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

Inspection report children’s home: SC461846 1 SC461846 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. It provides care for up to six children who have experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2016.

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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: 23 January 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC461846 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2019 Full Outstanding 06/11/2017 Full Good 08/12/2016 Full Good 23/05/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC461846 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d)) 06/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 06/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC461846 4 the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Recommendations

 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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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s overall experiences are positive, and they make good progress from their starting points. Children receive individualised support that enhances their quality of life. Warm and strong relationships are established with the staff, who are child-focused, skilled and committed to the children’s well-being. A child said, ‘The staff are very helpful and supportive. I love it here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are confident that their opinions and views are listened to. The children understand how they can influence the home and their care. Effective key work and house meetings are responsive to the individual and emerging complex needs of each child. Discussions with and guidance from the staff enable the children to understand their responsibilities and their impact on the wider community. Inspection report children’s home: SC461846 5 Children experience well-planned endings. Two children made significant progress with their independence and emotional well-being and consequently made successful transitions into adult living. The staff received letters of gratitude and the children keep in touch and visit them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have benefited from opportunities to go on planned holidays. They have enjoyed a variety of activities in the community such as trips to theme parks and the theatre. The staff seek out local clubs for the children to attend to encourage their hobbies. These experiences have enabled children to develop their friendships and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work hard to create a welcoming and nurturing environment. Children’s bedrooms are individually decorated to their preferences and each child is encouraged to care for a small pet. Consequently, the children experience family-style living in a spacious, well-appointed home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have been able to re-engage and make progress with their education, which has resulted in them accessing employment opportunities. However, despite the efforts of the manager to challenge the placing authority, one child does not have a suitable education arrangement. In the absence of this, there is a lack of consistent routine and support for the child to engage in meaningful activities that will support their reintroduction to education.

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

Many of the children are at very high risk of going missing and some have associated vulnerabilities such as gang affiliation, history of offending and exploitation. Effective implementation of clear, individualised risk assessments by the staff and strong partnership working with external agencies result in these risks and vulnerabilities reducing. The local police missing persons liaison officer said, ‘The staff are extremely proactive. They have excellent knowledge of the area and search extensively. The level of communication is exceptional. Their practices set an example for other homes to follow.’

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

Behaviour management plans are detailed. There is an emphasis on proactive strategies and individual incentive programmes. The staff use sanctions rarely and proportionately. These approaches are effective in helping the children to change their behaviour and to develop positive relationships with others.

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

The staff have good knowledge of safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures. Allegations against staff are managed appropriately. The children have been consulted with and appropriate referrals have been made. Concerns are dealt with objectively and promptly. This provides assurance that there are suitable processes in place to safeguard children. Inspection report children’s home: SC461846 6 Safer recruitment processes are not consistently followed. Further monitoring of agency staff checks is not undertaken. Shortfalls in gaining full insight into gaps in employment for some full-time staff have not been identified. The current systems fail to sufficiently reduce the potential for unsuitable people to work at the home.

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

When necessary, physical interventions have been used and are proportionate. However, there are delays in monitoring the records of these interventions. Debriefs and managerial oversight have not been consistently timely. These delays compromise the analysis and learning opportunities available to identify risks and reduce the likelihood of further incidents sufficiently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run effectively by a qualified and experienced manager. A dynamic deputy manager is in post. The management team is child-focused and has good understanding of the children’s individual needs and the importance of forging nurturing and lasting relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All the staff undertake a period of induction and benefit from a programme of comprehensive training. They receive enhanced training in child sexual exploitation awareness, understanding gang affiliation and managing self-injurious behaviours. This specialist training equips the staff to meet the children’s complex individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meetings are highly attended and child-focused. The staff benefit from regular supervisions and appraisals. This range of support enables the staff to reflect and to develop their knowledge and skills further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring visits by an independent person provide a good level of scrutiny to enhance practice. The manager undertakes an evaluative quality of care review. This level of monitoring supports the manager’s broad understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals is largely positive. They see the progress that children make and highlighted strong levels of communication with staff. The children’s records are thorough and well organised. Children are involved in updating their records, which helps them to identify with their achievements and progress.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC461846 7 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: SC461846 8

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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

Mark Anderton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC461846 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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Inspector

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