Children's Home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people make good progress during their time at the home.  The care provided by staff is nurturing.  Young people are learning to trust adults again.  The home provides a structured and consistent environment, where expectations are clear and standards are high.  Young people enjoy and achieve in full time education in mainstream settings.  Young people feel protected by the staff and their environment, but they also understand they have a role to play in keeping themselves safe.  The home has a relaxed, informal air as a result of the good relationships between staff and young people.  The manager provides effective support to a developing staff team.  There are a few shortfalls in practice. These includes, physical interventions records are not detailed; the review of premises is not informed by recent consultation feedback with partner agencies; young people do not always have access to a diverse staff team.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that: (a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes, details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 31/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purpose of the children’s home. When conducting the review, the registered manager must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46((1)(2)) 31/03/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff in day-to-day contact with children should include staff from the different gender groups. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.22)

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to accommodate up to two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or those with moderate learning difficulties. It is operated by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

31/12/2014 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

The good quality of care provided in the home has had a positive impact on the lives of young people. Staff have a good understanding of the distinct and different needs of young people and support them accordingly.

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good

Although there have been a number of changes to the staff team since the last inspection, the home has been a settled environment for young people. The quality of relationships between staff and young people are good. There is a healthy and friendly interaction, as evidenced by the mutual exchange of light-hearted banter.

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good

Young people are successfully engaged in full-time education at schools. They enjoy their time at school and their attendance levels are exemplary. One young person has exceed expectations in relation to her vocational qualifications. Both young people have aspirations to proceed to further education.

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good

Young people enjoy a good range of activities, including army cadets, volunteering at stables, dance classes, concerts, trampolining and Zumba classes. They have also spent a week on a seaside caravanning holiday. This variety provides young people with opportunities to progress both physically and socially.

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good

Staff help young people to express their preferences in a number of ways. Young people are keen to take part in fortnightly consultation meetings, where they express their views assertively and appropriately. Staff listen to young people and accommodate their wishes wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so. As a result, young people feel empowered to shape their own care experience.

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good

The quality of young people’s experiences are better than it was before they came to live in the home. They experience secure and nurturing parenting that was not available to them prior to their entry to the care system. Their distrust of adults is gradually being replaced by constructive and healthy relationships.

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good

Staff ensures that contact with family and friends takes place regularly. Whether such contact is supervised or not, staff understand its’ importance in maintaining family relationships in the long term.

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good

The home has provided a place of calm for young people and they have adapted to it. The extreme and disruptive behaviours of their past no longer feature. With the support of staff, they have learned to live and behave differently. When a young person was asked what they liked most about the home, they replied ‘It’s a cosy place where they help you. You can relax here’.

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good

Young people are well protected. The manager efficiently addresses significant safeguarding incidents as they arise. This is achieved through good partnership working with a range of agencies including police, social workers, schools and local authority designated officers.

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good

Physical interventions to control behaviour are very rare, but on the occasion that they are necessary, the current recording arrangements do not give a full picture of the circumstances before, during and after the events. This leaves staff with insufficient opportunity to reflect on incidents to inform their practice and for the manager to review staff practice. The behaviour of young people has improved and the need to apply sanctions has also reduced. Staff members set high standards of behaviour for the young people. With the provision of consistent care, young people have come to understand what is expected of them. They also understand that they have a role to play in keeping themselves safe. Their behaviours that put them at risk before they came to the home, have now ceased. Missing episodes are a thing of the past. Young people are content to live at the home, which they regard as a place of safety.

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good

The risks posed by new technologies and social networking are clear to staff. In addition to teaching young people how to go online safely, staff members monitor internet usage closely. Mobile phone use is limited.

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good

Staff recruitment processes are sound. Detailed checks are made of work histories and references to ensure that adults are safe to work with young people. Regular checks to the utility and safety systems in the home mean that it is a safe place to live and work.

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good

The relationships between young people and staff are meaningful. Young people trust the staff members, who listen actively and act on what young people say. Young people feel safe at the home and they attribute this largely to the support provided by the staff team. The quality of these relationships and the familiarity that comes from stable placements, allows the staff to recognise triggers and vulnerabilities to negative behaviours. This knowledge enables staff to employ pre- emptive strategies to divert young people and to avoid conflict. Such actions help to preserve the calm atmosphere of the home. Judgement grade

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requires improvement

An experienced registered manager who is approaching his third year at this home manages the home. He is currently studying for the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare.

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requires improvement

The staff team has undergone significant change in the past year and a third of the team are still undertaking their probation. Whatever their level of experience, the manager ensures that the right support is available to staff members. The provision of supervision and development opportunities means that staff are regularly learning new skills. This enables them to provide better support to young people.

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requires improvement

The most recent version of the review of premises relies on an out-of-date consultation with relevant local agencies. This means that changes and potential risks in the community have not been identified or considered afresh since the previous review took place. The impact of the failure to consult is that staff members are unaware of new or emerging risks in the locality.

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requires improvement

Overall, the staff team comprises of a good gender balance. However, when planning rotas, the manager does not always ensure that overnight there is a suitable gender balance of staff available to young people. This does not meet the needs of young people, who have a preference for support with sensitive issues from staff of one gender or the other.

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requires improvement

Young people’s care plans are up to date and are consistent with the plans of the placing authorities. The quality of the care provided is good. Young people have made good progress during their stay at the home. Care is delivered in accordance with the aims and objectives laid out in the organisation’s statement of purpose.

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requires improvement

The registered manager takes a hands-on approach to management and is actively involved in many of the practical issues involved in day-to-day care. His knowledge and experience means that he understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home. This understanding informs his twice-yearly reviews of care.

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requires improvement

The submission of these reviews was the only requirement arising from the previous inspection. Since then, the regular submission of these reports means that the previous requirement has been met in full.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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