Children's Home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 1 SC410545 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 privately owned home provides care for up to two children with complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/07/2021 Full Good 13/11/2019 Full Good 12/06/2018 Full Good 10/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children live in the home. They are happy and settled. Children say that they feel safe and enjoy living in the home. Both children are making progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff provide care in a calm and nurturing manner. This helps children to develop trust. As a result, children are able to confide in staff about any worries and concerns they have. This is because they feel assured that staff will keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop a positive sense of their identity. Children are able to explore personal and delicate issues with staff. Staff respond to children with sensitivity. This enables children to feel comfortable and confident with who they are. One child said, ‘I wanted to see if staff accepted me... they were no different as they care more about me as a person and not my gender.’ Staff’s approach helps children develop a positive self-image and a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend full-time education. The registered manager and staff support children’s learning at home. One child is now able to write the initials of their name and formulate some numbers. This is significant progress from their starting point. Another child has passed their college course. This has enabled them to gain a place on a higher-level course to work towards their aspirations. As a result of these achievements, children will have opportunities to succeed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s health and emotional well-being. They ensure that health plans identify children’s needs. Staff ensure that children attend medical appointments when necessary. They follow medical advice and guidance to support children’s complex personal care needs. As a result, children are developing independence with their self-care skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff teach children life skills that will prepare them for when they leave home, such as budgeting and how to complete general household tasks. Staff support children to understand how to keep themselves healthy and safe. As a result, children develop confidence and independence as they transition to adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child with complex needs does not understand how to make a complaint. This is because the procedure is not in a format that they can use. As a result, this limits the child’s opportunity to express any concerns they may have about their care.

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

Overall, staff respond well to safeguarding concerns. They have a good understanding of the risks to children and the action they need to take to safeguard them. However, during one incident, there was a delay in staff responding to Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 4 concerns about a child’s mental health. This delay had the potential to impact on the child’s safety.

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

Staff use a consistent approach when responding to children’s behaviours. They have boundaries and clear expectations in place. Children understand and respond to them well. Physical restraint and sanctions are not used in the home. Missing- from-home incidents are rare, and there have been no allegations or complaints.

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

Children who have a history of self-harm are well supported. One child has made good progress and is now more able to safely manage their feelings and emotions, thereby reducing incidents of self-harm.

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

There is a coordinated approach to safeguarding children. The registered manager promptly reports any safeguarding incidents to relevant professionals. They initiate and contribute to discussions with wider agencies about children’s safety. Clear plans are in place to support children at risk of child sexual exploitation. This includes support and education from professionals such as the police, in addition to online courses which children complete with support.

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

Staff focus on educating children on how to keep themselves safe, such as teaching them about healthy relationships and the risks from grooming. This work is undertaken in line with children’s age and stage of development. Staff also complete debrief sessions with children alongside this work. This is to review the effectiveness of these interventions and the emotional impact on children.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the risks to children when using the internet. The necessary restrictions are in place to monitor children’s internet use. Staff carry out key-work sessions with children about online risks. Staff then undertake calculated risk assessments with children which are regularly reviewed. Children have opportunities to practise what they learn to keep themselves safe. This encourages children to be open with staff about their experiences online.

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

Inspectors discovered some health and safety concerns. Fire doors were often propped open, which appears to be common practice. This included the door of a room where there was confidential information stored about children. Inspectors also observed that decorators had left the home’s keys unattended. Also, that chemicals associated with the home’s pet fish were being left out. The registered manager and staff were unaware of these risks. This was despite a previous incident when a decorator had left tools in a child’s bedroom. This lack of oversight has the potential to impact on children’s safety.

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good

The responsible individual does not actively and regularly monitor the service. However, the service manager has recently undertaken an audit in the home. The audit highlights some of the shortfalls in staff practice, such as the quality of Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 5 recording. However, the recording of the audit is not thorough and lacks detail. This hinders senior managers’ oversight of the care children receive.

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good

There are gaps in the safe recruitment of staff. Managers did not obtain one staff member’s full employment history. In addition, reasons for leaving previous employment are not routinely explored, such as for one member of staff who had previously worked in a position of trust. As a result, managers cannot be certain that children are safely cared for by suitable people.

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good

Recording practice in the home requires improvement. The quality of recording is inconsistent. Staff do not always record clearly what children are doing and with whom. Some staff use stigmatising language when describing children, such as ‘lazy’ or ‘attention-seeking’. They also refer to one child’s behaviour as having a ‘tantrum’. This is prejudicial language and harmful to children’s self-esteem and self-image.

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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 from the organisation. Minutes of clinical meetings between the registered manager and the psychologist are poor.

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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 needs.

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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. The home now has a new independent visitor, however, they have not yet visited the home. As a result, their effectiveness in providing external scrutiny is not yet known.

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good

Staff have regular opportunities to reflect on the care children receive. Managers have recently issued each member of staff a reflective journal to complete. They use this to form the basis of their discussions in supervision. As a result, staff reflect on their practice and are able to identify areas for improvement. This also contributes to the registered manager’s oversight of the care children receive.

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good

The registered manager has recently completed the relevant qualification. They know the children and understand their needs well. They have good monitoring and reviewing systems in place. They devise regular action plans which are child- focused. As a result, they understand the home’s strengths and areas for improvement. Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 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 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that leaders, managers and staff are aware of their responsibilities and take the necessary action to ensure that the home environment is safe for children. 6 October 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; 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; 6 October 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that children are cared for in line with the home’s statement of purpose. In addition, they should also ensure that information about children is recorded in a non-stigmatising way.

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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.

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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 person should ensure that systems are implemented to improve the recording practice in the home. The registered person should ensure that children’s records are legible and that they contain accurate information of children’s whereabouts and who they are with. 6 October 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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; 6 October 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 8 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform;

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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) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that all staff are safely recruited.

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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

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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

The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor has the capability to identify the shortfalls in the care children receive and to make recommendations for 6 October 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 9 improvement. In addition, they should ensure that they consult with children, staff and professionals.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all children living in the home understand the home’s complaints procedure, regardless of their communication needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.24)

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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: SC410545 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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Inspectors

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Helen Malanaphy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC410545 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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