Children's home run by Pathways Care Group Limited in Runnymede

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:

 This is a stable home where young people enjoy long-term, well planned placements and few staff changes. The individualised support offered by staff has helped young people to gain a clearer sense of identity, and improved their confidence and resilience.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The young people enjoy living at the home, and feel safe and well supported. There is a variety of positive role models with whom they establish strong relationships. The young people say that there is always someone they can talk to about their worries.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are safer as a result of being placed at the home. Their risk- taking behaviours decrease and there have been no incidents of them going missing.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Equality and diversity are threaded though the service. Placing authorities, school and families have absolute confidence that young people‟s individual needs are well met.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Levels of antisocial behaviour are almost non-existent, and conflict between young people is well managed. This is attributable to the provision of consistent boundaries, and significant progress in young people‟s ability to express their emotions appropriately.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The staff support disenfranchised young people effectively to re-engage positively in education, promoting greater long-term outcomes. Staff promote independence skills. This helps to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff are successful in promoting contact and helping young people to maintain positive relationships with their families.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Close partnership working with other agencies ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 This inspection identifies some shortfalls and areas for improvement, such as medication management, staff training and maintenance of records. However, these are not currently having an impact on the safety and well- being of young people.

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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 „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 registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement („the statement of purpose‟) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. In particular, to ensure that the statement of purpose is accurate and sufficiently detailed, including all points listed in Schedule 1 (Regulation 16(1)). 15 August 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification (Regulation 31(2)(a)). 22 August 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):  Provide staff that sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so („Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 17, paragraph 3.26).

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Recommendations

 Comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene, etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression. In particular, to ensure that records of fire drills are suitably detailed to evidence the length of time taken to evacuate successfully, and formally review measures to prevent a child climbing on the roof („Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording, and that information regarding the child is recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, to ensure that the quality of record keeping is such that records of significant incidents are easily located and detail clearly what occurred („Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4).  Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. In particular, to ensure that only medication which has been prescribed, or is documented as having been approved as a suitable home remedy by a doctor or pharmacist, is administered

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Recommendations

to a child. Furthermore, ensure that staff administer medication only when their competency to so has been assessed („Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 35, paragraph 7.15).

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Recommendations

 Managing medicines in care homes (March 2014) is a guideline that applies across both health and social care. In particular, to ensure that a copy of this guidance is available for reference within the home („Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 35, paragraph 7.17).

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, to ensure that individual risk assessments include all historical risk and update these assessments to reflect newly identified risks („Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, to ensure that all staff receive suitable training in first aid and aspects of care detailed in the statement of purpose („Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.8).

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Information about this children's home

The home is one of a small number of children‟s homes run by a private company. It is registered to care for up to three children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

15 February 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

17 November 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

17 March 2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

Good planning and matching of placements mean that no placement breakdowns have occurred. Staff have provided challenging young people, who previously had high levels of placement breakdown and instability, with a stable and reliable environment in which they feel safe and well supported. They have felt able to invest in the home and make future plans, because they have confidence in the staff and a real sense of stability. Staff provide highly individualised care, and partner professionals refer to a home that is „brilliant‟ and „excellent‟. One social worker commented on how „it‟s really nice to see the progress. He is now doing brilliantly.‟ Another said, „as a placing authority, we are over the moon.‟ Staff consult the young people on all aspects of their lives and provide highly child- focused care and support. The young people feel listened to, valued and loved. As a result, they grow in confidence, with improved self-esteem, resilience and

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Good

maturity. The atmosphere within the home is warm and calm, with friendly and fun social interaction. The young people feel comfortable to assign staff different family roles. For example, one said: „“A” is like the Big Brother, “B” is like the mum, although she is bonkers, and “C” is the sensible one.‟ The strength of the relationships between the young people and staff is fundamental in helping them to develop. As a result, they all have made substantial progress from their starting points, sometimes within a very short time. One social worker referred to a „radically improved child‟ and another said, „the child has made outcomes which we never thought were possible.‟ A young person reflected, „I‟ve made huge progress since I came.‟ The young people‟s health has improved. They benefit from improved dental care and health checks. Regular and recorded key-worker sessions help them to explore both their mental and emotional well-being, as well as aspects of good health such

