Children's home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children and young people who have social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 3 May 2017.

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Inspection date: 2 March 2022

Date of last inspection: 6 December 2021

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Inspection date: 2 March 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 2 March 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection, Ofsted raised six requirements and two recommendations. Leaders have failed to meet five of these requirements and both recommendations, and a further two requirements have been issued at this inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

During this inspection, serious failures in the leadership and management of the home, and in the help and protection of children were identified. Ofsted has issued compliance notices under regulation 12 and regulation 13.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Management oversight and monitoring of the home is insufficient. It does not enable them to understand the quality of care that children receive. Managers fail to identify shortfalls or take action to meet requirements from the previous inspection. For example, repeated breaches are identified in the following;  Managers do not provide staff with sufficient training  Managers fail to review record-keeping protocols to ensure children’s care plan documents are kept in line with regulation  Managers fail to review the use of door alarms on children’s bedrooms. This surveillance has remained in place without proper review.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

These breaches demonstrate a lack of proper management oversight in the home and ability to improve children’s experiences.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager fails to provide care that keeps children safe and assesses risk suitably. Protective measures to minimise the risk of children who may go missing from home are not in place. For example, when children go out independently, staff do not check where they are or if they get to and from places safely. In addition, staff do not seek out information from other professionals or have conversations with children to help them understand children’s social networks when children may have been exploited and engaged in criminal activity out of the home. This leaves children vulnerable to suffering from harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not have sufficient skills to meet children’s needs. When incidents occur where children require support from staff they have not had the skills to help reduce the child’s distress. Staff use sanctions which are not supportive in helping children to learn about better ways to manage their emotions. This prevents children from making progress and can cause them unnecessary emotional distress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff work well with professionals when there are safeguarding incidents and report to the appropriate agencies. However, when concerns for children’s welfare may be increasing, the registered manager does not seek emergency reviews of children’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 3 care. If the manager is not satisfied with the responses of other agencies, she does not challenge this to help ensure proper care and safety planning for children. This leads to missed opportunities to make sure children are not at risk of continued harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support children to understand their identity and emotional health needs. The staff team has worked well with the child and adolescent mental health service for one child to help them access other support groups. This helps children to develop their self-esteem as they grow up.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home. Senior leaders have made changes to their matching processes for children to ensure that they have enough information about children’s needs before children move in. However, as no children have moved in since this new development, it is too early to determine the impact of this. Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/01/2020 Full Good 19/11/2018 Full Outstanding 19/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 5

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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

*12: The protection of children standard

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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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)(vi)(b))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to the registered manager who must ensure that effective action is taken when children are at risk of harm, and, that the care is also planned so that possible known risks are minimised as far as possible.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been reinstated from the previous inspection. 24 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

*13: The leadership and management standard 24 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 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

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 training to meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to the manager ensuring that supervisions are completed in line with the home’s policy. The manager should also ensure they have a system in place to be able to monitor the care children receive to improve their services.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been reinstated from the previous inspection.

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Requirement Due date

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when they identify a need to engage the wider professional network to ensure children are safe and enabled to make progress; that this is done without delay. 24 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 7 23: Medicines

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been reinstated from the previous inspection. 24 April 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.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been reinstated from the previous inspection. 24 April 2022

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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

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. 24 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 8 This requirement has been reinstated from the previous inspection.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(1)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that consequences for children are proportionate, and restorative and that children are supported, in line with the home’s statement of purpose to help children positively, rather than using punitive methods. 24 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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)

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Recommendations

 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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 9 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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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 10

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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

Fiona Roche, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC410535 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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