Children's home run by Pathways Care Group Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 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 care for up to four children aged between seven and 18 with a range of complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 13 July 2021. The registered manager has been in post since the home opened.

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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 inadequate

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. Since the home registered, four children have lived here. One child moved out due to managers not matching them to the home sufficiently. This has a negative impact on the care and experience children receive.

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improvement to be good

The home is presented well. Children have decorated their bedrooms to suit their individual style and preferences. However, living areas lack the personal touch of who lives in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children and staff have positive relationships. Staff talk proudly of children, and they write positive messages for children daily. One child told the inspector, ‘Staff listen, they stop what they are doing and put me first. They are caring and loving.’ Children have adults in the home who they can talk with and share concerns with. Staff support children to embrace their individuality. As a result, children have open conversations with staff and feel confident to explore their identity, knowing they will be positively supported.

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improvement to be good

Staff regularly speak with children about the care they receive. Children choose to spend time with staff talking, watching television, cooking together and enjoying activities. These shared experiences help to strengthen relationships and help children to feel valued.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not been experienced and skilled enough to support children when their behaviour has become challenging. On two occasions, staff called the police to the home to manage children’s behaviour. This impacts on children’s sense of security and puts them at risk of unnecessary criminalisation.

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improvement to be good

Staff have recently secured educational placements for all children. During gaps in formal education, children have completed home learning with a specialist tutor or been tutored online. This has meant that children have continued with their learning. Staff have used this time to help children with life skills, such as swimming and cooking.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to make healthier choices. For example, one child who smoked cigarettes has followed a smoking cessation plan and has ceased smoking cigarettes.

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improvement to be good

Children continue to see people who are important to them. Staff facilitate visits for children despite the long distances they travel. This ensures that children continue to have a connection and a sense of belonging to their loved ones. Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 4

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improvement to be good

Staff keep children safe. The risks children presented with when moving into the home have reduced. Staff talk to children about potential risks and how to help keep them safe, which includes online safety.

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improvement to be good

Instances of children going missing have reduced since moving into the home. Staff respond appropriately when children go missing and search the local area. They work collaboratively with others, including the police and social workers, to help find children as quickly as possible. However, the manager has failed to follow their own protocol in ensuring that a missing-from-care strategy meeting has taken place for one child. This is a missed opportunity for professionals to review procedures and make further safety plans together.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not ensure that they consider all information about children to manage risks suitably. Risk assessments are not up to date or do not provide staff with good enough strategies to manage risks. It is unclear whether staff read risk assessments. Therefore, they may not respond to arising situations appropriately.

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improvement to be good

When children make allegations of harm, these are taken seriously. Where staff practice has fallen short of expected standards, the manager has been quick to address this and share information with the relevant professionals. The local authority designated officer reports that the manager acts appropriately, promptly and will make contact for advice and consultation. Consequently, children are safeguarded effectively.

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improvement to be good

Specialist support is available for children and staff through the organisation’s consultant psychologist. Children engage in therapy sessions at a pace and duration to suit their needs. This ensures that children’s emotional needs can be met by a team of people who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has a vision for the home and understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She knows the children well and advocates for their best interests. For example, good support has been provided to one child to complain to an external agency about their experiences. Despite these positive examples, there are too many shortfalls in the effectiveness of leaders and managers, which makes this inadequate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has struggled to recruit an experienced and permanent staff team. There is a reliance on staff from other homes within the company and agency staff. To ensure continuity of care, the same cover staff are used regularly. However, these shortfalls mean that the manager is often caring for children and not able to carry out her role as the registered manager effectively. Additionally, there has been one Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 5 occasion where there have not been enough staff to meet the needs of children in line with their plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

When appointing new staff, the registered manager has not consistently followed safe recruitment practice. For example, not enough checks are carried out to explore the reasons why a member of staff left their last employment when they had previously worked with children or vulnerable adults. This has the potential to compromise safeguarding measures when recruiting new staff. Additionally, the recruitment of agency staff is not sufficient to ensure that they are safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff’s full names are not recorded on the rota, which is a requirement under Schedule 4, to clearly identify who is working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Lack of management oversight has led to errors in the handling, storing, recording and disposal of controlled medication. The manager was quick to implement a new controlled medication policy and revisit this with staff during the inspection. However, it is too early to demonstrate that this is now embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

On occasions, staff have restrained children and not made a written record about this. The manager has not identified this error. Consequently, there is no management oversight of the measure. Additionally, one member of staff involved in a restraint was not trained to do so. As a result, children’s care is compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to ensure that the statement of purpose is accurate. Staff are not trained in the specific therapeutic method stated in the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff say that they feel supported in their role and speak highly of the registered manager. Nevertheless, staff, including the registered manager, do not receive regular practice-related supervision. This is a missed opportunity to formalise and review staff development and the impact this is having on the care children receive. Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5 (a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to liaising with the child’s placing authority to ensure that strategy meetings are held for children who go missing three times or more in 90 days. 28 February 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ix)(xi)) 28 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 7 This particularly relates to staff having the skills and expertise to support children and use effective de-escalation techniques, to avoid the need for police to manage children’s behaviours.

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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)(a)(i)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff fully understanding risk and for risk assessments to detail all known and updated risks so that staff have the correct information.

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Requirement Due date

Where staff are required by the manager to sign after reading updated risk assessments, this should be evidenced. 28 February 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;

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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; 28 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 8 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff are trained to support the individual needs of children. Staff must be suitably trained in restraint prior to using this.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to ensuring that there are always enough staff working in the home as per the children’s plans.

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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 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are robustly matched to the skills and experience of the staff team, particularly where there are known diagnoses which impact on their communication and behaviours. 28 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to staff being trained in the methods stated in the statement of purpose. 28 February 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. 17 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 9 In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place also as to prevent any child having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medication to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the safe keeping of controlled medication, the safe disposal of controlled medication, the correct recording and signing process for controlled medication.

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Requirement Due date

This also includes labelling of over-the-counter medication and ensuring that the temperate of the medication cabinet is taken and recorded.

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Requirement Due date

A responsible individual must have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person having oversight of the management and ensuring that the registered manager receives regular practice-based supervision. 28 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that permanent staff and agency staff are safely recruited as required. 31 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 28 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 10 This specifically relates to ensuring that staff receive regular supervision that is practice related.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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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

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)) 28 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 11 This specifically relates to ensuring that all restraints are recorded, including individual restraints where several have occurred.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that full names of permanent and agency staff are recorded on the rota. 28 February 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides 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) Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 12

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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: 2633127 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathways Care Group

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Olubunmi Fabusuyi

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Inspector

Jodie Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2633127 14 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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