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

Inspection report children’s home: SC428700 1 SC428700 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions II Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who 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: 31 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are making sustained and measurable progress in all aspects of their lives. Inspection report children’s home: SC428700 2  Staff know the young people well, including their likes, dislikes, worries and anxieties. They listen to the young people and spend quality time with them.  The home is fully staffed with an experienced and skilled workforce that meets the needs of the young people in its care.  The risks and vulnerabilities of the young people are clearly understood and strategies are in place to reduce harmful behaviour.  The home is effectively and efficiently managed by an experienced and suitably qualified manager.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good 24/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 08/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC428700 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people experience good-quality care and are flourishing in their placements relative to their starting points. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of the needs of each young person. The young people have grown up in the care of the same staff group, resulting in continuity and consistency of care. A member of staff commented: ‘X (young person) is really settled, she is in a better place to start the healing process. It is lovely to see her blossoming, and she has made friends. It’s been a really gradual process over a year to get to where we are today. The world is her oyster.’ Staff enable young people to really invest in their placements. The atmosphere is homely and nurturing, allowing the young people to form attachments with staff at their own pace. Young people are able to develop a sense of permanence and belonging. One young person went as far as saying: ‘Move me out of here and I will tie myself to the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

radiator.’ Another young person said: ‘I’m really looking forward to getting a pet rabbit, but I don’t think I will be allowed to keep it in my room.’ All the young people have a scrapbook that captures and documents their achievements and life events, such as birthdays and holidays. In the future, the young people will be able to look back on these and have some really positive memories. Staff engage the young people in positive experiences, both at the home and in the community. One young person, who struggles with anxiety issues, now plays football for a well-known football club who runs a disability team. ‘We came fourth in a tournament and I got a medal,’ she said, being very proud of herself. Another young person is being given the opportunity to go on a school trip to the battlefields in France, due to her interest in the historical events of World War I. The challenges of balancing young people’s need for increasing independence, with

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

appropriate levels of supervision, are managed well and tailored to the assessed vulnerabilities of each young person. ‘I am allowed out for an hour on my own and mainly hang around with my mates, who live locally,’ said one young person. ‘I feel safe and staff look after me well.’ Staff have been successful in helping another young person have the confidence to travel independently to school. The young person now says: ‘I don’t know what all the fuss was about.’ These small steps have seen young people feel that they can be trusted and that trust is a two-way process. Staff are champions when it comes to ensuring that each young person is receiving and engaging in education that enables them to reach their full potential. Staff have worked diligently to secure a place at a specialist school for one young person and, through liaison with the virtual head, ensured that an educational healthcare plan is in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have been instrumental in facilitating extra revision sessions that have seen one young person successfully sit thirteen GCSE examinations. Inspection report children’s home: SC428700 4

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

Staff are acutely aware of the risks and vulnerabilities associated with young people missing from care, which are underpinned by the completion of individual risk assessments and behaviour management plans. Young people receive individual support; any risk-taking behaviours are addressed through key-work sessions and, in most cases, early intervention has put a stop to such behaviour before it has had a chance to develop. A social worker confirmed this, saying: ‘I feel that staff are doing really well, they are very proactive in ensuring X’s (young person’s) safety and well- being.’ For one young person, her life experiences continue to have an impact on her current behaviours. Missing from care episodes are of concern, alongside the risks of alcohol misuse and abusive relationships. Staff have maintained a well-co-ordinated response and taken proactive action to reduce actual harm. Every opportunity is utilised to engage

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

the young person in understanding the dangers associated with her current lifestyle, and measures have been put in place in an attempt to break the cycle. The manager follows the statutory guidance for young people who go missing and regularly escalates concerns to the local authority, attends all strategy meetings and remains in communication with parents. Staff use positive behaviour techniques to de-escalate potentially volatile situations without the need for restraint or physical intervention. Records indicate that the use of restraint has only been used in exceptional circumstances, when there has been a high risk to self and others. These incidences have been few and far between. The deputy manager is highly experienced and delivers the Managing Actual and Potential Aggression training nationally. Young people respond to the clear and consistent boundaries that are in place. For one young person, this has seen her levels of anxiety

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

reduced. The use of social media and the internet is closely monitored and, for one young person, supervised by staff at all times. This level of supervision has been in response to concerns relating to the young person’s learning needs and risk of being exploited. As her key worker said: ‘Sessions have focused on safe phone use. We spend a lot of time talking about social media and stranger awareness, for example, who do you class as a friend, how do you know that you know a person. We use flash cards with different scenarios.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She has a skilled and motivated staff team. Staff are given a range of opportunities to further their professional development. In conversation, the manager said: ‘All staff have roles and responsibilities and rotate these to develop their skills and experiences. The passion is still there, the team does an amazing job.’ Training records indicate that staff are exposed to a range of training in areas such as self-harm, sexual abuse, trauma and attachment. The manager is very child centred. Where young people are new to the home, risks are Inspection report children’s home: SC428700 5 clearly understood and the impact of any patterns of behaviour on others is effectively assessed and managed. The manager discusses all prospective placements with the staff team and is given autonomy in the decision-making process. The manager’s hands-on approach ensures that she has a clear understanding of the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

plans for the children, monitors their progress and demonstrates the positive impact the home has on individual young people in improving outcomes. The manager’s sound monitoring systems and auditing processes ensure that young people are safeguarded, their health and well-being is being maintained, and young people are regularly consulted. The home is in the process of undergoing a scheme of refurbishment and redecoration. The manager and staff have ensured that there is minimal disruption. All the young people have participated in the decisions about how the home should look and have been given various options for their bedrooms. Consultation with the young people is a key strength and achieved through weekly residents’ meetings and one-to-one conversations on an informal basis. The culture of the home promotes inclusion, where young people have a real sense of belonging. Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective and focuses on young people’s

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

progress, achievements and areas of continued need. Staff well-being is seen as a priority in ensuring that a healthy staff team promotes good practice. As one member of staff said: ‘I love it here, the kids, and the staff team. I really enjoy my job. It’s very rewarding, despite the difficulties and challenges at times.’

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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: SC428700 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions II Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Acorn Care and Education Ltd, 1 Merchants Place, River Street, Bolton BL2 1BX

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Inspector

Cath Sikakana, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC428700 7 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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