Children's home run by Pathways Care Group Limited in Runnymede

Inspection report children's home: SC417351 1 SC417351 Registered provider: Pathways Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation and provides care for up to three children. The home’s mission is to ensure that every child who comes to live at the home is safe and free from harm.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/06/2016 Full Good 15/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC417351 2

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the deputy manager receives training in all aspects of safeguarding children. 14/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification, the level 3 diploma in residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’), within two years of working in a care role in a children’s home. (Regulation 32 (3)(b)(4)(a)(5)(a)) 14/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person must add to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(c)) 14/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1)(7)(a)) 31/05/2018

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the Inspection report children's home: SC417351 3 registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the

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Recommendations

home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) In particular, establish a system to prompt the arrangement of a return interview after each missing from care event.  All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children form good relationships with the staff and receive individualised care. During the inspection, children were observed interacting with the staff and it was evident from their demeanour that they had a good rapport with the staff. All of the three children spoken to during the inspection said that this home is the best they had ever lived in. Children are making good progress in some areas of their lives. Although progress has been slow, the staff have persevered to encourage the children to do more for themselves. For example, during the inspection all the children and staff were discussing the sharing of the washing machine and how small changes would benefit them all. A mature debate took place, resulting in agreement by all concerned. Children are consulted by staff about their views and wishes. Their views are listened to regularly through meetings, key-worker sessions and in day-to-day living situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regular family contact is well supported by staff, including for those children whose families live quite far away. A parent visiting her child spoke positively about the home and how impressed she was with the care given to her son. Children’s educational needs form an important part of their time living at the home. Their needs are supported through the maintenance of good routines and the provision of educational activities. The staff fully participate in reviews of services and other multi- agency meetings. However, the staff do not always record information to evidence the work being undertaken, or whether children refuse to partake in arrangements made. The managers and staff team have worked extremely hard in completely redecorating and refurbishing the entire home. The home is now characterised by its warm, nurturing Inspection report children's home: SC417351 4 environment, which they are all proud of.

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

Some of the children have gone missing on several occasions. Staff have reacted quickly and taken appropriate steps to locate and return these children. Staff have spent time discussing these incidents and explaining their concerns with the children, who are starting to understand the risks they are putting themselves at. Records pertaining to the children going missing are good. However, evidence shows that although the home is requesting return interviews, these are not requested on all occasions and there are no records to suggest return interviews have taken place. This has had no impact on the safety and well-being of the children. Behaviour and care management plans are effective. There has been only one incident of restraint since the last inspection, which was to de-escalate an altercation. Staff work in partnership with the children to enforce boundaries fairly and consistently. When incidents do occur, the staff and children go out to the local restaurant for breakfast to

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

discuss the incident in a calm and reflective way. This allows the children to make amends and reflect on their behaviour, resulting in agreed sanctions. However, records of sanctions do not evidence the good work that has been undertaken. No one spoken to during the inspection – including all the children, two police officers, professionals and the staff – raised any safeguarding concerns, which is in part due to the collaborative working practices of all concerned. The safety of children is promoted. The staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practice. They are fully aware of the roles of external agencies and report in confidence their organisation’s whistle-blowing policy. This knowledge helps to ensure that any safeguarding concerns are reported and dealt with promptly. However, the deputy manager has not received the appropriate level of safeguarding to enable him to deputise effectively in the absence of the registered manager. This does not have an

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

impact on safeguarding practice and knowledge within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new registered manager was appointed in September 2017. Along with a deputy manager, he provides consistently effective leadership with a strong focus on making a meaningful difference to children’s lives. Staff receive regular supervision and training. However, one member of staff has not completed their level 3 qualification within the required timescale, and annual appraisals have not taken place. This does not enable the staff to review and develop their childcare practice. The registered manager is currently undertaking the level 5 diploma in leadership and management, with the deputy manager currently enrolling. The registered manager and deputy manager have spent considerable time building a strong team; as a result, staff work well together and morale is high. Visits by an independent person provide detailed and impartial scrutiny of the running of the home. The independent person’s reports show progress and experiences and include

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

the views of children about living at the home. However, senior managers have failed to Inspection report children's home: SC417351 5 ensure that the reports are sent to Ofsted. This shortfall does not allow Ofsted to monitor what improvements or actions have been made or to rectify recommendations. During the inspection, an anonymous complaint was received with regard to children living at the home. After investigation and discussion with the local police, the registered manager concluded that the concerns were unfounded. The registered manager has met 12 of the 13 requirements and three of the four recommendations raised at the last inspection to good effect.

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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: SC417351 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathways Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Minton Place, Victoria Street, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1EG

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Inspector

Cathy Russell, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC417351 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 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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