Children's home run by Pathways Care Group Limited

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2633127 1 Registered provider: Pathways Care Group

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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 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 current registered manager is absent from the home. An interim manager had been overseeing the home from February 2022. A new interim manager has been in place since June 2022.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged as inadequate at a full inspection on 14 and 15 June 2022. Ofsted issued two compliance notices, one under regulation 12, due to safeguarding concerns, and one under regulation 13, due to concerns around leadership and management. A notice to restrict accommodation was also issued.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notices and to review the provider’s adherence to the restriction of accommodation notice.

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This monitoring visit

There are currently two children living at the home. No new children have moved into the home since the last inspection. One child spoke to the inspector and said that, since the last inspection, staff are spending more time with him and engaging him in activities. The child also said that he is able to speak to staff openly.

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This monitoring visit

Since the previous inspection, a new interim manager has been appointed. While this has meant another change for staff and children, feedback to the inspector was that this change has had a positive impact. The new manager has high aspirations, and in a short period of time has taken swift action to address safeguarding concerns and improve staff practice . Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2633127 2 Medication procedures for the storage and administration of medication have been amended to make them more robust. Managers complete weekly medication audits and on one occasion this led to the early identification of a medication error. This was an administrative error and did not have an impact on the child. The prompt response by managers ensured that this was picked up quickly and learning was undertaken with the staff member.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, staff have had additional training to ensure that their knowledge around medication is up to date. Alongside this, managers complete regular assessments to review staff skills and knowledge. This will further ensure that staff’s practice and knowledge around medication is regularly reviewed.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have now completed their mandatory training, except for one staff member who has not yet completed health and safety training. The manager has a robust risk assessment for this staff member, detailing clear steps for how potential issues can be managed. Additional training and workshops for staff have taken place to address previous gaps in knowledge around key working and the language used by staff. Further training has been booked to enhance learning, for example around consequences and professional boundaries. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to care positively for children.

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This monitoring visit

Updates have been made to children’s risk assessments, placement plans, free time agreements and positive behaviour support plans. These plans and assessments are well written and detailed. They are individual to children’s current risks and behaviours, have been updated regularly and give clear guidance to staff to help them understand what they need to do keep children safe. For example, staff have a better understanding of the early warning signs for a child when they are feeling in a low mood, which then helps staff to be clear about the support this child needs at the time.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have made changes to the way in which staff engage children to find out their views and seek their feedback. For example, weekly reflective reviews are now taking place and the monthly children’s meetings are more structured. While these are new developments, it is clear that children are being listened to. For example, new beds have been bought for the children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are spending more time with the children, in and outside the home. Children have been shopping, gone for walks and been to the cinema and a holiday for children with staff is being planned. In addition, children are now able to access the home’s games room and have been discussing with staff how they want to use this room.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of the improvements made, the provider has met the compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2633127 3 Seven requirements raised at the full inspection have been reviewed and are met.

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This monitoring visit

The other requirements raised at the full inspection that are not yet due have not been reviewed and remain in place. This also applies to two recommendations.

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This monitoring visit

Following the monitoring visit, no new requirements have been raised.

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This monitoring visit

The improvements made are still in their infancy and need to be fully imbedded into practice and sustained over a longer period. In addition, management arrangements have not yet been made permanent, with any new changes potentially having an impact on the progress made. The restriction of accommodation will therefore remain in place and will continue to be monitored by Ofsted. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2633127 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2022 Full Inadequate 12/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2633127 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

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 ensuring strategy meetings are held for children who go missing three times or more in 90 days. 2 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring a robust matching of children to the skills and experience of the staff team to provide care to meet children’s individual needs, particularly when there are known diagnoses which impact on children’s communication and behaviours.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to children’s local authority plans being readily available at the home and that they are followed. 2 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2633127 6 This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated.

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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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff having regular supervision that is practice related. 2 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example, through undertaking life-story work or other direct work. Staff in children’s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2633127 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathways Care Group

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Shazana Jamal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2633127 8 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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