Children's Home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 1 SC410539 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 social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in November 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 22 February 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 6 July 2022, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation at the home. This is because external agencies were investigating two significant child protection Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 2 allegations. The restriction notice will allow time for these investigations to take place and will ensure that risks to children are assessed and responded to.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2022 Full Good 28/11/2019 Full Good 16/07/2018 Full Good 04/12/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 3

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inadequate

Two children live in the home. One child has recently moved out in a planned way, returning to live with their family. During this inspection, inspectors found serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice and in the leadership and management of the home. These shortfalls compromise children’s safety and hinder their overall experiences. As a result, Ofsted suspended the manager’s registration. The restriction notice previously imposed remains in place and three compliance notices were issued.

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inadequate

Staff spoke to inspectors about the interactions of one staff member with a child living in the home. They spoke of how these interactions had made them feel uncomfortable. However, some staff only reported their concerns when realising that others felt the same. This demonstrates a lack of professional curiosity and transparency within the staff team. This is a missed opportunity to safeguard children from harm.

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inadequate

Managers and staff do not have clear professional boundaries. For example, the manager sent a photo of a child to their social worker from their personal mobile phone. They also remain in contact with children who have left the home, using their personal mobile. Staff also use their personal mobiles to communicate with each other about children out of hours. For example, on one occasion, a staff member texted the registered manager to inform them that they were unable to contact the on-call manager. This was after a child had made a serious allegation about a member of staff.

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inadequate

The home environment requires improvement. Some communal internal doors have locks on them. They give the home an institutional feel. Sometimes, staff lock some of the doors, which is unnecessary. One child has a sofa in their bedroom which is in a state of disrepair. Repairs that are completed are of poor quality. However, there is a plan in place for the home to be redecorated.

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inadequate

Children say they feel safe and happy living in the home. Staff form positive relationships with children. Children trust staff and are able to confide in them. As a result, children talk to staff about any worries or concerns they have.

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inadequate

Despite the shortfalls identified at this inspection, children do make some progress. For example, all children engage in some form of education and they have recently completed their end-of-year exams. The registered manager advocated for one child to take their exams in the home. This helped to provide them with every opportunity to succeed. This child passed their exams and this will support them to achieve their aspirations. Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Children have experienced harm due to a lack of professional curiosity from staff. On numerous occasions, staff were unaware of what children were doing and who they were with. Staff have not followed the home’s whistle-blowing procedures to share concerns about a child. This was a missed opportunity to protect children. As a result, leaders, managers and staff have missed opportunities to safeguard children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not respond adequately when staff identify safeguarding concerns. Some staff have raised concerns with managers about a staff member. Leaders and managers failed to explore these concerns with external professionals, such as the local authority designated officer. They also failed to take appropriate action to investigate the concerns. As a result, they failed to safeguard children from harm.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Managers and staff do not follow the home’s safeguarding policy to respond to child protection concerns. Incident records do not detail clearly enough what has happened, if information has been shared, the decisions that have been made or the action taken, if any, to protect children. Some recording is illegible and confusing. In addition, risk assessments are not always updated in a timely manner. This does not promote consistency and compromises children’s safety.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Recording practice in the home is poor. Staff do not clearly record children’s movements to show when they are out of the home and who they are with. This means that the registered manager, staff and external professionals such as the child’s social worker cannot always be certain that children are safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Children’s movements are sometimes restricted. For example, one child reported that one downstairs room is sometimes locked at night. They were unaware why this was and there is no rationale why it should be so. The registered manager reported that they were unaware that this was happening. An incident also occurred during which one child verbally threatened another. Staff asked the child who was being threatened to sleep in the lounge and to keep the door locked. This inadequate approach by staff failed to sufficiently support the victim of the threatening behaviour or address the threatening behaviour of the perpetrator.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

