Introduction

Cross Lee House is probably not like anywhere else that you have been looked after. Instead of feeling as though it is a big place where you have to do the fitting in, it is more like a family, where you all live together and learn from each other.

Up to four young people can live at Cross Lee House. Most will be between eight and sixteen years old when they arrive and will stay there for at least six months. The idea is to give you somewhere to live together while you get ready to live in a family again, either your own family or a new one which we will help you find.

Cross Lee House is part of modus, which also runs a service, called Xenium. The people at Xenium find families for young people to live with. Sometimes, a young person who has lived with a Xenium family may come to Cross Lee House until we are sure where is the right place for them to live.

These are the things we will do:

• We will look after you properly and keep you safe
• We will help you learn to get on with the adults who are looking after you
• We will make a home for you where you can be comfortable and happy enough to settle down
• We will listen to what you say and take your opinions seriously
• We will make sure that you have things to do which will help you learn new skills
• We will meet regularly with your social worker and hold review meetings where we listen to you, to your social worker and to your parents/family members, if you are still in contact with them
• We will make sure that you have a chance to do your best at school or college, so that when you are older, you can achieve your ambitions
• We will respect you, whether you are a boy or a girl, black or white, whatever your religion and language, whether you are straight, gay, and whether you are disabled or not.

We believe that every young person who comes to Cross Lee House is unique and can learn to believe in themselves.

When we are deciding who should come to live at Cross Lee House, we will look at whether it seems right that a young person should be living in a family and if they need some help getting ready for this. Children and young people who come to us have often had bad experiences in families, which make it hard for them to trust adults.

Together, we will try and work out whether Cross Lee House is the right place. We will not have people moving in suddenly but will let everyone help to prepare for someone new coming to live there.

Who works here:

Sue Hamilton owns Cross Lee House and she will spend some time there to get to know all the people who live there. Sue and Coral Bury, who is the Director, have both worked as social workers and have both also looked after children and young people before.

Manager: Rochelle Hey has worked in children’s homes for more than five years. She has also worked with young people who have been in trouble through the courts and with people who have mental health difficulties.

Luke Harris is the Deputy Manager – he has also had lots of experience working with young people in residential care and before that, he worked in sports centres and swimming pools as a manager. He is qualified in first aid and health and safety.

Our staff are called Sam, Heather, Simon, Pete and Wayne and we have six residential bank staff. Together with Rochelle and Luke, it is their job to get to know you and what you need. They will also look after you and keep you safe.

We have a teacher, Jeanne McMahon, who will help you settle in to school or college. It is important to us that everyone shares in this so that living and learning are all part of the same experience. She will talk to your teachers to make sure you are getting on o.k.

Everyone who lives there will help keep Cross Lee House clean and tidy, as well as helping with shopping and cooking. Because it is quite a big place, we also have someone who comes in to help with the garden and with doing repairs.

The house and what it has in it:

Cross Lee House is in Todmorden, which is in Lancashire, not very far from Manchester. There is a big garden where we hope to grow vegetables as well as flowers. The house is close to the town but also backs on to the open countryside.

Downstairs, there are two big sitting rooms, one for watching TV and another where Rochelle does her paperwork and where meetings are held. There is a games room and the kitchen is big enough to eat in. There is a study, where the adults will do their paperwork and a place to do the washing and drying. There is also a downstairs toilet for everyone to use.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms for children and young people, as well as two for the adults to sleep in. Your bedroom will be a private place, where you can be quiet and read and also do your homework. The main bathroom for young people is here too.

On the top floor is a room where you can do homework, projects and activities. If you are using the computer in the games room, you will have someone there with you to help and guide.

The schools, leisure centre and an outdoor activity centre are very close by and the adults will also help you find other activities to do in the area, either in groups or on your own.

Part of the reason for coming to Cross Lee House is to get over some of the difficult things that may have happened in the past. Some of the help given to you will be with an adult in private, or may be with someone who doesn’t work at Cross Lee House. We will also have group meetings, where you can say what you think and where you might talk about your problems together.

Being at Cross Lee House is more like being in a family rather than a children's home. We believe that you should all learn in school or college with your friends, so that when you are older, you can do the things that you want to do more easily. Even if you have had lots of difficulty in schools in the past, our teacher and the residential social workers will all help you get your place in school, as well as to support you once you are there.

Keeping you healthy:

Each young person is registered with a local GP, dentist and optician. However health care at Cross Lee House is more than just getting you better when you are sick. We will also help you to look at what you eat and other ways of looking after yourself, so that you are as well and as energetic as you can be. Sometimes people need to be calm and peaceful, so this is also part of what we will do with you. It is important that you understand the things which do you harm and put you at risk, so we will always try to talk to you about these things openly.

It is also important that you learn the skills which will help you get on when you are an adult and part of your living with us will be about finding out what you need to know.

Registration and Licensing

Cross Lee House is registered under the Care Standards Act 2000 by the Ofsted. The address of the local Area Office is:

Contact address: Ofsted
North, 3rd Floor
Royal Exchange Buildings
St Ann’s Square
Manchester
M2 7LA
Telephone: 08456 404040

You will have the chance to talk to these people, who are interested in how you are getting on. If you have any serious problems with Cross Lee House, this is one of the places you can contact to tell them.

If there is a fire:

Cross Lee House has a fire alarm and rules, which will help keep you safe in case there is a fire. All the adults will be taught what to do in case of fire and you will all learn the fire drill, which we will practise from time to time. There will be a notice explaining what you should do if there is a fire.

Keeping you in touch with your background:

At Cross Lee House, we will make sure that you can follow your chosen religion and any special diet. We will also work hard to keep you in touch with members of your family who you want to see, although occasionally this may not be possible. We may have to have an adult with you when you see your family, in case you have difficulty in getting on without feeling upset or arguing with them. You will have access to a telephone in private and can take calls at reasonable times of the day and evening.

How we look after you:

You have the right to be treated with respect, whatever your behaviour is like and whatever your background. We also believe that adults have the right to come to work and remain safe. We will therefore have some rules, which we will expect you to keep, and there will be consequences for you if you break them. However we will always explain to you what these will be, so that you can make a choice about what you do.

If you go missing, we will always welcome you back without shouting at you or being angry. Sometimes it is the only thing you can think of doing when you are angry or upset. We think, though, that it is not always safe for you to go off, so we will have to tell people, including the police, so that they can help us to find you. When you first come to Cross Lee House, we will work out without the best thing to do if this happens so that we can explain to you exactly what we will do.

If you want to complain:

We at Cross Lee House know that you may feel that you have a genuine complaint and when you first arrive, we will give you a leaflet and a form to fill in if this happens. You will not be blamed for doing this and you can ask for help with doing this if you need it.

If someone is hurting you:

We take this very seriously at Cross Lee House, and we have rules and training for the adults to help you if this is happening. We will stop anyone frightening, hurting or bullying you if we know about it. When you arrive, we will explain to you what to do if this happens. Sometimes we may need to tell people outside Cross Lee House, so that they can help us to keep you safe.

Who can have this leaflet:

• Young people who live at, or are considering living at Cross Lee House.
• All adults working at Cross Lee House, or other adults who are working with you.
• The parent(s) of any child or young person living at or thinking about living at Cross Lee House.
• Any social worker who is thinking about arranging for a child or young person to come to Cross Lee House.