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

Inspection report children’s home: SC462149 1 SC462149 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 registered to care for two children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is owned and managed by a private organisation.

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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: 1 December 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC462149 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/12/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/06/2017 Full Good 09/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/06/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC462149 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress in all aspects of their development. Staff form positive relationships with children and use these relationships to positively engage children. Children benefit from trusted relationships with staff. A child said: ‘I give it 10 out of 10. I really like it here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team understands the importance of individual care planning. Staff advocate for and support children with the progress of these plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well with transitions, making moving into and out of the home easier. Children’s individual needs are well understood. One child was supported to move on from the home after a significant period of time living there. The support was extensive and enabled the child to experience a successful transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Behaviour management and positive routines are imperative at this home. Staff consistently work well together in implementing routines. This consistent approach helps children to reduce challenging behaviours in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-working sessions take place regularly and support children to develop skills in different aspects of their daily lives. Key working is linked to behaviour management incidents and risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children get involved and they participate in the day-to-day arrangements in the home. They have regular opportunities to share their views and contribute to menu planning, the way that the home looks and activity planning. Children are supported to be involved in regular, fun activities and opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported extremely well with their education. A headteacher said: ‘We have noticed a remarkable turnaround in the child. Staff work consistently with us on strategies and they always communicate with us.’

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

Staff provide children with a safe place to live. They have a good understanding of the children’s needs and use risk assessments effectively to support children’s safety inside and outside the home.

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

Staff work well with other agencies to support children to reduce any risk-taking behaviours in a timely manner. This was particularly evident in their work with an education provider, as staff from the home and in education shared strategies to promote consistency for one child.

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

Children are supported to feel safe and secure in their daily routines. Staff use robust Inspection report children’s home: SC462149 4 behaviour management strategies and they provide children with structured routines. Children receive predictable care. Behaviour management incidents have reduced significantly.

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

There have been no missing from care incidents at this home since the last inspection.

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

Staff use key-working sessions effectively to help children understand how to keep themselves safe. Key-working sessions provide children with the opportunity to discuss any issues.

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

Staff are competent regarding safeguarding issues. They follow agreed procedures and protocols well. They understand the importance of reporting any concerns about children’s safety quickly to managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a strong, experienced manager with many years of experience in this setting. He has a good awareness of the children’s starting points and the progress that they make. He offers clear and consistent guidance to staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has addressed the shortfalls identified at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has managed well the recent transition of the service from a solo home to a home for two children. The transition took place earlier this year. Staff have also begun to develop their skills and experience in working with and supporting younger children. New staff are being introduced to the home, and the staff team continues to grow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication with stakeholders is good. A holistic approach is taken to secure positive outcomes for children, including good collaboration with other agencies. However, staff do not always proactively collate feedback from stakeholders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have created a strong nurturing ethos in the home. Staff said that they feel able to share their experiences and they respect the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have relevant practice-related training, and some topics are covered extensively. Staff receive training in a therapeutic model of care and they use this in their day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Careful consideration is given to the impact of any new child moving into the home. The registered manager ensures that their assessment process is robust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has an overview of the home’s performance and he is clear about any areas for development and his priorities. He is aware that new staff members are finding their place within the team and that there is the potential for changing dynamics when there are new admissions. Inspection report children’s home: SC462149 5

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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: SC462149 6

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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, Lancashire BL2 1BX

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Inspectors

Bev Allison, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC462149 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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