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Good

as responsible alcohol use. They undertake e-learning packages. This enhances their understanding of maintaining positive health. As a result of staff‟s effective guidance, the young people have significantly reduced their cannabis and alcohol use, and none smoke. Medication arrangements in the home require some improvement in order to comply with good practice, and the home does not have a copy of the best practice guidance to refer to. Medication e-learning is not supplemented with a system to establish individual staff‟s competency to administer medication. The young people are, on occasion, provided with over-the-counter medications which have not been assessed as suitable for them by an appropriately qualified practitioner. There is no suggestion that young people have received inappropriate medication. However, the potential for this is greater where arrangements are not complicit with best practice. On occasion, there is no suitably first-aid trained staff

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Good

on duty. This has the potential to impact on staff‟s ability safely to meet the health and well-being needs of young people. The staff have been proactive in liaising with schools, placing authorities and the virtual school to ensure individually suitable educational arrangements. When such a placement has taken time to arrange, staff have provided routines and learning opportunities to promote daily structure and the young person‟s development. The provision of a new computer has helped staff to access study aids to support study and revision. At the point of placement, none of the young people were regularly attending or engaging in school. As a result of the aspirations and expectations shown by staff, they all have made significant improvement in their educational engagement. One teacher described how a young person who had not attended school in over three years now has 98% attendance and has „come on in leaps and

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Good

bounds‟. Their social worker said, „it‟s completely changed since being placed here. He is now full-time engaging in education, which has been fantastic. He is more academic than we had realised and is really enjoying school.‟ All of the young people are aged 16 or above, and staff have helped each to develop and distribute a curriculum vitae to access appropriate further education and employment. They are engaging with varying success and commitment in the home‟s comprehensive life skills programme. The programme is innovatively enhanced by the use of e-learning packages undertaken with staff regarding key issues such as food hygiene, mental health awareness, and drug and alcohol awareness. This is helping the young people to have a greater awareness of how to maintain positive personal safety, health and well-being. They are supported to maintain positive contact with their families, recognising the lifelong importance of

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Good

these relationships. Staff plan to offer outreach support to young people moving on, where needed, to smooth their anxieties. These well-planned preparations for independence arrangements mean that young people are suitably equipped with practical life skills and problem-solving skills. The young people enjoy range of local activities such as crazy golf, boat trips, football and sampling the local cream teas. The staff are therefore providing young people with opportunities to experience new things of particular interest to them. For example, one young person is enjoying planning a trip to the Harry Potter studios, to celebrate their school achievements, and a summer holiday. The home is a spacious detached house with large, individually decorated bedrooms and generous living space, which the young people are proud of. Since the last inspection, unnecessary locks on the lounge and other areas have been

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Good

removed, providing a more homely atmosphere. However, staff who sleep in the home overnight are not provided with appropriate accommodation that is separate from the communal areas available to young people. The home is making a positive difference for the young people, and provides a happy, stable and nurturing environment in which they flourish. They rate the home as „good to brilliant‟, and one summarised their thoughts, saying, „Yeah, I love it and that‟s it.‟

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Good

Robust recruitment and vetting of visitors ensure that the young people are safeguarded against unsuitable people gaining access to the home. The building is safe and well maintained, with regular servicing of equipment and suitable fire prevention measures in place. However, records of fire drills do not detail the length of time taken to evacuate successfully. This potentially undermines the manager‟s ability to ensure that staff and young people have sufficient knowledge to evacuate swiftly and safely in the event of a fire. Improvements in behaviour and personal safety have astounded placing authorities and partner professionals, who say that young people are much safer as a result of living at the home. The previously shown antisocial and risky behaviour, such as violence, offending and going missing from care, and risks from adults and peers, have been drastically reduced, to the point where they are now almost non-

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Good

existent. One placing authority said, „it‟s amazing how much has changed in such a short period of time.‟ Another professional said, „I dread to think what would have happened if she hadn‟t come here. All these risks factors have gone and she is massively safer. I genuinely believe that it‟s because she came here that she‟s been able to address all of these issues.‟ The young people appreciate the care and guidance that they receive from staff, and reflect on the difference that this has made for them. One said, „I feel a very different person. I‟ve not been offending, been going to school and not going missing.‟ Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are evident, and their use has promoted substantial positive change for young people. However, for one, an aspect of historical risk had been omitted and the assessment had not been updated to reflect a newly identified risk. Furthermore, while staff acted

