Children's Home run by Pathways Care Group Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 2613649 1 Registered provider: Pathways Care Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to four children who have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the organisation in May 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 13 January 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2613649 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2613649 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of inspection, two children were living at the home. Staff provide good care and support to children. Children enjoy spending time with staff. One child said, ‘The best thing about living here is the comfort.’ The staff show genuine warmth and understanding, and this helps children to trust the staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage children to learn through play. A range of toys are available and meaningful activities are planned. This helps children to develop their social skills and build friendships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s education. One child attends school full time, with good attendance. One child is due to start school at the beginning of the new term. When children are not in formal education, the staff arrange a home tutor. One child has made significant progress in reading. Staff attend parents’ evenings and sports days at children’s schools. This helps the children to feel supported and valued.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical and mental health needs are met. Staff help children to learn about eating healthy foods, personal hygiene and making safe choices. Staff encourage good routines. One child has made significant progress in sleeping through the night, which has reduced their use of medication.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements are celebrated. Staff find creative ways to recognise children’s progress. Children receive gold star awards. Staff take photos of children learning new skills and capture these in memory books. Children receive pocket money when they have achieved specific targets. The staff provide support and incentives that help the children to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children who have experienced trauma. They are skilled at listening and talking to children at an age-appropriate level. If children find it difficult to talk, staff encourage them to draw pictures, play with toys or read books they can relate to. A therapist helps children to talk about their feelings and understand difficult emotions.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s concerns are listened to. When one child made a formal complaint, the manager met with the child to listen to her concerns and the child received an apology letter.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with families and friends. When children are invited to birthday parties, the staff support them. One child has invited his friend to the home. Maintaining these close links contributes to the children’s sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to talk about how they feel. Children contribute ideas and express their views about new toys, garden equipment and places they would like to go. However, these requests are not acknowledged. Therefore, it is difficult to Inspection report for children's home: 2613649 4 measure whether any action has been taken and the children’s wishes are listened to.

p.3

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

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour plans are detailed and easy to follow. Staff ensure these documents are regularly reviewed to highlight new concerns. This gives the staff the information they need to manage and reduce risks to children’s safety.

p.4

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

Staff work well with social workers and other professionals to keep children safe. Communication is good and information is shared regularly. Staff understand their responsibilities to report concerns. Staff attend formal meetings. One social worker said that the staff are the most knowledgeable people to talk to regarding the child.

p.4

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

One child regularly left the home without permission. The staff responded quickly and did all that they could to find the child. The manager made certain the child was offered a warm welcome and a meeting when she returned. This helped the staff to understand why the child was leaving and to take appropriate action.

p.4

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

Children’s worries are taken seriously. When children have raised concerns about staff, these are acted on. The manager carries out detailed investigations. The manager meets with children to make certain that they feel safe. Children’s professionals are informed and updated. The manager ensures that lessons are identified to improve staff practice.

p.4

good

The manager left in May 2022 and since then the deputy manager has acted as manager. Although recruitment is ongoing, the post of manager has not been filled. This vacancy has limited the effectiveness of leadership and management.

p.4

good

Following physical interventions, the manager makes certain that children can talk about the incident. However, the manager does not talk to the staff involved. This means there are missed opportunities for staff to reflect and learn.

p.4

good

The independent person visits the home regularly, although does not always consult with children. In the last six months, the children have been spoken to on one occasion. This does not give children enough opportunities to raise concerns.

p.4

good

The deputy manager has provided interim management and stability to the staff team. Children benefit from the consistency of a long-standing staff team. Staff demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the children’s support needs. The staff value the input from the home’s therapist and positive behaviour support team. This collaborative approach results in strategies that help children manage their feelings and behaviours. Inspection report for children's home: 2613649 5 Staff receive good-quality reflective supervision. Staff discuss safeguarding concerns and reflect on their knowledge and skills. Managers encourage staff to discuss their well-being. Staff said that they feel supported by managers.

p.4

good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of providing staff with the skills and knowledge they need to provide consistency of care to children. Additional training is provided to ensure that children’s specific needs can be met.

p.5

good

The manager is aware of the strengths of the team and the areas for development. Regular meetings are held with the company’s quality assurance team to ensure the home is continually improving and developing. Inspection report for children's home: 2613649 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, provide feedback to children following meetings when children have made specific requests. 26 August 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 2 September 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

p.6

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records of physical interventions include staff debriefs within required timescales. 26 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2613649 7 This was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

p.6

Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

p.7

Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure children’s views are included in the report. 26 August 2022

p.7

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: 2613649 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathways Care Group

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Mandy Start, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2613649 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9