Children's home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd in Nottingham

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 A highly motivated, enthusiastic staff team provides excellent care that promotes astonishing outcomes for all young people.  Parents and other professionals clearly identify the progress that each young person makes because of living here.  Staff are thoroughly trained in all aspects of safeguarding and protecting young people with learning disabilities. A ‘can do’ attitude to managing risk enables young people to enjoy a raft of new experiences.  Staff have a wide range of skills and bring different qualities to the team. They work exceptionally well as a team and morale is high.  The registered manager and deputy manager are truly inspirational and motivate staff to improve continually.  No shortfalls have been identified and no recommendations or requirements are made.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to accommodate up to four children and young people with learning disabilities. The service is owned and operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

15/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people make astonishing progress in all aspects of their lives, given their starting points and, indeed, since the last inspection. One placing authority social worker said: ‘She has come on so far from the girl I knew, she is a different girl altogether.’

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Outstanding

Education engagement has massively improved, leading to excellent attainment. One young person, who previously could not concentrate for more than 10 minutes at a time, has recently completed all level 1 awards and been awarded ‘mathematician of the year’ from a total of 600 pupils. Staff say that this improvement is due to a better routine, consistency and a reduction in medication. In addition, excellent communication between education providers and staff ensures that they are aware how to support all the young people with homework and informal learning opportunities. One young person currently engages in activities outside of the curriculum as a mentor for younger students and representing others on the school council. This helps to improve confidence and gives young people responsibilities.

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Outstanding

The potentially difficult process of changing classes or schools is sensitively managed by staff, working closely with education providers. This includes preparing a pictorial booklet of the different rooms, doors and venues in the school that a young person will be using, and photos of classmates and teachers. This ensures that young people are well prepared for moving on in school.

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Outstanding

Young people enjoy a host of activities in the local community and further afield. These include trips out to visit caves, museum visits, trips to the park, attending sporting events such as football matches and going on a short holiday. One parent commented that staff always believe young people can do something, describing it as an attitude of, ‘try before they write it off.’ This provides young people with enjoyable new experiences and opportunities they might otherwise not access. Community-based activities, such as a youth club and good links with other local children’s homes, help young people to make friends outside of the home environment and help them to feel part of their community. Regular events, such as ‘open gardens’ and coffee mornings, foster positive relationships with neighbours. One member of staff said: ‘Neighbours know all the young people for all the right reasons.’ The use of key work has been reviewed, providing a more

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Outstanding

focused life-skills programme to follow, enabling young people to develop independent living skills. Activities such as shopping, preparing and cooking meals, undertaking household chores and making healthy smoothies provide opportunities for learning such skills. As a result, young people are achieving above what many people might expect of them.

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Outstanding

Family contact is encouraged and supported by staff enabling young people and their families to enjoy these occasions. Staff work closely with parents, helping them to build confidence in their interactions with their children during these visits.

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Outstanding

Staff manage the health and medical needs of young people very effectively. They fully understand each young person’s medical history and presenting needs. All young people attend medical appointments as necessary. Vital health information is readily available, ensuring swift attention in the event of medical intervention being required. Medication practice is excellent. Each individual medication is clearly identified, for example using photographs, providing staff with the essential information at a glance. Extensive audits by staff, shift leaders and managers ensure that administration and recording of medication is correct, and that stocktaking is accurate. Young people’s reliance on medication has dramatically reduced, resulting in improved behaviour and positive engagement with others.

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Outstanding

Young people develop an understanding of their identities, growing in confidence and improving their self-esteem. One young person, returning from clothes shopping told the inspector: ‘I have my own style.’

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Outstanding

Planning and preparation for a new young person to be placed here is exceptional, ensuring that not only will they be made welcome and supported to settle, but also that the existing group continues to thrive through this period of change. Even when the move involves extensive distances, the staff ensure that they are able to visit the young person and meet them prior to moving in. A detailed referral process ensures that staff have all the required information and can compile an early formulation of a risk assessment and a care plan that can be reviewed as they get to know the young person better. For some, this excellent process has enabled them to settle well when previously they had a history of placement breakdowns.

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Outstanding

Staff and managers advocate on behalf of young people moving to adult services, ensuring that the transition is as smooth as possible. They continue to engage with providers following the move, to ensure that young people make progress in their new environment.

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Outstanding

Detailed care planning provides staff with the information and methods they need to ensure that young people get the very best individualised care to meet their varied and complex needs and to make progress. Clear routines and structures ensure that young people thrive in this home. Daily reports provide a review of the care and progress. These are summarised weekly, and again monthly, providing a clear record of progress and any targets that require additional work. Education providers contribute regularly to this process, ensuring that staff can see the progress that young people make educationally and how best to support them to achieve their potential.

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Outstanding

Young people enjoy fabulous relationships with staff, who provide consistent care and support in a warm and nurturing environment. They are keen to engage with staff, enthusiastically making choices and displaying their joy at the activities they do and staff involvement with them. The layout of the home encourages social interaction, especially at mealtimes in the large and open-plan kitchen and dining area. The free-flowing layout provides ample spaces for young people to move around, spend time with others and spend time alone. The walls are adorned with young people’s artwork and records of their achievements. Bright and colourful display boards provide information on upcoming events and festivals to celebrate. Young people collect marbles for achieving their targets and place them in plastic bottles with rewards marked at varying intervals. This means that they can see how well they are doing. The office is very well organised, providing easy access to

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Outstanding

information for staff. Extensive garden areas provide different zones, such as a play area, decking and a woodland walk. Substantial refurbishment of the home provides constant improvement in the environment.