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Good

appropriately at the time and secured a ladder following an incident when a young person climbed on the roof, there is no documented review of any security measures to guard against such risk in the future. The use of physical restraint is very rare. A programme of training in de-escalation is currently being provided to all staff, enhancing their confidence and competence. The ethos of the home is to enable young people to understand their behaviours and to moderate them. Young people feel valued and are given opportunities to explore their emotions and to develop tools for appropriately communicating and managing their anger. They say that there is always someone they can talk to about any worries or concerns. One professional said, ‟The staff are absolutely fantastic. They always sort out any problem when he needs it‟, and „staff are great at talking about the reasons for any sanctions and help them to understand these.‟

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Good

The young people are learning appropriately about natural justice and the consequence of actions. This is an area where all the young people have made significant progress. As a result there is very little antisocial behaviour within the home. On one occasion, the record of a sanction was unclear on what had actually occurred. While this does not impact on the validity of the sanction, it means that the whereabouts and activities of staff at the time are unclear. The young people appreciate that staff‟s effective implementation of behaviour management strategies has made a positive difference. They reflect on how this has helped them to mature and be safer. One said, „Of course I feel safe here.‟ They are very fond of the staff, who they say are „brilliant‟.

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Good

The suitably qualified manager has been in post for over a year in their first management role, which they have embraced, working effectively in partnership with young people, staff and partner agencies. They keep the needs of the young people consistently at the fore of all practice. Staff feel well supported by the manager, who leads by example, ensuring highly child-focused care which effectively meets young people‟s individual needs. One young person said, ‟X‟ is great. He‟s not like all the other managers, he understands, he listens. If you‟ve got a problem, he sorts it out.‟ Changes in staff are rare, which means that the young people are able to establish positive relationships and experience stability. Staff show genuine affection and commitment to the young people, which makes them feel loved and wanted. As a result, they positively invest in the home and this underpins the success that staff

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Good

have in effecting positive change. Partner agencies rate the home as „good to excellent‟, and are consistently highly complimentary about the partnership working, enthusiasm and caring nature of the staff. They said, „staff have been amazing‟ and „I have nothing but praise for the home, staff are lovely‟. Parents are also very positive, and commented, „it‟s a really good home‟, and „I‟m more than happy. She‟s doing really well, they take good care of her.‟ The variety of staff training has substantially improved in the past six months. Staff now benefit from a selection of relevant training, and clear systems are in place to monitor staff progress in relation to their professional development. However, a significant proportion of staff have still not received suitable training in first aid. Furthermore, staff have not received training in specific aspects of care that are detailed in the statement of purpose, such as therapeutic approaches and working

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Good

with young people who have established gang membership. Staff‟s professional awareness and competence have the potential to be undermined when key training has not been undertaken. Recording systems within the home are generally sound. However, on specific occasions, suitably detailed records of care are not maintained. For example, records of fire drills and risk assessments are not always suitably detailed, and the manager was unable to locate records of an incident which had occurred. Such shortfalls in record keeping undermine the quality of clear guidance to staff and the ability of the manager to have robust oversight of the home. The home is suitably resourced to ensure that the service meets the aims and objectives and individual needs of the young people placed. The statement of purpose is a recently updated, engaging and accessible document. However, some information required by regulation has not been included. While it is important for

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Good

clarity that all information is provided, this does not have any direct or potential impact for young people, as the group is stable and has a clear understanding of the home. The manager provides good-quality notifications of all significant events to the relevant authorities and takes appropriate action following any incident. Effective monitoring systems are in place to provide the manager with a clear sense of strength and areas for development within the service. The manager has ensured that the majority of requirements and recommendations set at the previous inspection have been met, or that there is significant improvement. While some requirements and recommendations have been set at this inspection, these do not undermine the high quality of individualised care provided, which ensures that the young people feel happy and safe, and continue to thrive.

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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‟. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 „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 0300 123 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, work- based 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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