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

Inspection report children’s home: 1241632 1 Registered provider: Pathfinders (Childcare) Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide medium- to long-term care for vulnerable children and young people in a dual or solo placement. It is operated by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 22 September 2016 and holds the relevant qualification.

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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: 13 December 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1241632 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1241632 3

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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 health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c), (2)(a)(i)) 15/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person and take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(v)(vi)) 15/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 15/03/2019

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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 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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15).

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Recommendations

In particular, that children benefit from a structured educational day. Inspection report children’s home: 1241632 4  Children should have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. In such cases, the home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access a computer and the internet safely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 29, paragraph 5.19)  Staff should understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standard’s, page 39, paragraph 8.13)  The registered person should develop and implement an internal quality

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Recommendations

assurance monitoring and reviewing system to ensure that practice is consistently good and ensure the continuous improvement of practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

In particular, the quality assurance of practice should be regularly monitored to identify shortfalls and enhance practice.  The registered person should ensure that the independent scrutiny of the home is completed and reported on in a timely way. Furthermore, that the information provided by this scrutiny supports the continuous improvement of the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report children’s home: 1241632 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress living here and say that they enjoy living here. Children have trusting relationships with staff and know that staff care about them. They understand why routines and boundaries are in place. Children can identify with the progress that they have made and areas where they need further support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s placement plans are of a good standard. Information is clear, and the documents are easy to navigate. They are child focused and the reader has a good insight into the child’s journey.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not always receive the continual support and help that they need to meet their health needs. This is particularly in relation to smoking tobacco and healthy eating. As a result, children do not have the correct plans in place to support them to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in education and see that this is an important part of their lives and futures. Staff work with the relevant professionals to ensure that children access educational provision that meets their individual needs. However, when children have a reduced timetable they do not have a structured daily educational routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage children to establish and maintain positive friendships with their friends and family. Children speak fondly about the time that they spend with family and friends. It is evident that supporting these relationships is important to both the children and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of activities, including recent holidays. They have the opportunity to explore their interests and experience new things. Children speak positively about this. These opportunities enrich children’s lives. Furthermore, they support them to develop their social skills and grow in confidence.

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

Staff understand children’s needs and risks, and support them to manage these well. They work in a proactive way with children’s families, friends and partner agencies. As a result, children’s outcomes improve.

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

Staff ensure that children have access to services that can help them, both now and in the future. Children receive specialist support that helps them to explore their life experiences. This helps them to develop ways to understand and manage their thoughts and feelings. Children benefit from this.

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

Children live in a safe and nurturing environment. They say that they feel safe and happy. While staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities, they do not respond to Inspection report children’s home: 1241632 6 safeguarding concerns in a timely way. This means that risk is not always assessed and managed at the first possible opportunity.

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

Children’s assessments and plans are well thought out and reflect the child. Clear strategies are in place to reduce risks and manage behaviours. However, these strategies are not applied in a consistent way. Furthermore, the monitoring and reviewing arrangements are not robust enough.

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

Children know how to complain and voice their concerns. However, staff do not consistently follow the policy and procedure. Moreover, records do not always reflect the nature of the complaint or how it has been addressed. When the policy and procedure are followed, the record is thorough and the actions are clear.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have high aspirations for children and advocate on their behalf. They are passionate and committed to the work that they do. The majority of the staff have worked together for a long time, and they are consistent in their child-centred approach. The responsible individual offers the required support to the home. The home benefits from this leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff work well with other professionals who support the children. Professionals are complimentary of the home. They describe the home as welcoming and friendly. They also say that children progress well living here. One social worker said, ‘(name of the home) were extremely supportive of my young person and, in my view, went above and beyond for them’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and valued. They benefit from regular supervision and day-to-day support is good. Staff receive effective training that enhances their practice. The training helps staff to have a good insight into children’s needs. This provides staff with the confidence that they need to understand complex behaviours. Children benefit from this insight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is not yet consistent across all areas of practice. While the manager has a monitoring system in place, this primarily monitors the completion of key tasks and day-to-day updates of the children’s progress. However, it does not routinely explore the quality of practice. Furthermore, the independent scrutiny of the home is not robust enough. Consequently, shortfalls in practice are missed. Inspection report children’s home: 1241632 7

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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 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: 1241632 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

Lisa Gregoire-Parker, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1241632 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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