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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063498 1 SC063498

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Crossway Services Limited

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2017.

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This monitoring visit

During an assurance inspection on 21 November 2023, inspectors identified significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not ensure that safeguarding practice is robust and helps staff to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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This monitoring visit

Following the assurance inspection, two compliance notices were issued under Section 22A of the Care Standards Act. Compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the actions taken by the provider in meeting the steps in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the provider has taken steps to ensure that children have clear risk management plans that include children’s individual vulnerabilities. These plans provide staff with strategies to follow in practice to reduce the risk of harm to children. Staff demonstrate that they understand children’s vulnerabilities and staff practice has improved to reduce the risk of harm to children. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063498 2 Leaders and managers have introduced a training matrix, which clearly identifies staff training needs. Staff complete training to meet children’s individual needs to help them to develop their knowledge and skills to safely support children. Leaders and managers have updated the home’s workforce development plan. This identifies the gaps in staff training and development, with actions included to address these gaps.

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This monitoring visit

Systems are now in place to monitor and review the effectiveness of training and consider how staff learning is implemented into practice. There is appropriate evaluation and oversight of incidents by leaders and managers. Where shortfalls are identified, appropriate action is taken to address concerns. Leaders and managers evaluate and review incidents to identify any learning for the staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers work with placing authorities and relevant professionals to support the child.

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This monitoring visit

In Ofsted’s view, the provider has taken sufficient action to meet the notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

The other requirements were not considered as part of this monitoring visit and will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 13/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/12/2021 Full Good 19/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063498 3

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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 with the given timescales.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 19 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063498 4 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;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(x)) 19 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063498 5 In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child is receiving appropriate education provision to meet their needs.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff receive supervision in line with the company policy and that this is practice related.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 19 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure the records are complete and include relevant and up-to-date information. Missing documents, such as local authority care plans, should be obtained and placed on the child’s file to enable appropriate support to be implemented for the child.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last two inspections and is restated. 19 February 2024

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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; 19 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063498 6 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

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the responsible local authority provide children with the opportunity for an independent return-home interview after they have been missing from care. The registered person should challenge the placing authority if these are not appropriately completed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor has the skills and understanding necessary to assess all relevant information and form an impartial judgement about the quality of care that the home provides. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063498 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

Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063498 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 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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