have not ensured that staff have their performance appraised annually. This prevents staff from being able to review and develop their practice.

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

Staff develop strong working relationships with professionals. A headteacher told the inspector, ‘The relationship with the organisation overall is positive. They are incredibly Inspection report children’s home: SC367551 6 accommodating, and communication is good.’ These positive working relationships support team work in achieving young people’s care plans.

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

The acting manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the service.

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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: SC367551 7

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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(s)

Tracey Coglan Greig: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC367551 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.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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