Children's home run by Crossway Services Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 1 SC061438 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 registered with Ofsted in September 2004 and is operated by a private company. It provides care for one child who experiences social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/10/2022 Full Inadequate 15/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a welcoming and friendly environment. The child said that they are most proud of their bedroom, especially the LED lights. Staff help the child to personalise their bedroom. For example, they have helped to frame and hang photos of the child’s family, which is something the child values.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with people who are important to them. This helps the child to maintain their sense of identity and relationships with their family and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said, ‘I love all the staff, they are amazing.’ The child’s social worker said that the child can speak to any member of staff should they need to. This means that the child has people who they can rely on, which helps to support and meet their emotional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to develop hobbies and interests. For example, the child enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles and watching favourite television shows with staff. The child values the positive relationships with staff and has recently decorated the home to celebrate one member of staff’s birthday. This shows that the child and staff are developing warm and appropriate relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to access education. Staff support the child with the journey to and from school and with homework and additional learning. School staff say that the level of communication with staff from the home is good and that leaders and managers keep them up to date with any significant changes to the child’s plans and needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to access specific and specialised therapy to help them manage childhood trauma. Leaders and managers also ensure that staff are trained to support the child alongside this therapeutic input.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s transition into the home was positive. Leaders and managers communicated with the child and their family before to the child moved into the home. This meant that the child and their family were able to meet staff before the child moved in. This supported the child to settle into their new home. However, one child did not have a positive experience of moving out of the home following emergency notice being served due to the home not being able to meet their needs.

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

The manager ensures that the staff follow therapeutic principles and work in line with their model of care. The home uses the PACE model of care. Staff are trained in this approach and are aware of how it is implemented in their day-to-day practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 4 Children do not go missing from home. This is good progress for one child, who would often have periods where they would be missing from home before moving into this home. The child has a clear and comprehensive missing-from-home plan and profile. This means that the child will receive a consistent and robust approach from staff should they go missing from home.

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

Physical intervention techniques are used as a last resort to keep children safe. Records of physical interventions are clear and detailed, and the manager reviews all incidents. Following the use of physical intervention techniques, debriefs are carried out with the child. This helps the child to explore their feelings about the incident and gives them the opportunity to raise any concerns.

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

Staff use positive behaviour approaches, supported by therapeutic training. This avoids the use of negative or punitive measures to manage the child’s behaviour. The child clearly benefits from receiving consistent praise and rewards for positive behaviour through incentives.

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

Leaders and managers do not consistently notify Ofsted of safeguarding concerns without delay. This compromises the regulator’s oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staffing of the home is consistent and there is a core team of staff who are suitably trained. Staff have completed all required training and have access to many other relevant training courses to support them in their roles and in meeting the specific needs of the child in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings which are reflective and consider children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported by leaders and managers. One member of staff said that since joining the team, they have had a lot of support from the manager and the responsible individual. Staff are supported well during stressful periods and have been rewarded by leaders, following a particularly difficult time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff are safely recruited to work at the home and receive a thorough induction that provides them with a detailed programme of training and guidance for their new role. This ensures that children are cared for by staff who can meet their needs effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported through regular, reflective and robust supervision, and they receive an annual appraisal. However, supervision sessions are not always carried out in line with the frequency as outlined in the statement of purpose. Appraisals do not consider the views of wider professionals who work alongside the staff. This is a missed opportunity to support staff development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 5 The manager carries out a review of the quality of care every six months. However, due to an administration error, the report was not sent to Ofsted. This compromises the regulator’s oversight of the home’s progress and the quality of care it provides. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children have a positive and planned experience when moving on from the home. 4 November 2024

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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 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 7 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

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Requirement Due date

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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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that Ofsted is notified without delay if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which they consider to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that the manager receives formal supervision of their practice in line with the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that appraisals consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 8

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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: SC061438 9

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Rebecca Williams-Seddon

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Inspector

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC061438 10 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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