Children's Home run by Pathways Care Group Limited in Essex

home

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Children do not benefit from ongoing support and encouragement to stop smoking.  Staff do not receive training in managing child sexual exploitation, despite this being a risk for the children who live in the home.  There are gaps in the recording of incidents of self-harmful behaviour and there is a lack of management oversight of these incidents.  The assessment of the impact of new admissions does not consider the risks, historical behaviours and proposed group dynamics effectively.  Records of physical interventions do not consistently include the description of the hold and the duration, or reflect whether children have had an opportunity to discuss their feelings about the incident.  Room search records do not clearly reflect whether the children have given their consent to the search.  The induction programme for new staff is not robust enough and does not provide new staff with the additional supervision and support that they

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

require.  There is a lack of clarity and consistency in the safe-recruitment processes.

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The children's home strengths

 Staff nurture positive relationships with the children, providing them with support and stability.

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The children's home strengths

 When children go missing, every effort is made to try to find them and return them to the home as safely and as quickly as possible.

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The children's home strengths

 The manager has positive links with other agencies and professionals, and information sharing is effective.

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The children's home strengths

 The children are able to identify a trusted adult who they can talk to about any concerns.

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The children's home strengths

 The children are able to access a wide range of activities to stimulate them and to progress their social skills.

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The children's home strengths

 The manager and staff ensure that family members are included and made to feel that they are part of the home.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to ensuring that there is clear recording and management oversight of incidents of self-harm, the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 23/1/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to completing robust impact risk assessments that consider group dynamics, and ensuring that the location risk assessment includes all relevant areas of risk, the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(i) that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 23/1/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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 a description of the measure and its duration 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 (3)(a)(iv)(c)) 23/1/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that room searches take place only if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20) In particular, ensure that all room searches are appropriately recorded, including the reasons for the search, the efforts made to seek the child’s consent, and any related risk assessment. In addition, ensure that there is management oversight of the decision to undertake the search.

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Recommendations

 Encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10) In particular, provide support to children to help them to stop smoking.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, provide training in managing child sexual exploitation for the staff.

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Recommendations

 Maintain good employment practice. Ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, ensure that the home’s policies define recruitment processes and that managers implement the policies. This relates to verbal checks of references and the assessment of the suitability of references for potential employees.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all staff receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this children's home

This home provides care for up to four children and young people aged from four to 17 years, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned by a private company. This is the first inspection since registration.

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people living in the home

Some children self-harm. There is a lack of clear recording and management oversight of these incidents, and of one incident in particular. This does not support the children to become increasingly safe.

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people living in the home

The children smoke tobacco. Some actions are in place to help them to stop. However, these actions are not robust enough.

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people living in the home

The home accommodates children who are vulnerable to child sexual exploitation. Despite this, there is no specific training provided for the staff to enable them to recognise and manage the signs of child sexual exploitation. This does not provide staff with the knowledge that they need to safely care for the children.

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people living in the home

One child has moved to the home recently and does not yet have an education provision. Staff have provided some support to identify suitable education and this continues to be an area of focus. Another child had been out of education for nine months prior to her move to the home. She now engages in education. The staff support her to travel to and from education. They liaise with the education staff and they have recently contributed to her personal education plan meeting. This child is making progress by regulating her behaviour at school and engaging with lessons and, as a result, her education hours will gradually increase.

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people living in the home

The children engage with a variety of activities, they enjoy going into town and have gained certificates in roller-skating at a club in the community. They are supported to attend Sea Cadets and horse-riding, which has increased their social skills and confidence.

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people living in the home

Children have positive relationships with staff and are able to identify people who they would speak to, such as their key workers, if they had a concern. One child said, ‘The staff are really nice. I like my bedroom, it’s open and I’m not in a small environment.’

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people living in the home

Staff support the children to attend their health appointments, including engagement with a mental health service. Clear health action plans outline the individual health needs of the children and the actions required. There are links with the children looked after nurse, who has visited the home to see the children. She said, ‘Staff always respond when I need to arrange a visit. There have been no problems and they share information readily.’

