Children's home run by Positive Pathways Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 1 .

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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 who may have social, emotional and/or a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post at this home since March 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

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: 2557914 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 3

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improvement to be good

Three children live in the home. Two have lived in the home for over a year. One child said that they do not want to live in the home as they would prefer to live nearer to their family and friends. This child frequently goes missing from the home. The registered manager has escalated their concerns about these missing episodes with the placing authority.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not fully consider the needs of children before they move into the home. Children move in despite staff not having the skills to meet their needs. One child had complex mental health needs which were not explored properly. As a result, this child required medical intervention to keep them safe. Even then, managers failed to consider whether the child’s needs could be safely met in the home. This child was unable to remain in the home as planned and experienced an abrupt move. This was unsettling for the child and caused them further instability. The registered manager has not reflected on this child’s experiences or identified any shortfalls in the home’s matching process.

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improvement to be good

The care children receive is not in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Children are not receiving therapeutic care or any clinical input. Staff do not receive guidance from a psychological aspect. Minutes of clinical meetings between the registered manager and psychologist are poor.

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improvement to be good

The home’s environment requires improvement. Repairs to the children’s bathrooms identified five months ago remain outstanding. Some communal internal doors have locks on them. They give the home an institutional feel. However, there is a plan in place to remove these locks and for the home to be redecorated.

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improvement to be good

Children have mixed experiences in regard to their education. The registered manager advocates for children and strives to ensure that they receive appropriate support to meet their learning needs. For one child with high anxiety, the manager arranged for a tutor to visit the home. Another child who had been absent from school for a long time has recently sat their GCSE exams. This is progress in comparison to their starting points.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to keep in touch with their friends and family members who are welcome to visit children in the home. Safety plans are very clear in relation to ensuring that these visits are safe. The registered manager has safely arranged for one child to go on holiday with a friend. As a result, children are able to create positive childhood memories.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager is a good advocate for children and is tenacious when escalating concerns about children’s safety and progress. For example, the registered manager will challenge when children do not receive return home Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 4 interviews in a timely manner, or when they have not received important documents from the placing authorities.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always take effective action to safeguard children, and on one occasion they did not show enough professional curiosity. This is despite an increase in one child’s missing-from-care behaviour. For example, staff became aware that this child had gone missing during the night. The following day, after the child had returned, the registered manager activated all children’s bedroom door alarms to alert staff should the child attempt to leave during the night again. However, when the child exited their bedroom during the night to use the bathroom, staff did not check that the child had returned to their bedroom. The child went missing, and staff were not aware until the next morning.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments vary in quality. They do not include information about all known risks, including online safety and smoking. Some information does not correlate with children’s behaviour management plans. These are descriptive and do not provide staff with comprehensive guidance. For example, one child has sensory needs, yet it is unclear in their plan how staff should support them. This child has a bedroom door alarm with no rationale for why it is needed. The noise from this alarm aggravates the child due to their sensory needs and causes them anxiety. Staff have not recognised or considered this. As a result, the care children receive in the home does not always meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

Significant events are not always reported to the regulator, such as the high frequency and concerns of one child’s missing-from-care behaviour. This hinders the external scrutiny of the actions taken to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Some staff do not help children to recognise and respond to risk in an age- appropriate way. Key work is not creative enough around subjects pertinent to children’s needs. This prevents children from learning about how they can keep themselves safe. However, staff do help children to develop their independence skills. Children are able to cook meals and manage their own finances well.

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improvement to be good

The location risk assessment fails to assess risk effectively, for example, when children socialise with children who live in the neighbouring homes. As a result, children have become involved in volatile incidents with other children. A lack of risk assessment compromises children’s safety and well-being.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from care, the registered manager and staff are proactive. Children experience a thorough and coordinated response from staff. There are clear individual plans in place which outline the steps that staff should take. Staff look for children when they go missing from the home and commit to ensuring their safety. Staff work well with external agencies, such as the police. They work well together to locate children quickly and support them to return home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 5

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good

Monitoring by leaders and senior managers is ineffective. There are gaps in their knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. An audit completed five months ago identified shortfalls in staff practice, including the manager’s oversight of the home.

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good

Leaders and managers have started to implement new monitoring systems. This includes closer monitoring of safeguarding incidents at a senior level, in addition to improvements in the recording practice of managers when they are on call out of hours. The registered manager has some monitoring systems in place, however, these are mainly a tick box exercise. As a result, this limits the manager’s ability to evaluate the quality of care that the children receive.

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good

Recording practice in the home requires improvement. The quality of recording is inconsistent. The daily logs contain errors, inaccuracies and in places are illegible. Some staff describe children and use stigmatising language such as ‘prickly’ or ‘stubborn’. The registered manager has not identified these shortfalls in their audits. As a result, they do not have a good understanding of the care children receive and how this impacts on them.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision. However, the quality of recording is inconsistent and in places weak. The registered manager provides staff with direction, support, and challenges when necessary. The manager identifies the strengths and developmental needs of the staff well. However, other supervision records completed by the deputy manager do not. For example, staff described one child as being defensive about their gender. This was insensitive and was not challenged enough.

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good

Managers do not ensure that staff receive training pertinent to children’s needs. Staff mainly complete training online which is at a basic or foundation level. As a result, staff do not have the knowledge and skills to care for children with complex mental health needs. Yet, children continue to move into the home with complex mental health needs. As a result, these children may receive care by staff who do not understand their needs or how to respond to them.

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good

The independent visits do not provide scrutiny and challenge. The independent visitor does not consult with all children living in the home. The reports do not identify the shortfalls in the care provided to children. This does not help the home to improve and also hinders external scrutiny. Leaders recognise this and are making some changes to the external oversight of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(viii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that children are provided with a warm, welcoming, and homely environment, in addition to ensuring that any necessary home improvements or repairs are undertaken in a timely manner. 14 September 2022

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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 staff— 14 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 7 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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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)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that thorough risk assessments are undertaken when children socialise with, or visit, children who live in other homes within the organisation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff understand their role in keeping children safe. They must ensure that risk assessments accurately identify risk, and that staff have the skills to implement strategies to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that staff help and support children to understand risk and risky situations, and that they do so with creativity and in consideration of children’s learning needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 8 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children are cared for in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that there are effective management systems in place to undertake robust audits and monitoring within the home. This includes improving how they review and evaluate the quality of care that children receive and the impact this has on their progress and experiences.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should take effective action to address any shortfalls in staff practice. This includes the quality of staff recording.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that staff receive training pertinent to the needs of children they intend to care for.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 14 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 9 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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children’s needs are thoroughly considered prior to them moving into the home, and ensure that staff have the skills and abilities to meet their needs safely. 14 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s bedroom door alarms being thoroughly risk assessed and only used if proportionate to any risk identified, in addition to considering the impact on children’s sensory needs. 14 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 10 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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that systems are implemented to improve the recording practice in the home. The registered person should ensure that children’s records, including their risk assessments and safety plans, contain accurate and up-to-date information that is legible. 14 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring prompt notification to HMCI of a serious incident, such as frequent missing-from-care behaviour of a child.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 14 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 11 The registered person must use reasonable endeavours to ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the capability of the independent visitor, including their ability to identify the shortfalls in the care that children receive and to make recommendations for improvement. 14 September 2022

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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: 2557914 12

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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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Inspectors

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2557914 13 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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