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

Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 1 Registered provider: Pathways Care Group 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 five children aged between 8 and 17. The children have previously experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable. This is one of several children’s homes operated by this private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since June 2022.

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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

Date of last inspection: 8 September 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/09/2021 Full Good 10/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/08/2019 Full Good 26/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are two children living at the home. Since the last inspection two children have moved out and one child has moved in. Children who have previously experienced multiple moves experience stability. One child has lived at this home for over a year. When children move on they stay in touch with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn about budgeting and build savings. This helps to ensure they have additional financial help. The children learn to cook with the staff. They are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and choose the interior decoration. En- suite bedrooms and a games room provide ample space for the children to relax.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress in education. Children who have previously been unable to engage meaningfully with education attend school. Staff develop good relationships with children’s class teachers. They take children to school, attend meetings, help with schoolwork and encourage home study. Children’s attendance improves and some go on to sit GCSEs. Children’s achievements and successes in education are celebrated and rewarded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the children smoke. The staff discuss the health effects of smoking with children. However, support to encourage children to reduce smoking is inconsistent and does not go far enough to help children to stop.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff advocate for the children and seek their views. This ensures complaints and concerns from the children are aired and addressed. Strong professional relationships with visiting agencies give children the opportunity to have their say and find new ways to resolve conflict.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend necessary appointments with doctors, dentists and opticians. Staff communicate well with the children’s social workers. Children have time with their families and get the help that they need from a core team of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in some activities in the local community, such as football, swimming and boxing. However, recently children’s involvement in activities has reduced. This does not ensure that every child benefits from a broad range of experiences.

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

Children said that they feel safe. The staff sit with children individually to listen to their worries. This helps children to share how they are feeling and enables staff to identify what works to reduce significant risk. Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 4 The staff and managers work effectively with other agencies. External professionals commend the actions from staff to keep children safe from exploitation. Staff respond appropriately when children leave the home without permission. They consistently ensure that agencies are informed. Incidents of children going missing from the home increased for a short period and have recently reduced.

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

Children recognise the staff’s perseverance in helping them manage extreme behavioural responses. The staff help the children to learn to take responsibility for their behaviour and safety.

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

Children’s individualised risk assessments are lengthy and do not give staff enough direction. On at least one occasion the staff did not physically intervene to prevent children from potential harm. This does not demonstrate that every member of staff understands their responsibility about when to intervene to keep the children safe.

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

Staff know how to raise a concern. Allegations about staff conduct are shared transparently with the relevant agencies. Investigations and feedback from external managers help to identify areas to improve practice.

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good

The registered manager left in June 2022. The established, child-centred deputy manager is providing interim management cover. She has good relationships with the staff and knows the children well. The responsible individual has appointed a new manager.

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good

Staff are tired. Challenges in staff recruitment and retention have resulted in local permanent staff working additional hours and coming in on days off to support colleagues. Recently the responsible individual has also worked shifts.

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good

Staff supervision sessions and appraisals are not up to date. Staff induction is not sufficiently focused. Most training is online. Although staff complete mandatory training, not all staff have received training or professional development that reflects the needs of the children they care for. This does not ensure that every member of staff is equipped to carry out their role, and it does not accurately reflect the statement of purpose.

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good

The external report from the independent person makes meaningful recommendations to safeguard children and staff. Complaints from neighbours are addressed and investigated by the responsible individual. However, the actions to improve community relationships have not been addressed in a timely way by senior leaders.

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good

Audits ensure that senior staff identify the shortfalls in practice. However, written records, such as the children’s support plans, are significantly out of date. Some actions identified from audits are not followed through within the identified Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 5 timescales. Therefore, the actions to drive improvement do not result in timely change. Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 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 enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)) 30 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that individual risk assessments are recorded clearly and that staff consistently follow this written guidance. 28 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 7 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) 4(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff access meaningful training that reflects the needs of the children in their care. 28 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

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, implement actions identified from audits, ensure written plans are up to date and ensure a proactive response to complaints from neighbours. 28 October 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

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 28 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that children’s homes staff encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. In particular, support children to stop smoking. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)

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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 children’s home: 1230725 9

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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

Rosie Davie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1230725 10 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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