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people living in the home

Staff support children to attend meetings with professionals and to engage with their plans. One social worker said, ‘The staff have a rapport with the child. They are flexible and accommodating and they give 100%. The staff are learning how she operates and they are able to deal with her swiftly.’

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people are helped and protected

Managers do not complete robust impact assessments for children moving into the home. Therefore, the potential impact of risky behaviours on the children already living in the home is not fully considered.

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people are helped and protected

The locality risk assessment does not take into account the local train tracks and stations or a derelict building that a child has been located in recently. In addition, the risk assessment of the beach is also out of date. Consequently, staff are not clearly informed of the local risks when children are away from the home.

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people are helped and protected

Staff have used physical intervention when needed to keep the children safe. The records of these interventions do not contain all of the required details. There is no information outlining the description or the duration of the hold used. Staff do not record debriefs with the children following an incident of physical intervention. This does not show that the children have been given the appropriate space and time to share their feelings about being held.

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people are helped and protected

Staff undertake room searches and ‘sharp sweeps’ to minimise the risks of the children self-harming. There is no consistent recording method in place to promote the transparency of this process. It is not evident whether children are aware of the search or if they have given their consent. Lack of robust recording makes it difficult for managers to have sufficient oversight of these searches or to determine whether children’s privacy and dignity is promoted.

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people are helped and protected

There is an inconsistent approach to ensuring that recruitment checks are robust. During the inspection the registered manager was unable to locate the current recruitment policy, and was unclear about the processes within the policy. Some recruitment files had no record of the actions taken to verify information prior to potential employees commencing in post. This does not ensure that safe recruitment processes are consistently followed.

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people are helped and protected

Children go missing from the home. The management of these incidents is sound and staff communicate well with other agencies to keep the children safe. The children say that they feel safe. A police officer said, ‘The staff keep the children safe, they follow them and do everything that they can.’ The children engage positively with their care plans. Staff set appropriate boundaries, and positive communication between staff and children is evident within the key-working sessions. The staff provide a consistent and stable environment. An independent reviewing officer said about a child living in the home, ‘This is the longest placement that she has had. She is managing the structure and boundaries.’

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people are helped and protected

The children are involved as much as possible in decision-making to keep themselves safe. They contribute to risk assessments and behaviour plans, looking at the potential triggers and strategies to support them to make progress.

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people are helped and protected

Staff know how to raise concerns and understand the whistleblowing procedure. They are confident in escalating matters with senior managers if required. There are experienced members of staff in the team who work closely with the newer staff members, which ensures that skills and experience are shared within the staff team. Staff know how to recognise and record safeguarding issues, ensuring that their manager and the local authority are informed. This promotes children’s safety because they are cared for by staff who know how to respond to safeguarding concerns.

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leaders and managers

There are a number of newly appointed staff members, as the home is relatively new. There is a clear online induction training programme in place for all new staff. However, there is no difference in the frequency of supervision for new staff than for established staff. During the inspection, the manager was unable to locate an up-to-date supervision policy. Supervision recording is ineffective, it does not include a clear agenda and there is no systematic review of tasks from previous supervisions. This does not support managers to review and reflect fully on staff performance.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager is suitably qualified with a level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care, and she has significant experience within residential care. She has worked hard to recruit a full staff team. The staff speak positively of the leadership of the home, saying that they can speak to the manager ‘whenever they want’ and that ‘the manager’s door is always open’.

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leaders and managers

Staff work with other agencies and professionals, sharing information to support the children and placing them at the centre of practice in the home. The manager monitors the care of the children, producing weekly and monthly review reports, which the manager and the children sign. This helps children to understand what is in their plans and to be part of their planning.

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leaders and managers

The independent visitor considers how well staff safeguard the children and identifies strengths and shortfalls within the monthly reports. The independent visitor engages with the children to ensure that their views and achievements are included. This drives improvement in this new home and ensures that the children are receiving a service that meets their needs and keeps them safe.

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leaders and managers

Staff and managers spend significant time talking to parents and providing support to them. A parent said, ‘The manager is fantastic and always has time for me.’

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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 that 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 that 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

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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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