Children's home run by Pathfinders (childcare) Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 1 SC008435 Registered provider: Pathfinders (childcare) Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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good

There is no enforcement action since the last inspection Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are making significant progress since their starting points. Staff have a thorough understanding of their highly complex needs.  Staff use young people‟s interests and hobbies to keep them busy, encouraging them to learn new skills and to engage with their peers. This strategy has resulted in young people choosing not to go missing from their home.  Staff use rewards and incentives effectively. These goals are linked to young people‟s interests and are proving highly successful in supporting young people to make progress in many aspects of their development.  The home has excellent working relationships with other professionals, such as education, placing social workers and health workers. This collaborative approach is reflected in the comments from these people.  The manager uses research to develop staff practice. She ensures that she and her staff team are well-informed in relation to young people‟s specific needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

This has been effective in assisting young people with their emotional development.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager needs to ensure that young people‟s prescribed medication is administered at the correct time of day.  Potentially serious incidents relating to young people must be recorded and HMCI must be notified. This is in relation to an incident involving a young person being incorrectly administered prescribed medication.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/09/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home. In particular the registered person must ensure that medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed. (Regulation 23 (2)(b)) 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in particular reference to incident records. 31/08/2017 Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people living in this home are afforded good quality care, which has helped them to make significant progress in a relatively short time. Staff provide clear, consistent boundaries that have enabled young people to gain a sense of security and belonging in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a warm, friendly environment where young people are comfortable and welcome visitors into their home. They take an active role in showing visitors their environment, pointing out their goals and achievements which are proudly displayed around the home. Young people say that their staff are „kind‟ and that they „love‟ their home. Young people are polite and enjoy talking about their hobbies and interests that staff support them to develop, for example learning how to fish. Staff use photographs to measure their progress and achievements. Consequently, young people are investing in their placement and accepting the care that is offered to them. A young person said, „I love fishing with staff and I am working towards buying a bigger pole. I can easily do it because I‟m already halfway there to getting it.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the young people well and continue to develop positive, trusting relationships with them. Staff invest their time by taking an interest in young people‟s life experiences, listening to their views and supporting them with situations that may cause them anxiety. Staff offer reassurance, and help to address issues in a calm, sensitive way, and also advocate on their behalf. This positive approach has resulted in a notable reduction in young people going missing from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Shortfalls found at this inspection relate to a young person being administered prescribed medication at the wrong time. There is a lack of recording and Her Majesty‟s Chief Inspector (HMCI) was not notified. The manager sought medical advice to ensure that there would be no adverse effects to the young person. She has ensured that a refresher training course in administering medication is undertaken to ensure that this does not occur in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the young people with highly individualised care. They have a good knowledge of their diverse needs through consultation with placing social workers, previous placements and family members. They gain young people‟s views on their preferences and care experiences. Staff support and encourage them to contribute to their own placement plans. This process is effective in helping staff to gain a good understanding of young people‟s specific needs and how they can successfully achieve their individual targets and goals. Formal key-work sessions provide opportunities to discuss areas of intervention, and are supplemented by informal opportunities to talk about their hopes and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are creative in their efforts to provide opportunities for young people to develop their hobbies and interests. This has resulted in young people attending education and making positive choices, such as not going missing from the home. A member of Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 5 education staff said, „Staff have provided [name] with the security that he so desperately craved. He has begun fishing and staff come early to take him. He has a positive role model in a male member of staff who he thinks the world of. It‟s a joy to see him leave the building happy to go home each day.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value and promote educational success by providing the right level of support that the young people need to achieve their academic potential. Staff work collaboratively with education staff to support young people to reach their longer term goals. They take an active interest in young people‟s education and support them to complete education tasks, such as homework. Young people who struggle with change are well supported by staff to make positive transitions to mainstream school. Staff regularly correspond with education staff and attend meetings to ensure that transitions are gradual and sensitive to the young person‟s needs. This has resulted in some young people aspiring to develop future careers. A young person said, „I am going to be a businessman and I know how I‟m going to do it. I have been learning how to make a website in school and this is how I will do it when I am older.‟