There are alarms on all children’s bedroom doors. All alarms activate if only one child leaves their bedroom. There is no rationale for the alarms. This is an infringement of children’s privacy.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The monitoring and supervision of children’s internet and mobile phone use in the home are poor. Staff do not continuously support and educate children to be safe online. There are no parental controls on the home’s Wi-Fi. As a result, this compromises children’s safety when they are online. Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management and oversight of this home are poor. Leaders’ and managers’ monitoring and review systems are ineffective. They do not evaluate the quality of care children receive. In addition, leaders have not ensured that the registered manager is competent in safeguarding practice. There are gaps in the registered manager’s knowledge and skills in how to keep children safe and in their ability to lead a staff team. This has led to serious failings in relation to the protection of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The roles of leaders and managers are not defined. The responsible individual has little involvement in the oversight of the home. There is a lack of accountability across the organisation. This contributes to a disorganised approach to keeping children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders, managers and staff do not demonstrate professional curiosity. The registered manager and staff are not vigilant enough. They fail to identify patterns and trends in behaviours which indicate a child may be unsafe. As a result, they do not respond to signs that children are being groomed and exploited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive adequate training pertinent to children’s needs. For example, one child moved into the home who was at high risk of sexual exploitation, but staff had only completed a foundation course in this area of work. Most training is online and the quality of this is variable. As a result, staff do not have adequate knowledge or skills to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The out-of-hours on-call system is ineffective. Staff are often unable to contact managers when serious safeguarding concerns arise. Communication between staff and managers out of hours is not recorded effectively. This further compromises the oversight of safeguarding practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The independent visits do not provide scrutiny and challenge. The independent visitor does not consult meaningfully with children. Their reports do not identify the shortfalls in the care children receive. This does not help the home to improve and also hinders external scrutiny. Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 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;

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons should ensure that managers and staff understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to reporting safeguarding concerns about children to external professionals, such as the local authority designated officer. In addition, to ensuring that managers and staff understand the roles of external professionals when safeguarding children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 28 August 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 requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons must ensure that managers and staff receive adequate training in order to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe. This must include their understanding of what constitutes professional curiosity and professional boundaries and how they contribute to keeping children safe.

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons must also ensure that staff undertake adequate training which will provide them with the knowledge and understanding of the risks posed to vulnerable children. This includes, but is not limited to, child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation and substance use.

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons must review their safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that they set out clear guidelines about how managers and staff should keep children safe and how they should respond to child protection concerns. In addition, the organisation’s safeguarding policies should provide clear expectations on professional boundaries. Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 8 The registered persons should also ensure that there are effective measures in place to keep children safe when online.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons must ensure that there are effective management systems in place to undertake robust audits and monitoring within the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons must ensure that leaders and managers understand the quality of care provided to children and their experiences and take swift action to address any identified shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons must ensure that the registered manager undertakes training to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe. In addition, to ensuring that staff have the skills and abilities to meet children’s needs. 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 9 No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

any measure involving punishing a group of children for the behaviour of an individual child. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(j))

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons should ensure that children’s behaviour is responded to in a way that does not have a negative impact on other children living in the home. 28 August 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

The registered person should ensure that children’s liberty is not restricted unnecessarily. Bedroom door alarms should be thoroughly risk assessed and only used if proportionate to any risk identified. 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 26 (7)(b)) 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 10 The registered provider should ensure that the responsible individual has the skills to effectively oversee and supervise the management and operation of the home.

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Requirement Due date

 A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring they undertake training to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe. In addition, to undertaking training that equips them with the necessary skills to lead and manage a staff team. This includes demonstrating that they have the ability to ensure that staff have the skills to safely care for children. 28 August 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

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered persons should ensure that systems are implemented to improve the recording practice in the home, in particular, when there are safeguarding concerns about children. The registered persons should ensure that children’s records, including their risk assessments and safety plans, contain accurate and up-to-date information which is legible. 28 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

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 28 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 11 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, particularly their ability to identify the shortfalls in the care children receive and to make recommendations for improvement.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that improvements are made to provide children with a more homely environment. In particular, ensure that any damaged furniture in children’s bedrooms is removed and replaced. In addition, to ensuring that any home improvements are completed to an adequate standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 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 for children's home: SC410539 13

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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 B24 9QR

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Inspectors

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Jodie Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC410539 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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