Children's home run by Crystal Care Solutions Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: SC477209 1 SC477209 Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to three children. The home specialises in providing a therapeutic environment for children who display sexually harmful behaviours. A private company manages this home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC477209 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2023 Full Outstanding 15/03/2022 Full Good 24/09/2019 Full Good 05/06/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC477209 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are three children living at the home. They have all lived there for over two years.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from plans that are individualised and clear. Plans are created alongside children and reflect their voices well. Children have been supported to create a visual ‘road map’ that represents their journey towards leaving the home. Children create summaries of their year that highlight their achievements. As a result, children understand their plans well and are making good progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities in line with their interests and hobbies. One child plays in a football team and proudly showed their medals. Another child enjoyed volunteering at a museum over the summer and attends a regular youth club. All the children enjoy trips out from the home, including to theme parks and trampolining. Staff put up photos around the home of children enjoying activities and create memory books. Positive experiences support children to develop confidence and self-esteem.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their families. Children regularly see and speak to people who are important to them. Children’s relationships are promoted and valued. When two children suffered bereavements, the staff sensitively explored children’s feelings. Children were supported to remember their loved ones with a memorial event at the home. Children’s families are positive about the care the home provides. A child’s guardian called the home ‘a gem’ and said that they ‘wish there were more homes like it’. Children benefit from the support of positive relationships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop an understanding of equality, diversity and other cultures through a range of activities in the home. Activities are sensitively linked to children’s experiences. For example, the staff arranged a themed night with a quiz and food from a country where a child has family currently living.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All three children attend education that is appropriate to their needs. The manager advocated strongly for a child when they had a gap in their education, and their learning was supported at the home. As a result, the child integrated seamlessly back into their course. The home’s therapeutic team has delivered specialist training to the colleges that all three children attend. This ensures that effective support strategies are mirrored at home and at college. Communication with two children’s colleges has been strong and effective. However, a breakdown in communication between the home and one college has resulted in a child not attending in the requested footwear for their course. The manager has a plan to improve communication and for the child to attend in the correct footwear. Inspection report for children’s home: SC477209 4

p.3

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

Children’s risk assessments are detailed and clear. These plans reflect the specific vulnerabilities of each child and provide clear guidance for staff on how to support them. Plans are progressive and consider children’s capabilities well. Staff complete direct work with children to develop their understanding. As a result, children have made good progress in how they manage risks. For example, all three children are self-administering some of their medications and looking after these safely.

p.4

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

Children and staff benefit from regular support from, and consultation with, a specialist therapeutic service. Children have a specific therapist whom they meet weekly. The therapeutic service team contributes to all planning and provides training and consultation to the staff team. As a result, children receive high-quality, individualised care that appropriately meets their needs.

p.4

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

Incidents are responded to well. Staff understand the children. They use positive relationships and consistent strategies to support the children. Records reflect that physical intervention is used rarely and only as a last resort to ensure safety. There is good management oversight of records, and staff and children benefit from sensitive debriefs that promote learning. As a result, incidents and the use of physical intervention have reduced, and there have been no occasions when children have been missing from care.

p.4

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

Allegations against staff are taken seriously. The manager ensures that investigations are thorough and keep the child and their professionals updated. However, on one occasion, a child did not speak to someone who was independent of the home after making a disclosure. As a result, an opportunity was missed to gather further insight into the child’s perspective while the investigation was ongoing. The manager has arranged for the child to speak with their social worker about the allegation.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is committed to the service and is dedicated to achieving positive outcomes for children. She is highly aspirational for children and staff and promotes a culture of mutual value and respect. Staff unanimously say that they feel well supported. A staff member referred to the manager as ‘exceptional’ and another said she is ‘brilliant’. As a result, staff retention is high, and children benefit from the support of a highly motivated team whose members know them well.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is an excellent advocate for children. For example, she has challenged external professionals to ensure that children are heard and have appropriate plans. Professionals and children’s families comment on the manager’s dedication and professionalism. A child’s family member highlighted how well the manager advocated for her child. A social worker said that the manager is ‘absolutely brilliant’ and commented on how they ‘need and value’ her contributions to transition planning for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC477209 5 The home’s internal monitoring systems are excellent. The manager has developed multiple systems for auditing records for the children and the home and uses these effectively to identify areas to focus on. The manager has been meticulous in her approach to ensuring that robust safer recruitment systems are in place. The manager has introduced further monitoring tools to support audits of staff

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

information (including for agency staff) and uses these effectively to ensure that checks are continually updated. Excellent managerial oversight of recruitment ensures that staff are appropriately vetted and experienced to work with children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from an extensive induction to the home and comprehensive training. Specialist training is sourced to ensure that staff understand and can support children’s individual needs. Staff understand the therapeutic approaches used in the home and keep children at the centre of their decision-making. As a result of the high-quality support and training they receive, staff provide high-quality care. Children benefit from staff who value them and want to be with them. A staff member said, ‘The best thing about the job is spending time with the children. Hearing them laughing and shouting is what it’s all about.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is creative in her approach and is continually looking for ways to further develop the team. The manager uses team meetings and individual support sessions with staff to highlight relevant research. She involves the team in planning how this can be implemented in practice. Learning from research is embedded into practice, and the manager ensures that the home’s effectiveness remains under regular review. For example, research on the benefits of gratitude journaling for children gave rise to this being introduced in the home. Consultation with the children led to changes, and as a result, the effectiveness has not diminished and journals have been used successfully over a significant period of time. Inspection report for children’s home: SC477209 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home works in close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting and caring for the child. This applies to the child’s statutory social worker and also to their school professionals. In particular, the registered person should ensure that communication is clear and consistent with all professionals and that children have the opportunity to speak to someone who is independent of the home when they have a complaint about their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3).

p.6

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: SC477209 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bank House, Market Square, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 1ET

p.7

Inspector

Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC477209 8 regulates and inspects 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8