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

Inspection report children’s home: SC382994 1 SC382994 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions 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

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children or young people who have learning disabilities.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC382994 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2018 Full Outstanding 31/05/2017 Full Outstanding 08/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC382994 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

This home’s dedicated staff team continues to provide exceptional care. The high-quality care promotes excellent outcomes for all children. The staff use their knowledge, skills and experience to meet the needs of the children in a nurturing manner. Staff morale is high and there is excellent stability within the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children who have recently moved into the home have quickly developed positive relationships with staff and their peers. They have been well supported at the beginning of their placements and are already making excellent progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff team is resilient. Its members pride themselves on overcoming challenges and ensuring that placements do not break down. This is particularly important for children who have experienced placement breakdowns before coming to the home. Children form strong attachments to staff and each other. This helps them to feel safe and secure. One child said: ‘I give it 100 out of 10.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There is a clear focus from the staff team on supporting children to learn and achieve their goals. Children are supported through extensive direct work and well-structured independent skills programmes. Excellent review systems are in place to plot the progress that children make. Some children have been supported back into education after long periods of non-engagement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are highly skilled at recognising and responding to potential triggers for challenging behaviours. Strong behaviour management strategies help staff to steer children away from situations that may provoke anxiety or distress. Challenging behaviours reduce because of this proactive approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work very well with a range of other agencies to secure improved outcomes for children. Feedback from all stakeholders is extremely positive. The home also goes to great lengths to engage with parents and carers to ensure that their views are fully incorporated into care planning processes. A grandmother said: ‘They are actually brilliant. They know what they are doing. I know that they are there for my grandson. It is a brilliant home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s physical health needs are exceptionally well understood. For some children, this has led to greatly improved health outcomes. Children’s emotional health needs are also well understood and comprehensively addressed. The manager is determined in seeking specialist support services for children who need these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are central to the care practice in this home. There is extensive evidence of consultation and of children’s participation across the service. For example, children have recently joined in fire training with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children engage in regular activities, both inside and outside the home. They make Inspection report children’s home: SC382994 4 excellent progress towards improved self-esteem as a result. Children engage in voluntary and charitable work in the community and attend a local youth club. This ensures that they are not at risk of social isolation.

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

Risks to children are well known and documented. Staff work hard to respond to risks. As a result, behaviour-related incidents reduce over time. Managers are proactive in reviewing risks and managing risks.

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

Staff are acutely aware of the particular vulnerabilities of children living in this home. They are alert to risks and intervene proactively to reduce potential harm. Young people do not go missing. Effective supervision significantly reduces children’s vulnerability to exploitation.

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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. Safeguarding is a core component of staff supervision and team meetings. Staff understand how to assess and manage risk. This means that children are supported well to take appropriate risks while learning independence skills.

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

Physical interventions are used only as a last resort. When used, these are well managed and recorded. Each incident of physical intervention is recorded in detail. Good record- keeping enables managers to undertake a detailed review and ensure that lessons can be learned. Over time, incidents of physical intervention reduce as children become more self-regulating.

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

Staff recruitment is safe. Safeguarding processes are central to staff recruitment. There is clear evidence of thorough and robust scrutiny of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is very experienced. She leads an excellent staff team, which is delivering care in line with the manager’s child-centred ethos. The assistant manager and manager complement each other well because they are passionate, confident and ambitious for the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from other agencies is unanimously positive. Managers seek extensive feedback as a means of improving the home. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘They have been great. The young person has really good relationships with staff and I am really pleased with the progress he is making.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The managers understand the barriers faced by looked after. They act as strong advocates for children with additional learning needs. They constructively challenge any perceived failings by placing authorities and other agencies to ensure that young people’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training, staff supervision and team meetings are structured, regular and well recorded. Inspection report children’s home: SC382994 5 Staff feel able to share their experiences and reflect openly on their practice. This is because they trust and respect their managers. The staff team enjoys strong, professional relationships. They are able to challenge each other but also pull together well during challenging periods. A member of staff said, ‘We are a close team, and we do feel comfortable with each other. The children pick up on that.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Management systems and oversight are robust. Managers assess, plot and review the progress that children are making. This is fed back to placing authorities. When changes to care plans are needed in order to improve progress, these take place promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Transitions are carefully thought through. One young person has successfully moved home. Another young person has transferred to another, more appropriate, provision. The manager makes careful decisions about each transition that are balanced and in the best interests of children.

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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: SC382994 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions 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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Inspector

Bev Allison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC382994 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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