Children's home run by Crystal Care Solutions Limited in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 1 SC461938 Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run home is registered to provide care for two children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021.

p.1

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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/05/2019 Full Good 17/04/2018 Full Good 12/07/2017 Full Good 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are currently two children living in the home. It is a small family home that is well presented, comfortable and homely. Children have chosen the decor and items for their bedrooms. Photos of the children are displayed throughout the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector observed warm relationships between children and staff. Both children told the inspector that they feel safe and happy living in the home. One child told the inspector, ‘Staff are really supportive.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children living in the home are engaged in education. For one child, who was excluded from school, staff supported them to continue their learning at the home so that they were able to undertake their qualifications.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to prepare for independence. They encourage children to develop their life skills, such as cooking and budgeting. One child now has a part- time job. Staff support them to maintain this employment, and this has given the child aspirations for their future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote the health and well-being of the children living in the home. Children attend routine health appointments. Staff work with relevant professionals to support the specific health needs of each child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see the people who are important to them. Staff appreciate the significance of these relationships and work with the placing authority to ensure that the arrangements in place are beneficial for children. Children are able to invite their friends to their home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children and encourage them to express their wishes and feelings. Children know how to make a complaint, although they have not needed to. Both children say that they can easily approach the manager or staff if they have any worries or concerns. Children are aware that they can access an independent advocate should they wish to.

p.3

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

Individual risk management plans assess a range of risks associated with each child’s behaviour and outline the strategies staff must follow to manage these risks. However, some plans contain inaccurate information, including details of other children. For one child, their plan had been updated with relevant information; however, the strategies staff had implemented were not recorded. Therefore, the plan does not reflect all that staff are doing in order to keep the child safe.

p.3

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

Safeguarding incidents are managed well. Information is shared with relevant professionals, and there is a multi-agency approach to addressing issues and Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 4 reducing risk. Children are supported to understand the actions that staff take to protect them. As a result, children feel safe.

p.3

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

There have not been any incidents of the children going missing from the home. When children have time away from the home in the community, they maintain contact with staff. This shows the positive relationships they have developed. Protocols are in place for staff to follow, and staff spoken to during the inspection are aware of the missing-from-home procedure. However, information in relation to the staffing arrangements at night, in the event that a child goes missing from the home, requires clarity.

p.4

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

Positive behaviour is promoted through praise and incentives for children. Focused discussions support children to reflect on their behaviour. As a result, staff have not needed to physically intervene to manage children’s behaviour. Sanctions are rare. However, when sanctions have been used, the manager has not ensured that they are recorded in line with regulation or reviewed for effectiveness.

p.4

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

Initial matching assessments are robust. This means that children move into the home in a planned and considered way.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a permanent manager, who registered with Ofsted in March 2021. This is his first position as a registered manager. He has recently achieved the relevant qualification to underpin his knowledge of the role.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some staffing changes since the last inspection. However, the home is currently fully staffed. Agency staff have worked in the home since the last inspection. However, efforts have been made to ensure that the same agency staff are used in order to maintain consistency for children living at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works shifts. This allows him to build and maintain good relationships with children and observe staff practice. However, it limits his capacity for managerial tasks. Although he has monitoring systems in place, they do not consistently demonstrate his oversight of the day-to-day running of the home, for example his oversight of all incidents with children and any learning that has arisen as a result.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoken to during the inspection said that the registered manager is approachable, and that they feel supported by him. Staff receive regular supervision to encourage them to reflect on their practice and the progress children living in the home are making. Team meetings are used to reflect on the care and support given to children and how these can be improved.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have received core training, and online training opportunities have been available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff speak positively about the training that is available to them, and they have undertaken a wide range of training to ensure that they have the relevant knowledge and skills required for their role. Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 5 The manager responds well to recommendations from external monitoring reports. Feedback is sought regularly from children in order to improve their experiences living in the home and the quality of care they receive. External professionals spoken to are positive about the manager and staff team. One child’s social worker commented, ‘They are proactive in every way.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose has not been sent to Ofsted with the changes to staffing in the home. This means that Ofsted does not have the most up-to-date information about who is working at the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose does not include the use of door sensors in the home. Furthermore, the manager has not secured consent from the placing authority to use door sensors as a means of monitoring and surveillance. Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that risk assessments are accurate and individual to each child, and that all strategies to minimise risks are recorded in children’s plans. 16 February 2022

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective monitoring systems in place, specifically to ensure oversight of the day-to-day running of the home. 16 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 7 The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept up to date and sent to the regulator following any changes. 16 February 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they gain consent to any monitoring and surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. 16 February 2022

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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")—

p.7

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and 16 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 8 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.7

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)(ii)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that records of sanctions are subject to scrutiny to ensure that they clearly record the actions staff have taken to avoid using the measure and that all sanctions are evaluated for effectiveness.

p.8

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s procedures have regard to police and local authority protocols for responding to missing persons incidents in the area where the home is located. This particularly relates to staffing arrangements at night. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.29)

p.8

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: SC461938 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC461938 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10