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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 1 SC063498 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

This privately run children’s home provides care for one child. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2017. She also manages another home in the organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2021 Full Good 19/06/2019 Full Good 28/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from this home and one child has moved in.

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improvement to be good

Changes to the staff team have meant that the child currently living in this home has not always experienced continuity of care. However, there is now a stable staff team in place and the inspector observed warm and familiar relationships between the child and staff. The child told the inspector that they like living in the home. The child feels listened to and knows that staff help them.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, changes have been made to the home environment. As a result, it is a nicer place to live. The child told the inspector they are able to choose items for their bedroom. Although some maintenance tasks are outstanding, there are plans in place to address these.

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improvement to be good

Staff are keen to introduce the child to new activities and experiences. The child told the inspector they have enjoyed going to rugby matches and have recently attended army cadets, to see if this is something they would like to do regularly. This is supporting the child to develop their sense of identity and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

The child has recently started to work with a tutor who comes to the home. They are engaging well, and the duration of these sessions has increased. Although these arrangements are in their infancy, this is progress from the child’s starting point.

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improvement to be good

Staff liaise with health professionals to ensure that the child’s health needs are met. Staff have worked with specialist professionals to ensure that prescribed medication is reviewed when needed and remains appropriate for the child. However, the child’s plan does not identify the support required to manage all their specific health concerns.

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improvement to be good

The child is supported to spend time with the people who are important to them. The registered manager and staff work flexibly to ensure that these arrangements are in the child’s best interests.

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improvement to be good

Not all transitions for children moving into and on from this home have been well planned. For one child, there were no records available to evidence how staff had supported their move on from this home. Furthermore, admissions processes have not always been effective. Pre-admission assessments lack analysis and evaluation of children’s needs. Delays in obtaining relevant records have limited staff’s ability to support children to make progress from the time they move into the home.

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improvement to be good

The child has opportunities to share their views about the home and they are aware of the complaints procedure. However, there are no records of one child receiving a Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 4 response to their complaint. This does not ensure that children know their concerns are taken seriously.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the child’s vulnerabilities and associated risks. Risk management plans are regularly reviewed and updated. Plans are detailed and identify risks and strategies for staff to follow to keep the child safe.

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improvement to be good

There has been an incident when a member of staff has not understood their role and responsibilities in safeguarding and protecting children. It is not clear that this matter was identified by leaders and managers and addressed with the member of staff prior to this inspection taking place.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have informed relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer, of matters of concern at the home. However, identified actions to improve safeguarding arrangements in the home are not always carried out. This includes further follow-up work with children to ensure that they can safely raise concerns about their care.

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improvement to be good

There have been no physical interventions or negative consequences used since the last inspection. However, plans that detail how staff are to manage the child’s behaviour have not been updated with current information. This may lead to a lack of consistency from staff, who work with the child on a one-to-one basis. Furthermore, this is not consistent with the organisation’s therapeutic approach, as identified in the home’s statement of purpose.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from this home, staff take appropriate action to find them and encourage their return. The registered manager has appropriately challenged the child’s local authority when return home interviews have not been offered to the child.

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improvement to be good

Safe recruitment procedures are in place for new staff. This means that children are protected from unsuitable adults being employed to work in the home.

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improvement to be good

Thumb-turn locks have now been fitted to the external doors of the home, so that the child is able to leave the home independently in the event of an emergency.

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good

Since the last inspection, the provider made the decision to close for a period of time following one child leaving the home in an unplanned way. The registered manager has also been absent and was off when a new child moved into the home. Arrangements in place at this time did not provide sufficient day-to-day management oversight. Since the registered manager has returned, she has ensured Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 5 a consistent staff team is in place and is taking steps to improve the home and address some of the shortfalls.

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good

Feedback from the child’s social worker is positive. They are complimentary about the care the child receives and the communication from the home’s registered manager and staff team.

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good

Staff have received training to ensure that they have the skills required to meet the needs of the child living in this home. The registered manager has arranged for additional training, specific to the needs of the child, to take place in the coming weeks.

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good

Staff spoken to during the inspection describe a supportive environment and say that they are able to approach the registered manager with any issues or concerns. However, there are gaps in staff supervision and appraisals. This was a requirement at the last inspection and is restated.

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good

Monitoring and review systems are ineffective. Not all incidents have been reviewed thoroughly enough to understand what can be learned or to ensure that any further actions required are undertaken. There have been changes to how records are maintained, with a move to an online recording system. The aim of this is to improve oversight of the day-to-day running of the home. However, this is not yet embedded in practice.

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good

The home’s quality of care reports lack evaluation and do not include feedback from stakeholders to drive improvement in the home. Furthermore, the quality of care review report has not been sent to Ofsted within the correct time frame. This limits the regulator’s oversight of practice in the home.

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good

Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to address shortfalls identified at the previous inspection and five requirements are therefore restated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff understand their roles in ensuring that children are safe and that relevant follow-up work with children is undertaken swiftly.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 4 May 2023

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 4 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 7 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure any relevant therapeutic input is clearly recorded in the child’s plans, as per the home’s statement of purpose, and that there are effective monitoring systems in place to ensure oversight of all aspects of the day-to-day running of the home, including records of responses to complaints.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s needs are clearly identified and assessed prior to admission. 4 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff receive regular supervision and that their performance is appraised annually.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 4 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which— 4 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 8 include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that relevant case records are maintained and stored securely.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 4 May 2023

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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

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the review of the quality of care includes the opinions of stakeholders and is sent to the regulator within given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 4 May 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff receive the training they need to understand and care for children with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, sensory impairment and autism spectrum disorder. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 9

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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: SC063498 10

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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

Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 11 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 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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