Children's home run by Crossway Services Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report children‟s home: SC460761 1 SC460761 Registered provider: Crossway Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person. The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2017. She also manages another one- bedded home for the company.

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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

Date of last inspection: 26 February 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC460761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2018 Full Good 05/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/11/2017 Interim Not judged Inspection report children‟s home: SC460761 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

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—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 02/08/2019

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Recommendations

 For children‟s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases be homely, domestic environments. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children‟s home: SC460761 4 In particular, take action to improve the condition of the external paintwork.  Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 43, paragraph 9.9) In particular, ensure that young people understand the risks associated with e-safety, using social media and the internet.  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the

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Recommendations

workforce related requirements of Regulation 16, Schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see Regulation 33 (4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  All children‟s case records (Regulation 36) must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. Staff should record information about children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes fact, opinion and third-party information. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraphs 14.3 and 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person receives good-quality, individualised care that is making an important difference in their life. Staff help the young person to have positive experiences and improved outcomes. Staff provide the young person with the stability and support that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are friendly and upbeat. They engage naturally with the young person and treat her with respect and empathy. The young person values this, and she loves playing practical jokes on the staff. She said that the staff are funny, and she enjoys spending time with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person had previously found it difficult to trust adults. However, the staff‟s positive approach has meant that the young person has built positive relationships with them and is accepting of the help and support available. The young person‟s social worker said that the young person is making secure attachments to staff. The young person has also told her social worker that the deputy manager is named as her trusted adult.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager has worked hard with the placing authority to support the young person. Because of the progress that the young person has made in a short period, her placement has been extended beyond the initial plan. This extension to the Inspection report children‟s home: SC460761 5 plan is in part because the young person has asked to remain here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with tutors to help overcome any barriers to the young person‟s engagement in education. The head of school said, „The registered manager provides the young person and us with excellent support. The staff are and remain keen for young people to be in full-time education. They ensure that the young person is in school and they will bring her in even if it‟s late.‟ Staff have a strong desire to ensure that the young person receives the right education and support and they take the necessary steps to ensure that this happens, so that the young person can succeed in life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person‟s physical, emotional and mental health are improving because the staff are proactive in sourcing the right health support. The looked after children‟s nurse said that the staff have made sure that the young person‟s immunisations are up to date and have ensured, at the young person‟s request, that she undertakes the necessary health assessments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The arrangements for keeping in touch with family members and others who are important in the young person‟s life are handled sensitively and compassionately by staff. The staff ensure that the young person‟s visits to family members are productive and that the young person is kept safe. A social worker said that the staff had worked hard to support the young person prior to and after these visits.

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

The young person is developing a strong sense of belonging and feels safe. They talk to staff when they are worried or upset. The young person knows that the staff listen and care about them and will do everything they can to help.

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

The staff‟s knowledge and professional practice protect the young person from harm. Staff have a good understanding of each young person‟s vulnerabilities and any concerns about their safety. Staff are vigilant and recognise signs that indicate that a young person may be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Staff work in partnership with the placing authority and the police to ensure that all risks are known, and plans are in place to reduce them.

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

The staff continually assess the risks facing the young person and take the necessary steps to make sure that the young person is protected. The young person has some understanding of how to keep themselves safe when using social media and the internet. However, they are still naive in this area and would benefit from more input and support.

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

Staff help the young person to see the benefits of positive behaviour. They reinforce the young person‟s positive behaviour through praise and rewards and this is having a positive impact on the young person‟s behaviour, resulting in a significant decline in negative behaviour. A social worker said that this is the most settled the young person has been in a long time. Inspection report children‟s home: SC460761 6 The young person is cared for in a warm, nurturing and homely environment. Their bedroom is personalised to reflect their tastes and interests. The young person is enthusiastically helping staff to update the interior decor of the home. The staff and young person are also working together on the external areas, including the garden. However, their plans are being thwarted because of the condition of the external paintwork, which is peeling in several areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a qualified and experienced registered manager. The manager is also the registered manager of another one-bedded children‟s home for the organisation. The registered manager is supported effectively by her deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have created a warm, caring and nurturing environment where the young person can recover and thrive. The young person has been instrumental in selecting the staff who care for her. This has had a very positive impact on her as she feels safe. The young person is very complimentary about the staff and the care that they provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have opportunities to receive training that would develop their understanding, knowledge and skills about the needs of the young person they are supporting. Staff said that they are supported well by the registered manager and deputy manager. Regular team meetings and supervision provide helpful opportunities to discuss the young person and their own training needs. However, the records of staff supervision are poor and do not reflect the discussion that has taken place, including any action points or training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring of the home by the independent person is informative and is helping the staff to make changes to their practice and to improve outcomes for the young person. The managers‟ monitoring is improving, although this has not identified several shortfalls in record-keeping, such as the physical intervention record not containing all the necessary information and the fact that not all records are signed and dated by the author. Overall, records are well written and provide information that will be helpful to the young person now and in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The young person is heavily involved in the creation of her plans. This means that she has a greater sense of ownership of what is happening and the reasons for this. The staff have spent considerable amounts of time helping the young person to reflect upon her past and the reasons why things have happened. As a result, she is now in a much better place to move forward. Inspection report children‟s home: SC460761 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 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 8

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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

Chris Scully: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC460761 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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