Children's home run by Crossway Services Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 1 SC064573 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 and provides care for one child. The provider cares for one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2016. She also manages another home owned by the same organisation, which also provides care for one child.

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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 inadequate

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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: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/11/2019 Full Good 09/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and another child has moved in. Staff have supported both children to understand the reasons for these moves, to ensure their well-being. The inspector observed the child currently living in the home to be confident and comfortable in the home and with staff who care for him. The child’s parent said, ‘All the staff are amazing. [Name of child] has settled into the home well.’

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improvement to be good

Staff have positive links with external professionals. This has ensured that children experience positive support during moves to and from the home. However, documents specific to one child’s health and education needs have not been received from the placing authority. This does not ensure that the staff provide appropriate support for his emotional needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote positive relationships between the child and his family and friends. Staff ensure that the arrangements for the child to spend time with family and friends are safe and in line with his care plan.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to attend school full time and to engage with learning opportunities. The manager works in partnership with the school to ensure that the child’s educational needs are met. The deputy headteacher said, ‘The care staff understand and appreciate [name of child]’s needs and have worked well with the school to ensure that he has the best chance of success when he is in school.’

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improvement to be good

Staff provide opportunities for the child to engage in activities and develop his interests, including going fishing, fixing bicycles and going to the local skate park. Staff actively engage in these with the child. This promotes the development of positive relationships between the child and staff and increases his confidence.

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improvement to be good

There are areas in the home that require attention, to ensure a homely and safe environment for the child. Window restrictors are broken and the child’s bedroom contains broken furniture. The manager had not identified this as a potential hazard. Additionally, several walls in the home, including on the landing and stairs and in the child’s bedroom, are dirty and require cleaning or repainting. The child’s bedroom is not personalised, the wardrobe has no door, and the floor and surfaces were unclean. This does not provide the child with a sense of safety or comfort.

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improvement to be good

There are alarms on the home’s external doors. However, the manager has not ensured that the use of alarms is reflected in the statement of purpose. There is also no assessment to ensure that using alarms is proportionate or necessary for the needs of the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 4

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe. Staff discuss specific risks with children to help them understand how to keep safe. This includes detailed discussions about appropriate and safe relationships, how to keep safe during incidents of going missing and concerns around water safety.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. There is a clear procedure in place for staff to follow if this were to happen and staff are confident in following this.

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improvement to be good

Care plans are written for the child. However, they fail to include all known risks. Training relating to specific risks, including internet safety, has not been completed by all staff. This means that staff do not have the appropriate knowledge or skills to ensure the child’s safety and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Plans and assessments do not include sufficient detail or guidance for staff to follow regarding behaviour management. This results in staff lacking the knowledge and skills to manage incidents appropriately. During one incident, staff locked themselves in the office when the child was feeling overwhelmed and was damaging property. This could have placed the child at further risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide the child with appropriate rewards. However, consequences for behaviour are not recorded. This limits the manager’s oversight of strategies used to manage behaviour and their effectiveness.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained to administer medication for the child and do this in a safe way. However, records for medication do not always include the date it was given, which could result in the child being given more than prescribed.

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improvement to be good

There has been one allegation made against a child in the home. The manager took appropriate action to deal with this. This ensured the safety of all involved.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment checks are completed before employing staff. This ensures that those working in the home are safe to work with children. Staff know the company whistle-blowing policy and are confident in discussing safeguarding procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a suitably qualified manager, who has managed the home since 2016. The manager is also registered for another of the company’s homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been ineffective in prioritising and making necessary improvements since the last inspection. This has resulted in four requirements being restated; three of these are restated for the third consecutive time. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 5 The manager has identified that further work is required to ensure that records are robust and monitoring systems are improved. Senior managers have identified how they will support the manager and have plans to address these together. However, plans have not been implemented in a timely way and oversight of the home is not effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has reviewed some records in the home. However, staff practice issues are not consistently identified. This means that staff are not appropriately challenged to improve their practice or improve the quality of care provided to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are offered regular supervision. They attend team meetings and discuss the child’s needs and organisational factors. Staff say they feel supported by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager advocates for the children and communicates well with external professionals to meet children’s immediate needs. However, several documents, including health and education documents, have not been provided by the local authority, which limits the manager’s ability to plan effectively for the child and manage risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager ensures that external monitoring takes place each month. However, the reports lack evaluation and do not provide actions or areas for development for the home. This limits the manager’s oversight of areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not submitted the quality of care review within regulatory timescales, although this was done during the inspection. The report lacks evaluation and does not include feedback from children or key stakeholders to enable development of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been one complaint from a parent, which the manager has responded to appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Records of visitors to the home are maintained. However, they do not include the reasons for the visits. This prevents the manager from having a clear understanding of why people are visiting the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Rotas do not include the actual hours that the manager is working in the home. This was a requirement at the previous inspection and remains outstanding. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 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 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

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

that the home’s day to day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that risk management plans are accurate, and that staff are aware of the identified risks.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that hazards in the child’s bedroom, such as broken furniture and window restrictors, are replaced in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last two inspections and is restated. 8 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 7 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

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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have the skills to meet the child’s individual needs and that there are effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that there is oversight of all aspects of the day-to-day running of the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last two inspections and is restated. 8 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 8 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 8 understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home environment is maintained to a high standard, including providing the child with a wardrobe with doors, ensuring the bedroom floor and surfaces are free from debris and that the child is supported to personalise his bedroom.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the care provided is reflected in the statement of purpose, specifically the use of external door alarms.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that consequences are recorded and evaluated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 9 Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a record is kept of visitors to the home, including the reason for their visit. The registered person must ensure that staff rotas include the hours worked in the home by the manager.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 8 August 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

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

After completing a quality-of-care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality-of- care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality-of-care review ("the quality-of-care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality-of-care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality-of-care review is completed; and 8 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 10 make a copy of the quality-of-care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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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) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the quality of care review is evaluative, includes the opinions of children, parents, placing authorities and staff and is sent to HMCI in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last two inspections and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person appointed to complete regulation 44 visits has the skills and understanding necessary to assess all relevant information, form an impartial judgement about the quality of the home’s care and make recommendations for the registered provider to improve the quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)  The registered person should ensure that they receive copies of relevant plans for children in their care, including health and education plans, to ensure appropriate care planning for children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 11.1)  The registered person should ensure that records are kept of the administration of all medication, and that they are clear and include the date medication was

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Recommendations

administered. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.15) Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 11

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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: SC064573 12

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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

Jenni Gadsby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064573 13 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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