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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 1 SC063498 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 owned and managed by a private provider. It offers 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 at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: SC063498 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. Before the child moved in, staff spent time getting to know them and invited them to visit the home. Staff have built positive relationships with the child. This has aided the child’s transition to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is a strong advocate for the child’s access to education. When the child’s educational needs are not met, the manager raises concerns with the local authority. This has led to a positive outcome for the child, and there is now a plan in place for them to attend an educational provision that best meets their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support informal learning through trips to farms and museums, as well as the use of online educational resources. Staff also encourage the child to pursue their hobbies and interests. For example, they provide guitar lessons and take the child to music concerts. The child is a talented artist. Staff have set up an art and craft room for the child to allow them space to be creative.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s health needs are met. Private health treatments have been funded by the home to ensure that the child’s physical health needs are addressed when they experience anxieties about attending the appointments at their general practice. This means that the child has been supported in accessing treatment for a long-standing health issue that was affecting their quality of life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health professional working with the child said that staff are promoting realistic changes to the child’s daily routine to promote a healthy lifestyle for them. Staff are working well with wider professionals to ensure that the appropriate health services are available for the child. However, conversations about healthy eating are limited, and there is a lack of education around healthy lifestyle choices provided to the child. When the manager has identified this as an area of need, this has not been followed up by staff. This does not support the child’s understanding of the importance and impact of following a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of the child’s relationships with family and friends. They offer ideas and support to remove barriers to the child spending time with their family. They have supported the child in making a new friend in the local area, and they have ensured that the child can maintain friendships in their hometown by organising activities and facilitating transport.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and comfortable. Staff have encouraged the child to personalise the home. The child has decorated the lounge and their bedroom. However, the child’s bedroom is not maintained to an acceptable standard. The manager and staff encourage the child to clean and tidy their room; however, there has not been a consistent Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 4 approach to ensure that it is routinely maintained. This does not support staff in identifying items that could cause potential harm during daily room checks.

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

The child has made good progress, and risks identified when the child moved into the home have significantly reduced. There have been no incidents of physical intervention or of the child going missing. There has been a significant reduction in incidents of self- harming behaviour and property damage for the child.

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

Staff know the child well and have a good understanding of their risks and vulnerabilities. Risk management plans are personalised and child focused. They offer clear guidance to support staff in safeguarding the child. The child says that staff help when they are struggling by taking them out, keeping them busy and chatting to them.

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

When incidents of self-harming behaviour occur, staff offer the child emotional warmth and reassurance. Staff ensure that the child is provided with first aid and seek further medical advice and support when necessary. However, staff do not always ensure that room searches are carried out to reduce the risk of further incidents of self-harming behaviour. When room searches take place, they are not always recorded. A requirement has been raised to address this shortfall.

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

Staff manage challenging behaviour well. However, the quality of recording of incidents for the child is inconsistent. The manager is aware of this development need in staff practice and is addressing it through further training.

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

The child has access to therapeutic interventions to support their emotional needs. This helps the child to develop resilience and coping strategies to further reduce incidents of self-harming behaviour. Staff consistently offer praise and reflect on the child’s progress. This helps to develop the child’s self-esteem.

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

The manager has not ensured that Ofsted has been notified of all significant incidents, such as the child having their mental health assessed at the hospital.

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

Safer recruitment practices are followed. This ensures that only adults who are assessed as suitable are responsible for the care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager in post. She is passionate, knowledgeable, and focused on offering a therapeutic approach to the child’s care. The manager has built a strong and trusting relationship with the child. This relationship has given the child the confidence and support to engage in therapeutic sessions and visit potential education provisions, which they previously struggled with because of their anxieties. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 5 The manager oversees another home operated by the organisation. She and the deputy manager divide their time well between the homes to ensure effective management oversight and constant availability to the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of leaders and managers. They say that they feel well supported and valued in their roles. When there are emotionally challenging incidents in the home, staff are offered reflective sessions by leaders and managers, as well as direct support from the provider’s in-house therapist. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on their feelings and develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the development needs of the team and has a clear plan of how to address these. She works closely with the provider’s learning and development team to ensure that staff receive training that is relevant to both the child’s needs and their own areas for development. The manager ensures that learning has been effective through regular questionnaires and scenario-based tasks during team meetings. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that room searches are consistently carried out when there is a concern regarding self-harming behaviour for a child. The registered person must ensure that all room searches are recorded.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 22 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 22 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 7 that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are offered learning around their health needs and the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

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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

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s records are well written and include all relevant information. 22 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(vii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the child’s bedroom is maintained to a high standard. 22 August 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that Ofsted is notified of incidences when children attend hospital. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, 14.10). Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 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: SC063498 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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Inspector

Hayley Smith, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063498 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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