Children's Home run by Crossway Services Limited in St HelensOfsted inspection, 9 Sept 2026

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

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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.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. They spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/08/2025 Full Good 17/09/2024 Full Good 20/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 3

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Summary of findings

The child is making exceptional progress from their starting points across all areas of development. Staff maintain consistently high expectations that promote safety and wellbeing and increasing independence.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding arrangements are highly effective, with staff responding promptly to concerns, and clear plans are in place to guide any further action.

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Summary of findings

Leaders provide strong support to staff through regular supervision and meaningful training opportunities, resulting in a confident, skilled workforce. Staff report feeling valued and well supported, enabling them to deliver high-quality care and achieve positive outcomes for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child has made exceptional progress from the time they arrived in the home. This is because staff provide individualised, structured care that builds stability and clear expectations. Staff build trusting, steady relationships with the child, offering calm consistency that supports their confidence. These positive relationships support the child’s emotional stability and contribute to their ongoing progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Education is prioritised by staff, who consistently promote the child’s engagement in learning and encourage them to take pride in their achievements. The child successfully completed their examinations and remained highly focused throughout this period. Staff provided effective and sustained encouragement, helping the child to reflect on their aspirations and plan confidently for the future. As a result, the child has secured a suitable further education course that reflects their interests, strengths and ambitions, supporting their continued progress and positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff ensure that the child’s health and wellbeing are consistently promoted. The child cycles to and from their education provision, supporting daily fitness and independence. Staff promote an active lifestyle and provide opportunities, such as the gym, which align with the child’s interests. These routines help the child develop healthier habits and a growing sense of personal responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child is developing strong skills for independent living. Staff provide a well-structured plan that builds confidence and competence across daily living tasks. The child has successfully applied for their provisional driving licence, independently completes a weekly shop and manages routine responsibilities safely and effectively. Staff deliver targeted key-work sessions that further strengthen essential life skills. This work clearly identifies both strengths and areas for development, enabling staff to provide tailored Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 4 support that promotes increasing independence and prepares the child well for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff consistently encourage the child to participate in meaningful activities that enrich their experiences and support their personal development. They demonstrate a sensitive and thoughtful approach to meeting the child’s cultural and religious needs, creating opportunities for the child to explore their identity and develop a strong sense of belonging. Activities are carefully planned around the child’s wishes, interests and individual needs, helping them to feel confident expressing themselves. Staff celebrate and build on even small achievements, using these opportunities effectively to strengthen the child’s motivation, self-esteem and engagement in new experiences.

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

Professionals and parents consistently share highly positive feedback about the care that staff provide. One professional said that staff ‘go above and beyond’ to meet the child’s needs. Staff demonstrate a detailed understanding of the child’s vulnerabilities and respond consistently in line with agreed plans. Records are reviewed and updated following incidents, ensuring staff work from current information and maintain a safe, nurturing and well-managed environment.

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

There have been no missing-from-home episodes during this inspection period. The child is settled and secure, and the trusting relationships they have developed with staff contribute to them feeling safe in the community. Risk assessments are clear, detailed and proactive. They outline potential triggers, likely destinations and key contacts should concerns arise, providing staff with clear guidance to respond promptly and effectively to emerging risks.

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

Staff do not use consequences as part of behaviour support strategies. Instead, they use a genuinely child-centred and relational approach that focuses on building trust, understanding and emotional resilience. This approach helps the child understand their emotions and remain engaged with staff following periods of difficulty. Staff consistently respond with calm, attuned and nurturing interactions, ensuring the environment remains emotionally safe and supportive. Their practice reflects the home’s therapeutic ethos and contributes to the child’s positive emotional wellbeing.

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

Staff hold regular, meaningful conversations with the child that encourage reflection, build trust and provide opportunities to explore emerging risks and concerns. Staff identify and respond to potential risks at an early stage, reducing the likelihood of harm. On one occasion, their calm and skilled intervention prevented a minor altercation from escalating into physical conflict. This proactive and consistent approach strengthens safeguarding practice and helps the child feel safe, understood and protected. Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers provide clear and confident oversight. The manager has created a calm and child-centred ethos in the home. Staff build nurturing relationships that support the child’s needs holistically. Staff speak with insight about the child’s vulnerabilities and offer steady and consistent guidance in daily routines. The manager identifies where practice is developing well and ensures this work is reflected in purposeful support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision and team meetings are consistent and focused. Supervision sessions give staff regular, reflective space to consider the child’s needs and receive clear guidance. Team meetings run reliably and provide structured time to share updates, revisit learning and strengthen cohesion. Leaders embed research-informed practice and are steadily cascading this learning across the team, reinforcing a well-aligned staff group.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses a clear audit toolkit to maintain oversight of recording quality and identify where practice needs developing. She recognises that some records remain descriptive and is already addressing this with staff through early training, guidance and reflective discussion. This planned work is beginning to strengthen clarity and ensure recording develops in a more purposeful way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager maintains strong relationships with partner agencies and engages them with confident professional challenge when required. She escalates concerns appropriately, including challenging an external agency to secure essential funding for the child. This advocacy ensures that partner agencies remain focused and responsive to the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager maintains a clear understanding of practice in the home and engages well with external monitoring. However, she has not sufficiently scrutinised or challenged the quality or gaps in the external monitoring reports. Important elements, including parents’ views, have not been sought or reflected. This limits the usefulness of external monitoring and reduces the depth of feedback available to the manager. Despite this, the manager is open to learning to strengthen practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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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Inspector

Mariam Sawaiz, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC460761 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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