Children's home run by Crossway Services Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 1 SC460761 Registered provider: Crossway Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

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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: SC460761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/05/2021 Full Good 04/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in this home receives good care from a stable and nurturing staff team whose members know them well. The child enjoys positive relationships with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is well promoted. The child has recently started a college course in the local area. This is having a positive impact on their self-esteem and aspirations for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s emotional and physical health is promoted well by staff. Staff support the child to attend relevant health appointments. They advocate for the child to ensure that any specialist support is in place. Staff have ensured that all actions identified within the child’s statutory health assessments have been met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to maintain their relationships with family members. They are sensitive to the complexities of the child’s family visits. Staff work with the placing authority to ensure that the arrangements in place are the most beneficial for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s cultural identity is promoted. The child is supported to maintain practices that are important to them and also to explore new interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has regular opportunities to share their views about the home and the care that they receive. The child knows how to make a complaint although they have not needed to. Staff support the child to prepare for meetings about their future care. This ensures that their wishes and feelings are fully understood by those around them and also that they understand the arrangements that are in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This small family home is well presented, comfortable and homely. The child and staff have made some improvements to the garden, so that this space can be better used. The child said that they like their bedroom. However, the home would benefit from having a dining table, where the child and staff can eat their meals.

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

Risk management plans are in place for the child that outline the actions staff are to take to keep the child safe. Plans are updated with new information to ensure that they remain current.

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

Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and safeguarding incidents are managed well. When incidents occur, the registered manager and staff respond appropriately to keep the child safe. Follow-up work is undertaken with the child and information shared with relevant professionals.

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

Staff encourage the child to learn about how to keep safe and the reasons for the actions taken by staff. This includes doing online training courses or watching Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 4 programmes about relevant subjects. One-to-one discussions focus on the child’s specific needs and vulnerabilities.

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

The child’s behaviour management plan is detailed and helps staff to understand and respond appropriately to the child’s behaviours. Praise and rewards are used to promote positive behaviour and physical intervention is only used as a last resort. Since the last inspection, there has been one occasion when staff have needed to physically intervene in order to keep the child safe.

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

Safe recruitment procedures are in place for new staff. This means that children are protected from unsuitable adults being employed to work in the home.

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

There are plans in place that outline the procedure staff are to follow should the child go missing from the home. When incidents occur, staff take appropriate action to locate the child and encourage them to return home. Information is shared with relevant agencies and independent return home interviews take place. However, the registered manager should clarify these arrangements with the local authority, to ensure that they take place in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified registered manager. She is supported by a dedicated and consistent staff team. Staff describe a supportive environment and are positive about the guidance that they receive from the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and records show that staff are encouraged to reflect on their own practice. In addition, staff have an annual appraisal which gives them an opportunity to reflect on their achievements and identify areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of training to support them in their role, including training specific to the individual needs of the child living in the home. Team meetings are used to reflect on the care and support given to the child. Staff reflect on their day-to-day practice and how this can be improved. This ensures that the child receives consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff work well with external professionals. External professionals spoke positively about the home and say that there is good communication about the child’s progress and any relevant information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home receives monthly visits from an independent person. This supports the manager to understand the strengths and areas for development in the home. The manager’s review of the quality of care report identifies a number of actions to improve the home. However, due to an administration error, the report was not sent to Ofsted within the timescales required by regulation. This compromises the regulator’s oversight of the home’s progress and the quality of care it provides. Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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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. 14 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 6 (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The registered manager should ensure that they are clear on the arrangements in place for the child’s return home interviews. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered manager should ensure that there is suitable dining space for children and staff to eat their meals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Rebecca Williams-Seddon

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Inspector

Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 8 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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