Children's Home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC390190 1 SC390190 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions II 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

This home is operated by a private provider and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 7 February 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because: Inspection report children’s home: SC390190 2  Children make exceptional progress given their starting points, particularly in their education, emotional health, and the development of social skills.  Staff create an extremely caring and nurturing environment, providing the warmth and care that helps to build strong and trusting relationships.  Children are increasingly safe because of living here. Training in all matters related to the safety of children provides staff with a range of skills and knowledge required to keep children safe, and helps children to keep themselves safe.  Behaviour is extremely well managed, with little use of physical intervention. A review of sanctions means that children now participate in meaningful activities as a consequence for poor behaviour.  Staff work exceptionally well as a team, and staff morale is high. Training is of

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Key findings from this inspection

an excellent standard.  The registered manager has a wealth of experience and is ably supported by an outstanding deputy manager.  No shortfalls have been identified, and no recommendations or requirements made.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/09/2016 Full Good 14/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC390190 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children living here make extraordinary progress given their starting points. This progress is intrinsically linked to the excellent work by the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make excellent progress in their education attendance and attainment. One child, previously out of school for over a year prior to coming to this home, is now attending full-time education. This progress has been achieved in a very short space of time because care staff, education staff and the therapist working with the child communicate effectively and provide a holistic approach to his education. Another child has recently been on a school residential trip, made possible by excellent joint work between care staff and education staff. This is a huge achievement for this child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy a range of activities in the home and in the local community. These include swimming. One child could not swim, but staff have taught him and he now enjoys regular trips to the pool. One child had previously been scared of the dark, but with support from staff he has conquered this fear and this opens up new experiences for him such as going to the cinema and going to the local arena for shows. Children actively participate in the local drama club, building their confidence and increasing their social skills. They engage in fundraising events for local and international charities, raising their awareness and understanding of others in need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Access to healthy activities, such as swimming and trampolining, combined with healthy meals and contact with health care professionals, means that the general health and well-being of children is excellent. The looked after children’s nurse, commenting on one child in an annual review, stated: ‘I am overjoyed with his progress within all areas.’ Support from the mental health teams and therapists, along with high quality training, enables staff to support children to understand their emotional health and well-being in an age-appropriate way. A social worker made the following comments about one child: ‘He enjoys his sessions with the therapist. He is more able to reflect on his emotions and past events.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Contact with families is becoming a much more enjoyable experience for children. This is due, in part, to staff understanding the anxieties around contact and establishing routines prior to and after contact, helping children to manage the experience in a positive way. Children feel so safe and secure in their relationships with staff that they are able to consider relationships with others, enabling them to increase contact with extended family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One older child has moved on since the last inspection. The move was well planned, and staff supported her with preparation for moving. This included building independence skills, increasing her social network and helping her to understand how to keep herself safe. Staff accompanied her on visits to the new placement, helping her build effective relationships with a new staff team. Completing a feedback form, she thanked the staff for all their help, saying: ‘I have changed so much. I am happy with who I am.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC390190 4 Excellent use of key-work sessions helps children to explore issues such as education, health, behaviour, emotions, hobbies, achievements and safety. Work on relationships in both key-work sessions and in residents’ meetings helps children to forge excellent relationships with staff and begin to build on relationships with each other. This creates a culture of warmth and respect where bullying is not tolerated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Care planning is exceptionally child centred. Children participate fully in preparing and reviewing their care plans. They also help in establishing their own daily routines. One child takes part in a ‘plan my day’ activity, using visual aids to provide structure to his day. This has now expanded to having a night-time routine that enables him to settle well at night. This is excellent progress for children who have previously had no structure in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Consultation is excellent. Children express their views through key-work sessions, general conversations, regular feedback forms and residents’ meetings. Children attend weekly residents’ meetings where they share their ideas for the home, meals and activities. They discuss their achievements and any concerns. Staff present a safeguarding scenario to them, helping them to be aware of how to keep safe in and outside of the home. Children discuss equality, difference and social issues. They plan activities to celebrate cultural events and to support local charities. If, for any reason, children do not attend a meeting, a key-work session is held with them, ensuring that their views are included. The manager responds to requests and action points from the meetings, and in doing so he ensures that children realise that their views are taken seriously.

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

Children feel increasingly safe because they live here. One child is now able to turn his light off, which is a sign of feeling safe at night. Staff and therapists work extremely hard to help children feel less anxious and more settled. Being able to express their anxieties, and the nurturing support from staff, helps children to remain calm. This leads to a reduced number of incidents and a reduction in the use of physical intervention. When physical intervention is required, the recording and evaluation of the incident is excellent. Thorough debriefing with staff and children ensures that there is learning from the incident. Managers review and evaluate all incidents, whether involving physical intervention or not, ensuring that learning is disseminated across the team.

