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 privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child who may have social, emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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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: good

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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

04/06/2019 Full Good 26/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2018 Full Good 05/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child lives at this home. He has formed positive and trusting relationships with staff. The child is settled and happy. Good interactions and humour were observed during the inspection between the child and staff members. This helps to maintain a homely, relaxed atmosphere.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has adapted well to living in a home that is a significant distance away from his family. Staff have shown sensitivity and provided the child with all the support necessary to ensure that he has been able to spend time with his family during COVID-19. This has helped the child maintain relationships with people who are important to him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from receiving dedicated one-to-one support from staff. He is responding well to the established routines in place. For example, he has a love of computer technology but will only access this at certain times so as not to disrupt his education. He is learning about the skills necessary to become independent, such as budgeting and taking responsibility for cleaning duties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are very nurturing in their approach to the child. They monitor closely the child’s health and emotional well-being through regular consultation with specialist services such as the clinical psychologist. Staff use creative ways to engage the child in healthy conversations about managing emotions such as a ‘pushing buttons’ exercise. This is helping the child to explore and share his feelings with staff in a safe environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported the child to make a successful transition into school. His attendance is excellent. He spoke enthusiastically to the inspector about the subjects he is interested in and his ambitions for the future. He has great potential to have a successful career. For example, the skills he has developed in computer technology are phenomenal. He is therefore making good progress in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that they promote the child’s awareness of leading a healthy lifestyle. The child enjoys boxing and has developed a love of cooking. He made an impressive three-course dinner from fresh ingredients for staff as part of the home’s ‘bake-off’ challenge. The child, as part of a blog, wrote: ‘This was a fun experience as it allowed me and the deputy manager to interact with each other about which foods we enjoy and which foods we should cook next.’

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

Staff provide the child with a safe place to live. They have a good understanding of the child’s needs and use comprehensive risk assessments to support his safety Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 4 inside and outside the home. Staff show good insight into the child’s growing independence and allow him to take age-appropriate risks.

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

Staff undertake dedicated support sessions with the child to help him understand how to keep safe, for example, in the use of mobile phones. This is having a positive impact in that the child uses his phone responsibly and hands it in at night. The child shows a good insight into the risks associated with social media evidenced during a discussion he had with the inspector.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about the procedures to follow should they encounter a child protection concern. Staff can demonstrate that they take all necessary action in response to children going missing from care. Positive feedback from a local authority was received by the home, which commented on staff going above and beyond to keep children safe.

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

Staff work well with outside agencies. Feedback from the social worker is positive. She is regularly kept informed about the child’s progress and any incidents. The social worker is of the view that the staff at the home are keeping the child safe.

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

The child responds well to the clear and consistent boundaries that are in place. A structured routine is helping him stay occupied and safe. His behaviour is positive. For example, he is respectful and polite towards staff. He shows compassion and kindness by helping people.

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

Positive praise and rewards are used to reinforce good behaviour. Staff use incentives to help the child reach certain goals such as managing his emotions. Such strategies are working well.

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

The home would benefit from some attention to bring it to a higher standard of repair and cleanliness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and qualified manager who is supported by a deputy. They are child centred in their approach and formulate individualised plans to help children increase their life chances. Staff reported that they like working at the home. They feel valued and supported by the manager and deputy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team provides a living experience for the child that is warm and nurturing. The child benefits from a good level of consistency and continuity of care that helps him feel secure. Staff demonstrate a good insight into the child’s needs. For example, they are able to describe the strategies in place for supporting the child’s emotional well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team provides a supportive environment for staff through regular supervision. There is good focus on children’s experiences and progress. Staff are Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 5 given the opportunity to reflect on their practice. They develop their knowledge and skill base through training, tailored to the specific needs of the children, such as ‘therapeutic parenting’ and ‘county lines’. Management oversight can be strengthened by making sure that all staff attend key refresher training in areas such as safeguarding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good communication systems in place. The provision of daily handovers means that important information and any changes affecting the child’s care are regularly shared. However, not all up-to-date information about the child’s needs is held on file and known to staff. This can potentially hinder the progress that children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff can describe the progress that children are making. Records demonstrate the positive work that has been undertaken to support children’s achievements. The manager and staff work proactively and positively with outside agencies and the child’s family, thus ensuring that all-round support for the child is in place. A family member said, ‘The home communicates very well’, and that ‘contact is extremely well supported and well planned.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring is regularly completed. However, the views of parents and staff to inform the quality of care are limited as part of the monthly independent assurance visits of the home. The manager’s own report about the quality of the care provided lacks evaluation and it does not identify any actions to develop the service. Therefore, there is not a critical reflective view driving the service forward. In addition, both monitoring systems could be further improved by including consultation with the child about his lived experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirement and recommendations set at the last inspection are now met. Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 6

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished, and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to maintaining the appearance of the home and ensuring that signs of wear and tear, and minor repairs are attended to as soon as practicable. 9 July 2021

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to strengthening management oversight and evaluation of incidents in ensuring that staff practice is robust, ensuring that important documentation to support children’s care, such as Pathway plans and education plans, are followed up, kept on file and shared with staff, and 9 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 7 that staff training including that of the manager is kept up to date. When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives, and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that parents, relatives and staff working at the home have the opportunity to express their views and opinions to inform the overall reporting on and evaluation of how the home is safeguarding children and promoting their well-being. 9 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months.

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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 for 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 for children.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that feedback from children about the home and that from stakeholders, such as placing authorities and family members, is captured in the report to help inform the quality of care and that any areas for development or improvement are specified. 9 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 8

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crossway Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Inspector

Mike Charnley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC460761 10 to 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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