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

Inspection report children’s home: SC429369 1 SC429369 Registered provider: Pathways Care Group Limited

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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 run by a private company. The home supports up to four children who have a range of additional needs and learning disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, social communication issues and associated behavioural and medical needs. The manager has been in post since 20 May 2019 and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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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: 10 October 2018

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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: SC429369 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2018 Full Good 09/05/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 31/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC429369 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress and enjoy a variety of positive experiences at this home. They have good relationships with staff who know and understand them well. Parents and professionals all spoke highly of the quality of care provided by the manager and the dedicated staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy a wide range of activities. They regularly go swimming, go to trampoline centres and take part in in-house activities like messy play. The manager recently hired a soft-play centre for the afternoon so that the children could access an activity that they all enjoy together. These opportunities help children to increase their confidence while having fun.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff fully recognise and celebrate the children’s achievements. The home has an achievement tree that highlights goals achieved. Alongside this is a photograph board that shows the progress made by the children that week. Children receive praise often and are encouraged consistently to make good choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to gain independence and acquire life skills appropriate to their age and abilities. For example, all the children are now able to take public transport with staff, some help prepare meals and others have learned how to dress themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of enabling children to have frequent contact with their family. The staff are flexible with arrangements to ensure that parents can visit their children at the home. When children visit their families, staff remain on standby to offer support if required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

None of the children have made a complaint. Some of the children are non-verbal and express their feelings through facial expressions, sounds and body language. A shortfall of the home is that it does not have an independent advocate visit at present. Providing an advocate gives children the opportunity to express their views to an independent person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the last inspection, it was noted that the garden required improvement. Some improvement has been made and a new swing and music panel are due to be installed shortly. However, the interior of the home is beginning to look tired, with some redecoration required and flooring requiring replacement in several areas.

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

Children feel safe living at this home. During this inspection, the nurturing relationships that have developed between the children and staff were evident. Staff respond warmly to the children, who enjoy being in staff’s company. A parent said, about their child, ‘He has very good relationships with staff. I have seen the lovely bonds that he has made with them. It is so reassuring as a parent to see how much they all care for him.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC429369 4 All the staff have received safeguarding training. They have a clear understanding of the procedures to follow and recognise the greater vulnerabilities of children who have additional complex needs.

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

There have been four incidents of physical intervention since the last inspection. Staff are all appropriately trained and skilled at de-escalating potential incidents. Physical intervention techniques are only applied when absolutely necessary to keep the children and staff safe.

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

Staff monitor the children consistently and make hourly recordings throughout the day. This information is shared at each staff handover. This ensures that staff are fully aware of how each child is feeling and enables them to tailor any activities to meet each child’s current presentations.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from this home. Outings are well planned, with care plans and risk assessments followed robustly. Staff are alert to the possible risks while out in the community and have a good awareness of each child’s individual needs and behaviours .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The enthusiastic and knowledgeable manager has been in post since May 2019. She holds a relevant level 5 diploma and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoken with during this inspection said that they feel very well supported by the manager and one another. They are positive about the new manager’s style of leadership and described her as ‘someone who gets things done’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monthly staff meetings are well attended. The staff use this time to discuss the progress that the children make and to monitor their own interactions. This ensures that the children receive a consistent response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff receive good-quality supervision that covers access to personal development activities. When it is highlighted that extra support may be required, this is given promptly to ensure that staff acquire the relevant training and skills to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Complaints are resolved well. The manager works very well with families and professionals. She is proactive in her response to any concern or niggle, and works in a transparent manner to ensure a satisfactory outcome.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring systems are good. The manager regularly reviews and evaluates the quality of care given. The independent visitor’s monthly report is detailed and suggests areas for improvements. However, the visits often take place while the children are at school. This fails to provide direct independent oversight of the care that they are receiving. Inspection report children’s home: SC429369 5 A requirement set at the last inspection has been reset due to one member of staff not attaining a suitable level 3 qualification in the necessary time frame. The manager has met to good effect the two other requirements and four recommendations that were set at the last inspection.

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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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 20/12/2019

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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

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)) 31/10/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC429369 6

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is with particular reference to redecoration and replacing the flooring, where needed.  All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and when possible, this should be provided by a person who the child chooses. Children looked after are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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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: SC429369 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Olubunmi Fabusuyi

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Inspector

Lynne Drage, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC429369 8 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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