Children's Home run by Crossway Services Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children's home: SC386810 1 SC386810 Registered provider: Crossway Services Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately operated children’s home provides care for one child. The provider states in their statement of purpose, ‘Regardless of previous experience, children and young people have potential for growth and change. Our home exists to nurture and develop, so that any young person welcomed into our care will have the opportunity to flourish.’

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Information about this children’s home

The home is currently operating without a registered manager. A manager has been appointed to the home and is preparing to make an application for registration with Ofsted.

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Inspection date: 28 March 2022

Date of last inspection: 8 September 2021

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Inspection date: 28 March 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 28 March 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC386810 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has improved effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last full inspection, four requirements were made regarding educational attendance, safeguarding procedures and managerial monitoring. This interim inspection was to review the progress in addressing the requirements and the quality of care provided to the children placed in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is currently operating without a registered manager. An acting manager is in place, and she has stated that she is making an application for registration with Ofsted.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last full inspection in September 2021, one child has been discharged and there has been one new admission to the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The child living here has made an internal move from another one of the organisation’s children’s homes. Suitable transition arrangements were made to support this move. For example, these included the child visiting the home, choosing the décor of their bedroom and meeting the staff team. This preparation enabled the child to have a smooth and planned transition with minimal disruption to her daily routine.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The acting manager and staff ensured that the educational arrangements for the child were maintained. As such, the child is supported to continue in her long-term educational placement and maintain the already established friendship groups. School attendance has continued to be good.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Placement plans suitably capture the individual needs of the child accommodated in the home. Plans are further developed to work in partnership with individual risk management and behaviour management plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Health care plans identify the health needs of the child and include a summary of appointments that have been attended. However, where a specific historical health condition is identified, such as asthma, the staff have not received suitable training or direction in how to respond in the event of the condition deteriorating.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding procedures are improved. Although the child can display some challenging behavioue including some low-level risk-taking behaviours, the acting manager and staff are now proactive in their responses. For example, when the child is absent from the home, the staff do everything necessary to support her safe return home. In addition, return-home interviews are now conducted in a timely Inspection report for children's home: SC386810 3 manner. Information from the interviews is now used to inform missing-from-home risk management plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Overall, the staff are suitably trained and have completed the diploma in children’s social care. This means that staff have a sufficient understanding of their roles and responsibilities in meeting the needs of the child living in the home. However, as previously indicated, additional training is required when there is a specific health diagnosis for a child accommodated in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been inconsistencies in the staffing of the children’s home. In the event of sickness or staff taking annual leave, the acting manager is currently providing shift cover for two of the organisation’s homes. Additional shortages across the organisation result in staff moving between homes to cover the shortfalls. This means that there are occasions when the child in this single occupancy home is looked after by unfamiliar staff. A staff member said, ‘The organisation employs only the minimum staff required. It does not consider sickness or annual leave. There are no bank staff to help at these times, so we all cover where we can.’ As a result, the current ad-hoc contingency plan to address staff shortages does not consider the impact on the child living in a single-occupancy home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some improvements to the home are required to develop a homely, safe and nurturing environment for the child. These include ensuring that the child’s bedroom windows are obscured to protect her privacy and that her bedroom is routinely checked to ensure it is being kept clean and tidy.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Internal and external monitoring of the home has been improved. The home’s development plan identifies target areas for improvement, and these include some of the matters recognised within this inspection report.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

In summary, the home has taken some positive steps to address the identified shortfalls in practice. Although further development is required, the home is judged to have improved effectiveness. Inspection report for children's home: SC386810 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC386810 5

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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 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (a)(b) (2)(d)) 29 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are supported to express themselves as individuals and should be given an appropriate degree of freedom and choice in relation to day-to-day arrangements for their care. Where a child’s preferences are unreasonable or cannot be met for safeguarding reasons, staff should discuss this with the child and help them to understand why. This is with particular regard to personal privacy in children’s bedrooms where blinds have been removed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.21)  The registered person must ensure that the staff have the relevant skills, knowledge and training to be able to respond to the health needs of children, help children’s long-term conditions and, where necessary, meet specific individual health needs arising from a condition such as asthma. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34,

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Recommendations

paragraph 7.12)  The responsible person must ensure that the home is decorated in order to create a homely and cosy environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children's home: SC386810 6  The registered person should ensure a child’s bedroom remains in a clean and tidy state. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that in accordance with regulation 27, an application for the registration of the current manager is completed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 12.2)

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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 for children's home: SC386810 7

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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

Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC386810 8 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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