Crossroads (Barnsley) Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 93 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a clear shared vision, strategy, and culture that focused on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an understanding of the challenges and needs of people and their communities.

The registered manager, and wider leadership team, worked effectively to embed a positive culture and shared direction across the service. Staff demonstrated an understanding of the service’s values and recognised their responsibility to ensure people felt cared for, respected, and valued.

The service showed this values‑led approach through strong community engagement and effective partnership working. They developed inclusive community spaces, including a community café, which supported social connection and wellbeing for people living with memory loss and their carers.

The service developed and resourced a Saturday drop-in hub to provide informal support, social connection and guidance for workers and their families as they settled into the local area. They worked alongside volunteers, local funders, and community organisations to support vulnerable residents experiencing food insecurity. This partnership approach strengthened community resilience and ensured practical support reached those most in need.

The service showed a sustained commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Staff supported people with learning disabilities to access meaningful volunteering opportunities and progress into paid employment. Support was individualised and strengths‑based, recognising each person’s abilities and providing consistent guidance to achieve positive and measurable outcomes.

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The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

All managers and staff we spoke with displayed a passion for the service and for what they were aspiring to achieve. They were passionate about enabling the people who used the service, staff and the local community to live their best life. They acted as role models for the whole staff team, working alongside them to support people on a daily basis.

The management team demonstrated an open and transparent management style and were fully engaged with people and staff at the service. A focus on developing and encouraging staff, had resulted in high staff retention rates, which meant people were supported by a consistent, knowledgeable and experienced staff team. The provider had introduced a clear career pathway to support staff with continuous professional development by progressing into more senior roles within the organisation. For example, by gaining additional qualifications and taking on additional duties.

Staff said the registered manager and the management team were exceptionally kind, caring and compassionate. Staff said, the management team always made time for people to voice their thoughts and concerns. Without exception staff said the registered manager fostered a sense of belonging for people and staff. One staff member said, “I'm happy working with Crossroads Barnsley Ltd, because they truly care for carers. I feel well supported and everyone in the management are kind to me. I feel included and valued.”

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture based on openness, equality, diversity and human rights. People were involved in shaping the culture, vision and values of the service. There was effective teamworking and collaboration and staff were valued and respected.

Staff told us there was an open culture at the service. They said they felt encouraged to share their thoughts, experiences and improvement ideas. They said they were supported to talk about their own wellbeing when they needed to without fear of discrimination.

The service and the provider had effective systems and processes in place to allow staff and people living at the service to speak up and voice concerns. This included daily meetings, a whistle-blowing policy and a ‘you said, we did’ approach to continuous service improvement. We saw evidence in team meetings of staff feeding back to managers and being listened to.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The service showed a clear and sustained commitment to promoting independence, equality, and inclusion by providing meaningful volunteering opportunities. The service recognised each person’s abilities and provided long‑term guidance to achieve positive outcomes for people.

The service demonstrated a strong commitment to community engagement and health equity by working directly with local communities to deliver education on cancer symptoms, including prostate, breast and ovarian cancer. This proactive approach strengthened trust, increased awareness of early warning signs, and supported people who may otherwise face barriers accessing health information.

The service promoted equality, diversity and inclusion by taking proactive steps to support people from a range of cultural backgrounds. Leaders had introduced a regular drop-in club for staff, particularly those recruited from overseas, to provide informal support, social connection and guidance for workers and their families as they settled into the local area. This project helped to reduce social isolation, promote cultural understanding and strengthen a sense of belonging. People were supported by staff who felt welcomed, valued and included, regardless of background, and families reported increased confidence and improved emotional wellbeing as a result of this support. One staff member said, "Their charitable nature extends beyond the workplace and into the wider community. A clear example of this is the community group initiated by [registered manager], known as Barnsley multicultural community, which helps immigrants integrate successfully into life in Barnsley. This has created a welcoming environment for many families, offering guidance, encouragement, and a sense of belonging.”

The service demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering effective, high‑quality training that improved knowledge, skills, and outcomes for care staff and community members. Through the social care academy, accredited emergency first aid at work training was delivered using a blended‑learning approach. This ensured care providers and community participants were equipped with essential life‑saving skills, supporting safe and effective care delivery.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

There were clear and effective governance, management, sustainability, and accountability arrangements to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Audits were completed regularly to monitor the service. This enabled any trends to be identified to ensure the service was meeting the requirements and needs of people being supported. Where actions were needed, these had been followed up. For example, care plans and risk assessments being updated and involvement of relevant health and social care professionals.

The management team completed regular spot checks, oversight and contact with people receiving care. They monitored risk, reviewed incidents and adapted care when needs changed.

There was regular oversight of the service through spot checks, regular supervisions, audits, and ongoing communication with people using the service and their relatives. People and families consistently said management checked in regularly, reviewed care plans and ensured needs were being met.

The service was open, honest, and transparent with people when things went wrong. The registered manager recognised their responsibilities under the duty of candour requirements and followed the service’s policies and procedures.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The provider worked in partnership with a range of community organisations to reduce social isolation, support carers and promote inclusive living for people with people in the wider community. For example, the service ran a community café. The community café provided a safe, welcoming spaces where people from the wider community could access support, information and social connections in a safe space. The service ran a drop-in hub to support their diverse work force offering advice support and guidance. The service worked alongside volunteers, local funders, and community organisations to support vulnerable residents experiencing food insecurity. The service worked in partnership with local training providers and colleges to create volunteering and training opportunities. These projects ensured people from different backgrounds, including those with complex needs or limited prior engagement, could access support in ways that suited their circumstances.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The provider developed a pathways‑to‑employment service to help people build confidence, gain skills, and progress into careers in care. The provider worked with young people to remove barriers to participation through volunteering and accredited training and providing bespoke paid work opportunities.

The service demonstrated a strong commitment to learning and preventative improvement by identifying community safety risks and responding proactively. The provider developed accessible fire and electrical safety awareness resources to support education and prevention. This included producing a series of safety films focused on electrical risks in the home, titled “circuit breakers”. The films provided clear, practical guidance on how to stay safe and reduce the risk of accidents linked to electrical hazards. The provider ran a social care academy in the community. This helped people across the local area to improve their skills and knowledge. The service delivered recognised training, including emergency first aid at work. This made sure training was safe, good quality, and led to formal certificates. This approach improved safety, supported staff confidence, and strengthened the local care sector. Leaders worked well with others and showed strong leadership across the care system.