Children's home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 1 SC410535 Registered provider: Positive Pathways Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a registered manager who is suitably qualified and experienced and has been registered with Ofsted since April 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: 13 January 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 for children’s home: SC410535 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/01/2020 Full Good 19/11/2018 Full Outstanding 19/02/2018 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 3

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improvement to be good

The relationships between the children and staff are good. One child said that she would give the home a rating of 10 out of 10. The positive relationships help children feel comfortable in the home.

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improvement to be good

Processes to support children to move into the home are not always followed in line with the home’s statement of purpose. For example, prior to one child moving into the home, the manager did not consider the impact this would have on the other children in the home or if staff could meet the child’s needs. This means that children and staff are not fully prepared. This practice could compromise children’s experiences and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to education. Children attend provisions that are suited to their needs and they are working toward appropriate qualifications. Furthermore, one child has been supported to gain a part-time job. As a result, children are developing skills and are aspirational about their futures.

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improvement to be good

Children are registered with local health services and attend routine appointments. They access specialist help when it is appropriate. For example, one child is engaging with a specialist mental health service. Children’s emotional and physical health is promoted.

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improvement to be good

There are occasions when staff consult with children through key-working sessions. However, this is not consistent practice. For example, during inspection, one child told the inspector she did not understand her care plan. In addition, there were no records to demonstrate how another child was welcomed into the home. This makes it difficult to understand how children are supported to understand the care provided.

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improvement to be good

The home is welcoming and well furnished. Children have personalised bedrooms and have the opportunity to care for their own pets. The communal spaces are decorated with memorable photographs of time spent together, and feedback from children who have previously lived at the home. Since the last inspection, bathrooms in the home have benefited from redecoration.

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improvement to be good

There have been times when children have been unsettled, which has increased risk-taking behaviours. During inspection, staff could identify the steps they would take to respond to risk and children in the home said they felt safe. However, the written assessments do not identify all known risks. For example, one child’s risk assessment did not consider the risk associated with him driving cars illegally when Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 4 in the community. In addition, a child’s risk assessment was not updated following police searching the home for a firearm. Therefore, plans do not reflect all that the staff should be doing to keep children safe, which may compromise children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

There are occasions when children go missing from the home. The records show that staff do not always follow the plans in place. For example, on one occasion, there was no evidence that staff carried out a search of the local area for the missing child and, on another occasion, that there was a delay in calling the police. In addition, the manager does not consider the information provided by children during return home interviews. While this has not had any serious consequences so far, it is a missed opportunity to safeguard children.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are rare and used as a last resort. If an intervention occurs, the staff complete a written record which is reviewed and monitored by the registered manager. The staff recognise children’s achievements and implement individual incentives. This practice ensures that positive behaviour is encouraged.

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improvement to be good

Medication arrangements are not consistent. There are times where staff have not ensured that children have received their medication. The manager has failed to identify or respond to this shortfall. This practice has the potential to have an impact on children’s health and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedroom doors are fitted with alarms, which are in use. There is no record of consultation with the local authority for the use, and children are unclear as to why they are used. This has an impact on the otherwise homely environment and means that the monitoring used may not be proportionate to the children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practices are safe. This ensures that only suitable people work in the home. Health and safety checks confirm the safety of the physical environment.

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good

The home is managed by an experienced and qualified manager. Since the last inspection, a new deputy has been appointed who has a good understanding of the home.

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good

Professionals provide positive feedback about the care children receive. Social workers comment on good communication with the home, and a police officer said that the staff have a good understanding of children’s needs. Children benefit from this joined-up approach to their care.

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good

Not all staff have completed mandatory training. In addition, there are identified gaps in training specific to the needs of the children living in the home. For example, not all staff have completed training linked to alcohol and drug misuse, county lines or missing persons. The manager cannot demonstrate that staff have all the skills needed to care for the children living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 5 Staff told the inspector that they enjoy working in the home and that the manager is approachable and supportive. Staff receive regular supervision, which considers the progress children make and team dynamics. However, when staff are subject to a probationary period they are not provided with supervision in line with the home’s policy. This means that not all staff are supported effectively, and this this a missed opportunity to develop staff practice.

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good

The archived records and documents for children are not kept in line with regulation. Therefore, the inspector could not fully establish the experiences of the children who have lived in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that the children’s risk assessments consider and assess all known risks. 15 January 2022

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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

ensure that staff have the experiences, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all staff complete mandatory training and child-specific training. In addition, the manager should ensure that supervisions are completed in line with the home’s policy. 15 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 7 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that children’s transitions into the home are planned effectively. 15 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that medication is administered as prescribed. 15 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children. (Regulation 24 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that door alarms are only used as set out in a child’s agreed risk assessment. 15 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child.

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Requirement Due date

for 75 years from the child’s date of birth. (Regulation 36 (1)(a) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that children’s records are kept in line with regulation. 15 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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 for children’s home: SC410535 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Pathways Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Park Business Centre, Hastingwood Industrial Park, Wood Lane, Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands B24 9QR

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Inspector

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 10 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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