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Outstanding

Involvement and participation of young people is a real strength. They share their views and express choice through residents’ meetings, key work and preparation for their review meetings. They provide regular feedback through very pictorial questionnaires, identifying what they like and do not like about the home. They have access to advocates, or another adult, outside of the home who they can talk to, and they know how to complain. Staff recently attended training in signing, enabling them to engage better with one young person. This improved understanding of his communication enables him to express his views, and increasingly he make choices about his care. One member of staff commented that this: ‘has transformed how we can care for him.’

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Outstanding

Parents truly value the support staff provide and can see improvements in their children’s progress because of living here. One parent commented that their child’s speech has improved, they engage in more activities and learn new skills because of the time staff spend with them and the excellent opportunities they provide.

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Outstanding

Young people are exceptionally safe here and in the community, developing an awareness of their own and others’ safety. This is because staff receive an exceptional range of training and have the safety of young people always at the forefront of their work. One member of staff said: ‘Keeping young people safe is second nature to us, simply what we do.’

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Outstanding

Training in all aspects of safeguarding is excellent, covering numerous safeguarding areas, including those specific to the needs of this group, such as safeguarding young people with learning disabilities. Staff evaluate training, identifying its relevance to their role in keeping young people safe.

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Outstanding

Incidents of negative behaviour and the use of physical intervention significantly reduce as staff develop approaches and strategies for interventions based on their growing knowledge and understanding young people’s individual’s needs. In-depth reviews of incidents provide staff and young people with opportunities to learn. Monitoring provides the registered manager with an overview of where and why progress is made, highlighting particular practices that help young people. This results in less physical intervention.

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Outstanding

An in-depth review into the use of sanctions means that they are no longer used, as young people develop confidence in discussing with staff how to improve behaviour and understand the consequences of their actions. This helps young people to identify how to deal with things differently in future.

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Outstanding

Highly effective management of risk ensures that young people are safe while still enjoying a range of activities and experiences, giving them the freedom to develop as individuals. Detailed assessment of the risk of bullying, in relation to young people with learning disabilities, ensures that risk is minimised and young people continue to have positive relationships.

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Outstanding

There have been no incidents of absence or missing from this home, although staff clearly understand the process to follow in the event of such an incident occurring. Detailed protocols and procedures provide a framework for recording and reporting absence incidents. Staff benefit from training in this area and the registered manager is to lead a workshop for staff and other professionals in understanding the risk of sexual exploitation of young people with learning disabilities.

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Outstanding

The home is well maintained, clean and kept safe and appropriately secure. Regular fire, maintenance and health and safety checks ensure that this remains so. Regular fire drills mean that young people and staff know what to do in the event of a fire. Judgement grade

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Outstanding

A very experienced and well-qualified registered manager leads the home, ably supported by an enthusiastic and very capable deputy manager. They inspire and motivate the staff and each other. They clearly understand the home’s strengths and areas that need to be developed, and an extremely detailed improvement plan ensures that these areas are progressed in order to continue to provide excellent outcomes for young people.

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Outstanding

Staff are the real heartbeat of the home, working phenomenally well as a team. The deputy manager said; ‘We are all about good teamwork, it is what we do best. We have ridiculously good staff!’ Staff support each other, morale is exceptionally high, and the shared learning and development of skills is excellent.

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Outstanding

The employee of the month scheme celebrates the achievements of staff, giving credit for the excellent work staff do. Nominations are made by the team, with young people also making suggestions, and the positive qualities of the individual are shared. ‘9 o’clock tea’ is a daily practice giving staff the opportunity to sit and relax together in the evening when young people are in bed. They reflect on the day, share their views and any concerns, and, as one member of staff said: ‘Simply relax and play a board game and have a cuppa. Spend quality time together and reflect.’ This builds positive staff relationships and enhances their work as a team. Despite this closeness, staff still feel able to challenge when they have any concerns. One said: ‘We can challenge because it is important for the young people, while knowing it will not spoil our relationship.’

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Outstanding

Staff benefit from excellent support through regular and in-depth supervision, team meetings and training. A raft of training covers topics, both mandatory and those relevant to the needs of the young people. Staff review and evaluate training, reflecting on how to use it in practice. One said: ‘Although we use a lot of the ideas that were presented during training, I now understand why we use them.’ It is clear that training has a positive impact on improving the lives of young people. For example, the staff training in communicating with sign language has enhanced the experience of young people who use this to communicate their choices and feelings.

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Outstanding

Staff are either qualified to the appropriate level, are on the relevant course or they have delayed completion due to maternity leave. Those on the course are due to complete before the end of the year. This will ensure that all staff are appropriately qualified in the required timescales.

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Outstanding

External monitoring is robust, with an independent person assessing the service monthly, ensuring that young people are well cared for, making progress and safe. Young people engage well with the visitor and are happy to share their views. Staff also involve themselves in the monitoring visit, having discussions with the visitor and reviewing the suggestions made. Internal monitoring is equally robust, providing the manager with a detailed review of progress and highlighting any areas that need addressing. The manager shares good practice with colleagues from across the organisation, providing opportunities for learning.

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Outstanding

The statement of purpose provides an excellent overview of the service, its ethos and its practice. The welcome guide for young people is in brochure format, and is individual to each young person, with photographs, drawings and symbols to make it easily accessible to young people.

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Outstanding

Excellent partnership working enables staff to work closely with others to improve the quality of provision, safety and outcomes for young people. An education provider commented: ‘All staff are helpful and friendly and excellent at communicating. They are extremely professional and a pleasure to work alongside.’

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Outstanding

Effective challenge of providers, local authorities and agencies by the manager and staff ensures that all young people continue to receive the quality of care they deserve, and enables them to continue to thrive.

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Outstanding

No shortfalls have been identified during this inspection, and no requirements or recommendations are made.

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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 children looked after 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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