Children's home run by Crossway Services Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2017.

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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 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

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: SC460761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/05/2021 Full Good 04/06/2019 Full Good 26/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has left the home. The child moved on to a foster family in a planned and positive way. There is currently one child living at the home. The child has settled in well and has quickly developed good relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Historically, the child has suffered from a significantly disrupted education. Staff encourage the child to participate in informal educational activities but success in this area is extremely limited. Plans in place to support education are not currently effective. As a result, the child is not learning or achieving in education.

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improvement to be good

The child does not currently have a pathway plan to promote their readiness for independence. Staff have requested the pathway plan from the placing authority. However, the plan has not been provided, therefore, the long-term plan for the child’s future remains unclear.

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improvement to be good

The child is cared for by a small but stable staff team that promotes consistency and stability for them. The child makes slow but steady progress across aspects of their welfare, and physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. The child said, ‘It’s good here and compared to my other placements it’s a lot more relaxed. I get on with the staff.’

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to see their family. As a result, the child sustains relationships with the people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

The child spends a lot of time in the company of the staff. Staff encourage the child to take part in activities. For example, the child has enjoyed baking, going bowling and to the cinema and dog walking with staff. As a result, the child’s self-confidence is improving and they are becoming less anxious and avoidant of social situations.

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improvement to be good

The child has access to the health services that they need to be healthy. The child attends their routine health appointments with support and encouragement from staff.

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

There have been no restraints or consequences since the last inspection. The child’s behaviour has improved and they are now more able to communicate their feelings and self-regulate their own behaviour. The child said, ‘I like the one-to-one. I’ve matured in myself, and staff help me when I need it.’

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

Staff acknowledge, praise and reward the child’s positive behaviour. The child responds well to the consistent rules and boundaries that promote their safety. Staff spend one-to-one time with the child to help them manage their feelings and Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 4 anxieties. The child’s social worker said, ‘The work that staff have done has been fantastic. It’s been very small steps, but they are making progress.’

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

Staff educate the child about the dangers of using social media. They encourage them to have more regular breaks from gaming on the computer. Risks associated with the child are managed safely and effectively. The use of clear risk management plans and safe working practices promote the child’s safety. However, the risk management plan for supporting the child’s time spent on the computer requires clear guidance for staff on how to limit allocated game time.

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

There has been an allegation made by the child about staff since the last inspection. The police were informed and are currently investigating the allegation. The social worker and Ofsted were notified; however, the local authority designated officer was not informed to ensure transparency and accountability of practice. In addition, the risk management plan was not updated.

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

There has been one isolated occasion when the child went missing from the home. Staff followed the home’s missing person procedure and secured the child’s safe return. There have not been any further missing-from-home episodes.

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

Health and safety matters are managed effectively to ensure that a safe environment is maintained for the child, visitors and staff. However, the home would benefit from some redecoration and homely improvements to improve the overall quality and standard of the accommodation provided for the child.

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good

A suitably qualified and experienced registered manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the home. The manager is supported by a deputy manager, to ensure that there is effective management oversight.

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good

The child benefits from a stable and consistent staff team who have a good knowledge and understanding of the child’s specific needs. Most staff who work with the child are suitably qualified and those not qualified are enrolled to complete appropriate qualifications.

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good

Staff are recruited and selected carefully and safe recruitment practices are stringently adhered to.

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good

Insufficient records were available at the time of this inspection to show that staff benefit from regular team meetings and receive regular practice-related supervision.

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good

Staff benefit from good-quality training to meet the specific needs of the child. Staff’s mandatory training is completed within timescales and training records are in place. Staff are trained in therapeutic parenting. However, training records for the registered manager were incomplete and there were significant gaps in their training history. Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 5 The home is visited each month by an independent person who scrutinises the care provided and the arrangements made to safeguard children and promote their well- being. However, there is limited evidence to show how the registered manager routinely evaluates the impact that the care provided has on the progress and experiences of the child.

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good

Additionally, the manager has not considered the views of the child, their parents, social worker or other stakeholders to validate or improve staff practice when completing the review of the quality of care.

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good

The home has not met all the requirements from the last inspection. Consequently, two requirements are repeated. Inspection report for 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, 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.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This refers specifically to ensuring that the child is attending education. 29 May 2023

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This was a requirement at the last inspection and is restated. 19 June 2023

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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. 17 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff 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;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff’s understanding and implementation of the child’s risk assessments, particularly with regard to managing the child’s time spent on the computer, their money and allegations.

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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;

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to improving the frequency of team meetings, updating training records for the manager and ensuring that staff’s supervision records are accessible at the home. 17 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the 17 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 8 placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located. (Regulation 34 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring the prompt referral of safeguarding concerns and allegations to the local authority designated officer.

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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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that feedback about the home from children and 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.

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Requirement Due date

This was a requirement at the last inspection and is restated. 29 May 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the child has a pathway plan in place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.28) Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 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: SC460761 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

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 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 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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