Children's Home run by Positive Pathways Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 1 SC410539 Registered provider: Positive Pathways Limited

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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 registered with Ofsted in November 2018.

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This monitoring visit

On 6 July 2022, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation at this home. This is because external agencies were investigating two significant child protection concerns.

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This monitoring visit

This home had a full inspection on 12 and 13 July 2022. The judgement was inadequate. Due to the significant shortfalls identified in safeguarding practices and the leadership and management of the home, compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

During the full inspection, inspectors identified serious and widespread shortfalls in relation the registered manager’s capability and responsibility regarding the safeguarding arrangements for the children. The registered manager failed to respond to safeguarding concerns when they were reported to him by his staff and did not take action to protect the children from harm. As a result, Ofsted issued a notice suspending the registered manager’s registration and issued a compliance notice in relation to regulation 28, fitness of manager.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the action taken by the provider and the manager to meet the compliance notices, and to ensure that they were Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 2 adhering to the restriction notice and the notice suspending the manager’s registration.

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This monitoring visit

Children living in the home at the time of the full inspection have moved out. This means that there are currently no children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind. The providers are working with relevant professionals to support ongoing investigations.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the failings in the registered manager’s response to serious safeguarding concerns, he is currently not working in the home. There continues to be concerns regarding the registered manager. Ofsted are of the view that the steps under the compliance notice issued in relation to regulation 28 are not met. The registered manager has failed to complete essential training following serious concerns about their ability to respond to safeguarding concerns at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have not taken action to meet the compliance notices raised. They acknowledge the need to do this and are working towards doing so. Some steps have been taken, such as supporting staff to understand and use professional curiosity. However, this is in its infancy and is not embedded in practice. The responsible individual is in the process of completing a review of the quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

The home is undergoing a turbulent time, and staff have either left the home or have been redeployed. As a result, there is a very small staff team, and recruitment of staff remains ongoing.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders recognise that ongoing work is needed to ensure that staff are suitably trained. This includes providing training to staff so that they have robust safeguarding knowledge, appropriate responses to concerns and to ensure that their learning is embedded into their practice. Leaders accept that there is work required to meet the steps within the compliance notices. This includes a full review of the quality of care that children receive, an action plan, a review of all staff competencies, including leaders and managers, and ensuring that there are effective auditing and monitoring systems in place.

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This monitoring visit

The home is undergoing renovation and is currently not fit for children to live in. A restriction notice preventing children moving into the home remains in place. This notice will be reviewed by Ofsted in addition to the restated compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements raised at the full inspection have not been reviewed and remain in place. This also applies to one recommendation. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2022 Full Inadequate 22/02/2022 Full Good 28/11/2019 Full Good 16/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 4

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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, the registered persons should ensure 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. 25 September

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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; 25 September Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 5 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 – monitoring visit: SC410539 6 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, the registered persons should ensure that staff have the skills and abilities to meet children’s needs. 25 September Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 7 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. 25 September

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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. 25 September Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 8 A responsible individual must—

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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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider should ensure that the responsible individual has the skills to oversee and supervise the management and operation of the home in an effective manner. 25 September

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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 that they undertake training to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe. In addition, the registered manager should undertake 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. 25 September

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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. 25 September Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 9 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

This specifically relates to the capability of the independent visitor, particularly their ability to identify the shortfalls in the care that children receive and to make recommendations for improvement. 25 September

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 10

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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 damaged furniture in children’s bedrooms is removed and replaced. The registered person should also ensure 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)

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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: SC410539 11

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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

Jodie Lewis, Social Care Inspector Melanie Griffin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC410539 12 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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