Children's Home run by Crystal Care Solutions Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC358638 1 SC358638 Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Ltd

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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 operated by a private company and provides care for one child. The home specialises in providing a therapeutic environment for children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The child chose not to speak to the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020. She is suitably qualified and experienced to oversee the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The deputy manager was acting as the interim manager while the registered manager was on planned leave.

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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: SC358638 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/10/2023 Full Good 09/11/2022 Full Good 22/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC358638 3

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Summary of findings

Since the home reopened in February 2026, one child has moved into the home. The child is making good progress in several areas, including education, health and their overall wellbeing.

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Summary of findings

Staff are guided by well organised and detailed plans. The child also fully contributes to the plans, identifying areas they would like to progress. Staff know the child well and have a good understanding of their individual needs. This has led to the reduction of incidents.

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Summary of findings

Staff speak positively about the support they receive from the interim manager. The interim manager has good oversight of the home and is aware of the areas of strength and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and met. Staff support them in attending routine health appointments. The child had not been to the dentist before and was anxious about their appointment. To support the child, staff role played a dentist visit. This gave them the confidence to attend, and their achievement was then celebrated. This supports good health outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education. After a long period of refusing to attend school prior to living at the home, the child is now engaging with an external tutor who visits. This has been supported by a consistent daily routine being put in place. A plan has recently been made to increase the hours of tuition. The encouragement and support received has led to a renewed enthusiasm for learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is encouraged to take part in activities that suit their interest. The child has joined a local football club, is volunteering at a local pony sanctuary and has also been attending the local youth club. This helps the child to have enriching experiences and to socialise and make friends with children of a similar age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to spend time with those who mean a lot to them. Staff listen to their wishes and advocate for them about time they spend with their family. Family are now able to visit the home and receive a warm welcome. A family member stated this has made a ‘massive difference’ as their time together is now more relaxed. This helps maintain meaningful social connections in a more natural way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been recently refurbished and is warm, clean and tidy. Communal spaces, such as the lounge and kitchen, are modern and well maintained. The child enjoys the outdoor space, including a greenhouse, where they grow fruit and vegetables. While the Inspection report for children’s home: SC358638 4 home is generally very well maintained, the upstairs bathroom has not benefited from the same level of refurbishment as the rest of the property. The interim manager took steps to put a plan together to address this concern.

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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 the risks around the child and how to keep them safe. Staff are supported by clear detailed plans that are regularly updated. Input from therapeutic professionals is clear and reflective in the child’s plans. They include identified risks, potential harm, the impact on the child and the actions needed to minimise risks. This helps staff respond proactively by recognising triggers, applying strategies to de-escalate and maintaining a safe environment for the child.

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

There has been a decline in the use of physical intervention. Staff have learned more about the child’s differing behaviours and introduced more effective ways to support the child to manage their emotions. When physical intervention is needed, the staff and the child are provided with an opportunity to reflect on what happened and explore alternative actions that could have been taken. The opportunity for reflection and learning helps to keep the child safe.

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

One consequence was used shortly after the child arrived. While this was fair and proportionate, staff recognised it did not have the desired impact on changing the intended behaviours. Staff instead focused on using incentives and the child was fully involved in this process, identifying areas they would like to progress, such as with independence skills. The staff have embedded a culture of using restorative approaches in place of consequences and the child is able to shape the care that they receive.

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

Responses to allegations are usually timely and appropriate. Leaders and managers take effective action to protect the child, while ensuring the child’s views are heard and listened to. Information is reported to the correct authorities. On the one occasion, there has been a delay into the investigation being undertaken. This has led to the child not being given prompt assurance that their concerns had been addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager is committed and passionate about the care that the child receives and has high aspirations for them. She ensures that she is visible and accessible to the child and the staff. The child is extremely fond of her, and the manager speaks about the child with pride, warmth and enthusiasm. Her approach is inspiring and the staff embrace this. This is clearly visible in the staff’s interactions with the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a strong understanding of the child’s needs and is proactive and ambitious in ensuring their needs are met. The manager carefully monitors adult practice. When shortfalls are identified, this is explored during supervision sessions and staff are reminded of the home’s ethos and expectations. Appropriate support and guidance have been put in place to promote continuous development and improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC358638 5 Regular team meetings are used for discussion, reflection and shared learning. The organisation’s therapeutic team also attends team meetings, provides guidance and support practice development. Staff have shared this has helped them gain a better understanding of the child’s behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have carried out their mandatory training. They also receive specialist training for the child’s individualised needs. This level of support and training provided to staff has led to high staff morale. All staff have said they feel supported by the leaders. One member of staff said, ‘I love it here, Genna is amazing and I love spending time with [name of child].’ Children receive care from adults, who feel supported and are motivated to provide them with a high level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders mainly planned the child’s move into the home carefully. Meetings and discussions took place to gain a thorough understanding of the child’s needs. The child was also visited 3 times at their previous placement and information about their likes and interests were gathered. Items, such as themed books and blankets, were purchased to help make the home more welcoming. This helps the child to feel comfortable and develop a sense of belonging in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a high use of agency staff due to the staff to child ratios and the need for agency waking night staff. This need was known when plans were being made for the child to move into the home. This has led to the child receiving care from staff they are unfamiliar with during the night on occasions. The impact on the child has been reduced as the sleep-in staff have offered support when necessary. Steps have now been taken to employ waking night staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC358638 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, 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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is sufficiently staffed to be able to meet the needs of the children before a child moves into the home. 16 October 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home meet the needs of children and are nurturing and homely. In particular, the bathroom should be well maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. The manager should ensure that investigations are carried out in a timely manner, so children are given Inspection report for children’s home: SC358638 7 prompt assurance that their concerns have been addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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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: SC358638 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Crystal Care Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Emma Hutton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC358638 9 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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