Children's Home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd 04004053 in Nottingham

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 1 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd 04004053

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in April 2021. There is currently an acting manager in post who has not yet applied to become registered.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged to require improvement at a full inspection on 20 October 2021. Following that inspection, the home closed temporarily. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to assess the suitability of the home to start operating again.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders and managers have now decided to reopen the home and begin to admit children. They believe they are now in a stronger position to provide a good standard of care. A new manager has been brought in from another home in the organisation. She is experienced and keen to get the home on a course of improvement and start admitting children again.

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This monitoring visit

The last child to be cared for in the home moved out in October 2021. This child did not have a positive ending to their placement. The child was told that they needed to move out only a few hours before leaving. The child articulated their feelings over this ending: ‘I’m not a toy that can be passed around every 6 months.’

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This monitoring visit

The new manager and leaders have started to make the required changes and improvements. New staff have been recruited and they have undertaken training and development to prepare them to care for children. However, vacancies for residential care staff remain. Managers continue to try and attract the right staff. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 2 Staff are now receiving regular professional supervision. This will prepare them to provide good care for any children admitted to the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff now have regular team meetings. Additionally, the manager is trying to develop the staff team to be more thoughtful and reflective in relation to managing children’s behaviours. However, the manager has not always given the staff clear instruction regarding what is expected of them in the day-to-day running of the home. For example, there was an incident when money was lost through lack of clarity over roles and responsibilities within the staff team.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has systems in place to evaluate children’s records that detail discussions between children and staff. However, these evaluations do not gage whether children are making progress. Staff do not yet complete evaluations when undertaking room searches. The manager’s evaluations of children’s documents are not always dated to provide the required clarity. The children’s guide and complaints policy does not state that a child can complain to the manager or responsible individual in the first instance.

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This monitoring visit

The manager is completing rigorous risk analysis and evaluation when reviewing potential referrals for children who could move to the home. For example, the location risk assessment identifies risks and hazards in the community. This risk analysis will help the manager and staff match the right children to the home.

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This monitoring visit

Some progress has been made in meeting the statutory requirements from the last inspection. However, there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate these have been fully met and embedded into the staff team’s care practice. This is largely down to the fact that staff have not been caring for any children since October 2021. The statutory requirements will remain in place to support the home on its improvement journey. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/08/2021 Full Inadequate 17/07/2019 Full Good 07/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 4

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (Regulation 8 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children attending some form of education provision. 5 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those 5 April 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 5 expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour, and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s plans outline what constitutes acceptable behaviour. If a child’s behaviour is unacceptable, plans should detail what steps will be taken to address this. Plans to manage risk should be clearly communicated to children. Children’s plans should be maintained to a good standard. Documents should be viewed and updated as live documents.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that managers review and evaluate each child’s risk vulnerability and safeguarding plans to keep children safe. 5 April 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 6 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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)(a)(b)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers reviewing and signing children’s relevant documents, ensuring that staff understand each child’s relevant documents and that information in records is appropriately cross-referenced. Additionally, managers must ensure there is enough management support available to staff. 5 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

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.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended 5 April 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 7 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; and

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives, and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers reviewing each child’s care plan, to ascertain if staff can meet each child’s needs. If children are not making progress, then steps should be taken to better equip the staff team to meet children’s needs.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should play a key role in seeking to develop the home’s effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority and with other relevant persons which may include services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations and establishments that work with children in the local community, e.g. police, schools, health and youth offending teams (regulation 5 – engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). These working relationships will also be key to success in delivering the care planning standard (regulation 14). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd 04004053

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Inspector

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1212708 9 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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