Children's home run by Pathways Care Group Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 1 Registered provider: Pathways Care Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides a full-time treatment programme, over 12 to 15 months, for children who have traumatic backgrounds, behavioural or mental health difficulties and/or have experienced, or are at risk of, sexual exploitation.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 18 May 2021. A manager is now in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 19 February 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2020 Full Good 11/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 3

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improvement to be good

There are currently four children living at the home. Two children have moved into the home and two have moved out since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

Managers undertake impact risk assessments before children move into the home. The assessments have not considered the location of the home or fully evaluated the impact of group dynamics. Therefore, managers have not properly considered how risks could be fully mitigated. Consequently, staff’s focus and attention on managing one child’s significant needs has, at times, led to a lack of consistent focus of care for the other children living at the home. During the inspection, managers recognised this shortfall and put systems in place to ensure that all children feel equally supported.

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improvement to be good

The staff do not have a good understanding of how to develop children’s independence and life skills. One child is approaching 18 years old and he does not have an independence plan with measurable targets. This means that staff and managers cannot fully support social workers to make critical planning decisions about the child’s capacity and future transition plans.

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improvement to be good

The home is modern with good-quality furniture. However, there is a lack of personalisation in some of the rooms and hallways. This gives a clinical feel to the home and does not support a warm, nurturing family atmosphere for children.

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improvement to be good

Children maintain appropriate contact with their families. However, some families have expressed that they are not always communicated with promptly or asked for their views. This means that opportunities to problem-solve and seek out additional support for children may have been missed.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of education. They are sensitive to the barriers to learning for some of the children and actively promote alternative positive activities and learning opportunities. Therefore, children are making some progress in their learning despite not all being engaged in formal education.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to attend their health appointments. Staff are working with healthcare professionals to ensure that the children’s physical and mental health needs are met.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage the children to express their wishes and feelings. The staff offer regular opportunities for children to participate in decisions about activities and the running of the home. This has enabled the children to develop trusting relationships with the staff. Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 4

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improvement to be good

Staff have struggled to manage one child’s significant self-harming behaviours. This has led to the increased use of physical restraints and police support to keep the child safe. When staff have written up these incidents, they have failed to consistently record all the required information. Some records do not say whether the child or the staff had a debrief. Not all records detail the type of restraint that was used and how effective it was. Therefore, it is not clear whether the child and staff are given the opportunity to reflect on their actions and consider how they could have behaved differently. In addition, staff do not consistently sign the incident records, which limits their accountability.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are broken down into separate risks and plans. This has led to some conflicting guidance and some information being omitted. In a risk assessment for one child, it says the use of humour is a preferred distraction technique. However, in another plan for the same child, it says not to use humour as this can increase risks. For another child, staff identify potential criminal exploitation and violence as risk factors. However, this is not addressed in a risk assessment or support plan. These gaps and lack of coherent guidance mean that the staff do not have a clear set of strategies on how to keep the children safe.

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improvement to be good

A minority of the staff have not undertaken specialist training to meet some of the children’s individual needs. This means that these staff may not be equipped to respond as effectively to the children’s behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Key-work sessions are of poor quality. They do not focus on the children’s identified risks or provide them with opportunities to explore different ways of thinking or practise positive behaviours. Therefore, children are not able to understand the risks that some of their behaviours pose and how they can keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff are confident in following safeguarding procedures and understand the home’s whistle-blowing policy. When allegations are made, the manager’s response is effective and safeguarding referrals are timely. This enables an inclusive multi- agency response to keeping children safe and promotes children’s well-being.

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good

Since the last inspection, there has been high staff turnover and a short period when there has not been a manager in post. The responsible individual and staff from a nearby sister home have provided support. However, this has meant a lack of management organisation and insufficient scrutiny of the care that children receive. For example, there has been no management oversight of the staff’s use of consequences or evaluation of their effectiveness in promoting positive behaviours.

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good

The children’s records are not always up to date and are not signed by staff. This lack of detail in record-keeping means that the staff may not have access to Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 5 important information and are less likely to be able to provide consistent responses to changes in children’s behaviours. In addition, unsigned records make it difficult for the manager to confirm the accuracy and timeliness of what has been written.

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good

Managers have undertaken an internal care review, which is captured in a written report. However, they have failed to consider the strengths and areas of development of the home and how these can inform an action plan for service improvement. Therefore, this limits the report’s usefulness as a performance management tool.

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good

Supervision provides the staff with the opportunity to discuss the challenges of managing some of the children’s complex needs. Staff say that they value this time. However, there have been periods when staff have not had supervision regularly enough. This means that staff may not always have had access to the support and guidance that they need.

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good

Managers have undertaken timely responses to complaints. They have provided a summary of their actions and outcomes. This promotes learning opportunities to inform future practice.

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good

A new manager is now in post, who has started to review all aspects of the service. Together with the responsible individual, he recognises the identified shortfalls and has begun to make thoughtful changes to the practice at the home. The staff and the children welcome the positive changes that they can see happening. Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 6

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have a clear understanding of and plan for developing children’s independence skills. 21 September

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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—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 21 September Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that all staff have training in understanding and implementing each child’s risk assessment, and their role in keeping children safe.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are up to date, address all the children’s risks, are concise and include clear information on behaviour management strategies and techniques to reduce risk. 21 September

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h)) 21 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with the appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 21 September Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 8 This refers specifically to ensuring that all staff receive regular supervision in line with the home’s supervision policy.

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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

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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)(iv)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 21 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 21 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. In particular, ensure that the home feels warm, welcoming and homely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that managers work closely with the placing authority to understand the child’s relationship history and the impact that the child’s arrival may have on the group already living at the home. In particular, the manager should consider staff’s skills and knowledge and the location of the home in meeting the child’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.3) Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 9  The registered person should identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the care provided, which will be captured in the written report. The report should

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Recommendations

clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery at the home and how those actions will be addressed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1241897 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathways Care Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Minton Place, Victoria Street, Windsor SL4 1EG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Olubunmi Fabusuyi

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Inspector

Leemya McKeown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1241897 11 to 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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