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Some young people come to the home with high levels of risk-taking behaviour, such as going missing from their placement. These behaviours have significantly reduced because staff have helped the young person to understand the importance of making safe choices. Young people are provided with good role models in the staff team who help and guide them to manage free time safely and to develop appropriate friendships. A social worker said, „I am confident that the staff are able to keep [name] safe, he used to abscond when he first arrived at the home. He no longer absconds and I feel that this is due to how the staff deal with the situation.‟

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff demonstrate a commitment to overcoming difficult and challenging behaviour. Clear, consistent and age-appropriate boundaries provide stability, and contribute to young people‟s security and well-being. Staff have a good insight into young people‟s individual emotional needs. They gain advice from specialist agencies, such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Staff invite these professionals to monthly staff meetings. This cohesive approach means that young people are afforded robust and creative plans that enable them to manage their emotions in a more positive way. For example, the manager has created a message jar which staff use to give positive praise to young people who are unable to accept this verbally. This creative approach is proving effective, and physical intervention has not been necessary. This method has also resulted in a decrease in young people‟s negative and harmful behaviour.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand how young people‟s experiences and emotions can be communicated through their behaviour. They identify the triggers to behaviour and are skilled at recognising when changes in a young person‟s life may cause them to react in a negative way. Staff work sensitively with young people and ensure that they have the opportunity to discuss any issues which may worry them. They support young people to Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 6 communicate their feelings in a safe and nurturing environment. Young people are gaining clarity about acceptable behaviour, which will assist them in their adulthood. Staff help young people to manage their relationships with one another and teach them how to be kind to each other. Young people are learning about each other‟s tolerance levels and to respect each other‟s privacy.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager and staff work collaboratively with safeguarding agencies and professionals to keep the young people safe. Information is shared to promote a multi- agency approach to help them to manage their behaviour and vulnerabilities. A social worker said, „I have a positive relationship with all the staff, who communicate well with me and quickly inform me if there are any safeguarding issues.‟

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff employed at the home are subject to organisational vetting procedures and do not start work at the home until all appropriate checks are complete. All fire, gas, and electrical equipment is routinely serviced to ensure that it is in good working order. This ensures that the environment is safe and that young people are protected from people who may present a risk to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run by a competent manager who was registered with Ofsted in March 2015. She is suitably qualified to work with young people who are looked after and has gained the level 5 diploma. She maintains a good level of management oversight, ensuring that the home is consistently run in the best interests of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly child-focused and proactive, and prioritises the needs of the young people in the home. Her knowledge of them is excellent and she clearly enjoys spending time with them and engaging in discussions about their hobbies and interests. This provides the manager with good opportunities to gain the young people‟s views about various things, find out how they are doing and offer appropriate advice and support. A young person said of the manager, „I like her a lot, she‟s nice.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is creative and dedicated to ensuring that young people‟s individual needs are fully met. She has high expectations of her staff and drives them to provide the young people with a high level of care. She understands the impact that the quality of care is having on the young people in the home, and when there is a shortfall she swiftly steps in to ensure that this is resolved. The manager sources books to help staff enhance their knowledge in relation to young people‟s complex needs, such as an autistic spectrum disorder. She has sourced a range of books to help encourage young people to talk about their feelings and emotions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care planning is of a high standard and is individually tailored to meet the specific needs of young people. The manager regularly monitors young people‟s progress and development, enabling her to identify any developing patterns or trends. This proactive approach allows her to take swift action to address any areas of concern that she identifies. A social worker said of the manager, „She keeps me fully informed of [name‟s] progress, and the care afforded is very good.‟ Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 7 The manager uses internal monthly monitoring systems and the home‟s development plan to identify and drive forward improvements in the home. She reviews the quality of care provided to young people regularly, using feedback from placing authorities, young people and parents. Staff work in line with the home‟s aims and objectives to improve the young people‟s experiences in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are highly valued and supported by their manager, and receive regular supervision and support from her. Staff development is ongoing through training and regular team meetings. The manager encourages staff to reflect on their practice, and this is demonstrated in supervision records. A member of staff said, „I really enjoy supervision. It‟s a good opportunity to talk about the young people, any issues and their progress and development. The manager is great and discusses our development in depth.‟

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the „Social care common inspection framework‟, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children‟s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟. Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathfinders (childcare) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Middle Red Lumb Farm, Red Lumb, Rochdale OL12 7TX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Elizabeth Cooper

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Inspector

Jo Hornby, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC008435 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children‟s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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