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

Staff reviewed the use of sanctions as they were proving to be ineffective. Now, children undertake chores as recompense for poor behaviour or write a letter of apology, if appropriate. Photographs of them undertaking a chore, such as cleaning out the guinea pig’s hutch, accompanies a comment from them on the activity and what they have learned about the consequences of their behaviour.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff participate in scenarios of such incidents, ensuring that their knowledge is up to date, and they remain alert to the possibilities of children going missing. Children also participate in Inspection report children’s home: SC390190 5 scenarios concerning their safety, providing them with vital information and the skills to remain safe.

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

Children have participated in training provided by local fire officers, helping them to understand the danger of fire.

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

The use of racist language is continuously challenged. Racism is discussed in key-work sessions with the children, and a workshop on prejudice, delivered by a local organisation, has been arranged to help them understand discrimination.

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

Staff undertake a broad range of training in safeguarding matters, including female genital mutilation, sexual exploitation, and radicalisation. In addition to training courses, managers and staff learn from attending network meetings at which they share expertise and knowledge with other agencies. Staff make good use of a range of resources available to them on varied subjects.

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

Children previously thought to be at risk of sexual exploitation are no longer deemed to be at risk. This is because staff work with them on understanding how to keep themselves safe, working at a level they understand, discussing appropriate relationships, sexual health, and online safety. Staff receive support and training from other organisations which enables them to deliver this work at such a highly effective level.

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

Staff and managers understand the role of the designated officer and have excellent links with safeguarding professionals. They regularly attend meetings to discuss safeguarding matters and share information, remaining up to date on current research and issues, which helps to keep children safe.

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

The quality of risk assessments is excellent. Staff assess each risk and identify triggers and detailed strategies, enabling them to manage and reduce risks. Children are involved in reviewing their own risks, enabling them to understand how to keep themselves safe while not restricting the range of activities for them to enjoy.

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

The home is well maintained and clean, and is kept safe. Regular fire, maintenance, and health and safety checks ensure that the home remains safe. Regular fire drills, including scenarios, mean that children not only know what to do in the event of a fire but also learn about general fire safety.

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

Staff are safely recruited. Any issues, such as previous convictions, are thoroughly risk- assessed by the manager, ensuring that children remain protected. Very occasionally, staff from other homes within the organisation are deployed to this home. The registered manager ensures that the home has full information about these staff, including recruitment checks and a list of all training they have completed, to ensure that they are suitable to work with the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC390190 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A very experienced and qualified registered manager leads the home, assisted by an outstanding deputy manager. They understand the strengths and areas of development for the home . An excellent improvement plan ensures that plans are progressed, supporting staff to provide excellent outcomes for children. This plan is presented in a format that encourages children to participate in reviewing the progress of the home and their own development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have coped very well with a change in the age group of children living here. They fully understand and implement the ethos of the home; they exude warmth and nurture, with a passion for helping children reach their potential. Despite an influx of new staff, the team members work exceptionally well together. New staff bring a wealth of experience and differing skills to the team, and there is a clear bond between staff. Morale is very high. The deputy manager said: ‘This is the best it has been. We have gone through challenges, but we have staff who understand the children and support each other.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff say that they enjoy coming to work. Previous incidents of staff sickness due to anxiety and stress have significantly decreased. The deputy manager has completed training on mental health first aid, enabling her to support the staff and increase their resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff undertake a range of training in areas that include:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

 first aid  health and safety  manual handling  food safety  equality and diversity  physical intervention  self-harm  attachment and trauma  medication  restorative justice  gender identity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training and development continues throughout their time at the home, helping to grow an exceptionally knowledgeable and skilled team. All staff are either qualified to the appropriate level, or are on the relevant course. This means that all staff are appropriately qualified in required timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from a range of excellent support. This includes in-depth supervision, regular team meetings, and effective handovers. Supervision takes place regularly, and staff discuss the children, safeguarding, their role, and how they are feeling. They review what is currently working well and what needs to be improved. Inspection report children’s home: SC390190 7 Team meetings provide a forum for staff to discuss incidents, and develop appropriate strategies for supporting children. The therapist often attends these meetings, providing further guidance and support. Team meetings also provide a time of reflection for staff, enabling them to identify their own strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff celebrate ‘employee of the month’. This enables staff to share their positive views of each other and celebrate success.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff and managers use a wide range of monitoring and analysis tools, enabling them to recognise the progress that children make. The tools include internal monitoring, such as daily and monthly reviews, and the recently introduced achievement charts. These charts identify progress over a six-month period, and are presented in a format that is easily accessible to children. This allows children to identify their own progress and focus on what they need to achieve. External monitoring is excellent, with an independent person assessing the service on a monthly basis, ensuring that children are well cared for, safe and making progress. The independent person’s reports are discussed at team meetings, enabling the whole staff team to be involved in reviews of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Excellent partnership work provides holistic care and keeps children safe. In particular, excellent work with sexual exploitation teams significantly reduces the risk of harm to children. Good communication with others, such as education staff, helps to prevent issues arising that would require challenge. When challenge is needed, this is done effectively, leading to improved outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

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

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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 differences 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 whom 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: SC390190 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions II Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Merchants Place, River Street, Bolton BL2 1BX

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Inspector

Judith Longden, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC390190 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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