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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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

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: SC460761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/05/2021 Full Good 04/06/2019 Full Good 26/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 3

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improvement to be good

The child is making steady progress from their starting point. They are developing coping strategies to increase their resilience and confidence. This helps the child to manage their social anxieties. One staff member said, ‘I believe [Name of child] is making really good progress and will continue to do so with his care team by his side.’

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improvement to be good

The child attends home-based tutoring on a weekly basis. However, staff do not provide the child with a structured education timetable. As a result, the child has a poor daily routine and spends many hours playing computer games.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage the child to eat healthy foods and take regular exercise. The child can access gym equipment in the home. Staff also encourage the child to take regular breaks from the computer to promote his health and well-being.

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improvement to be good

The child attends statutory reviews of his care and contributes to his plans. However, the child’s relevant plans, such as the care plan and education, health and care plan, are not up to date. This means that staff are unable to follow fully informed plans for the child. It also means that the child’s current aspirations and targets are not clear.

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improvement to be good

Staff help the child to develop their independent living skills. The child regularly prepares and cooks their own meals and goes shopping with staff. This helps the child to prepare for adulthood.

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improvement to be good

The staff team helps the child to maintain family time with the people who are important to them. Staff encourage the child to use creative channels of communication, which helps the child to stay in contact with their family.

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improvement to be good

The child said that they felt safe living in their home and that they liked the surrounding area. The child also said that they liked their home, and they would not change anything. They said that it was a nice place for them to live.

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improvement to be good

Staff update the child’s risk management plan on a regular basis. However, staff do not always follow strategies to reduce risks to the child. This means that the child does not benefit from consistent, effective boundaries or consequences. Therefore, some unsafe behaviours continue, such as unsupervised online gaming. Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 4 Staff complete key-work sessions with the child to discuss relevant issues. However, staff do not consistently complete structured key work with the child regarding their identified risks. As a result, some of the child’s risks have not reduced.

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improvement to be good

Managers did not report a serious incident to Ofsted within the required timescale. This meant that the regulator had no initial oversight of what action staff took to keep the child safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff rarely need to use physical intervention to keep the child safe. However, on one occasion, staff used a physical intervention to protect the child. This was minimal and proportionate. However, managers did not effectively review the incident with the child or staff. This is a missed opportunity for managers to learn from the incident and prevent any reoccurrence.

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improvement to be good

The child has not been missing from home in recent months. The child said that he tells staff if he is going out. Staff have a good understanding of the process to follow if the child does go missing from home.

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improvement to be good

All staff have suitable background checks before starting work at the home. This ensures that children are not placed at risk from unsuitable adults working at the home.

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good

The previous registered manager resigned from their post at the end of May but had not been present in the home since March. This led to an inconsistency in management oversight, evaluation, and monitoring of the quality of care. Leaders have now recruited a new manager.

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good

The deputy manager and core staff team have developed a trusting relationship with the child. Staff understand the child’s needs and provide continuity of care. This also gives the child a stable environment to live in and helps them to make some progress.

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good

The child knows how to make a complaint and who to talk to if they have a concern. However, managers did not respond effectively to a complaint made by the child. This means that the child is uncertain of the action taken by managers to resolve the issue. Staff helped the child to access an advocate to assist them with their complaint.

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good

The manager reviews risks in the local area on a regular basis. They have developed good relationships with statutory agencies, such as the police. This helps the manager to identify local crime hotspots and keep the child safe.

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good

Staff do not attend regular supervision meetings with their manager, or annual appraisals. This means that staff are unable to consistently reflect on or review their Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 5 performance with their line manager. It also means that some staff are not up to date with their training and professional development.

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good

Managers do not arrange regular staff meetings. This affects staff’s ability to work as a team and provide a consistent approach to meet the child’s needs. It also affects the manager’s ability to discuss issues with the team and agree strategies to help the child.

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good

Leaders complete a review of the quality of care every six months. However, they do not consistently include or evaluate the views of children, their parents and placing authorities in the report. Therefore, it is not always clear how the manager considers the views of others to make changes.

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good

Staff do not consistently provide care for the child in accordance with the statement of purpose. Furthermore, leaders do not consistently keep the statement of purpose under review or notify Ofsted about any updates as per regulation. 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that staff talk to the child about how to keep safe. 21 July 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

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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 work as a team where appropriate; 21 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

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)(b)(c)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that managers respond effectively to complaints made by the child.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered 21 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 8 person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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)(b)(e)) 21 July 2023

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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 each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; 21 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 9 raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

When a child is not attending school, the staff need to support them to engage in home learning and independent study and provide them with educational activities. This should form part of a daily routine and structure.

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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.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the child’s relevant plans are up to date and inform the child’s care plan. Also, ensure that there are clear strategies in place for staff to follow as part of the child’s plans. 21 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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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)(a)(b)) 21 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 21 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 10 keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 24 July 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should be responsible for leading a team that provides high-quality care for all children living in the home. Specifically, the registered person should ensure that team meetings take place regularly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should complete a review of the quality of care every six months, which considers and evaluates the opinions of children, their parents, local authorities and staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 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: SC460761 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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Inspectors

Mark Woodbridge, Social Care Inspector Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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