Children's home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 1 SC428700 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2018.

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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 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: 19 January 2022

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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: SC428700 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/01/2022 Full Good 23/07/2019 Full Good 10/07/2018 Full Good 27/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a happy place to live. Children are relaxed and at ease. One child said that the home is ‘peaceful and homely’. Children like the staff and value the support that they receive. One child said that the staff are ‘family’. The children are supported to develop positive relationships with each other. The supportive and nurturing environment helps children make progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children learn the importance of having trusting relationships. When a child moves in, staff take the time to get to know them. Moves are well planned. The other children are supported to manage the changes in the home dynamics. This helps the children to feel settled and well cared for. The children receive a copy of the children’s guide. However, this does not contain all of the information that they need to help them understand what living at the home is like.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged to share their views and they know that they will be listened to. Children’s individuality is accepted and promoted by staff. This helps them to be confident about their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported to access education. The manager and staff advocate on behalf of the children to ensure that they receive education which meets their individual needs. Achievements are celebrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children access a wide range of activities both in and outside of the home, including holidays and day trips. The children recently took part in a Scavenger Hunt which they all enjoyed. These positive experiences are captured in photos which are displayed throughout the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged to develop their independence skills. Children feel well supported by staff when they move out and the transition is managed at their own pace. Children who have moved on stay in touch with staff and the children that they lived with. These ongoing relationships enhance their support networks and their sense of belonging. One child is exploring options for his future, but there is no documented plan as to how he will be supported to take the next steps.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to maintain safe relationships with those who are important to them. Children are supported to express their views about who they want to see. Staff recognise that children need to have certainty about arrangements. Staff advocate on behalf of children to ensure that any obstacles to family time are resolved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to be healthy. If their health needs change, the manager ensures that staff know how to meet these. Adaptations are made to the environment which ensure children are comfortable when their physical mobility needs change. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 4 The home is spacious and comfortably furnished. Children personalise their bedrooms. There are areas of the home and garden which require attention to ensure that they are functioning and well presented. The staff do not always acknowledge that action is required, and this prevents repairs and maintenance from being completed in a timely fashion.

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

Staff understand, value and consistently apply the key principles of care. Children receive a high level of emotional support at times of crisis. Staff are responsive to what children need and prevent children from coming to harm. Incidents are rare and physical interventions do not occur.

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

Risks for children who self-harm reduce. Staff consult with children and the therapy team when creating children’s safety plans. The skilled and confident staff apply agreed support strategies as they have the correct training. As a result of this emotional support, children develop coping strategies without the need for more specialist help.

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

Children engage in age-appropriate activities as they learn how to use the internet safely. Staff use a 12-session programme to teach children about risks. Ongoing discussions between children and staff ensure that children’s knowledge remains current. Children progress to having their own mobile phones and enjoy playing online games.

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

Children have good routines, support and supervision and no longer go missing from care. They are not vulnerable to child sexual exploitation. Children become independent and spend increasing lengths of time within their local community.

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

Safeguarding training prepares staff who respond when children tell them about situations of risk and harm. Staff inform the correct professionals, including the local authority designated officer. Staff keep children up to date with how these concerns progress. Investigations are conducted with a level of independent scrutiny. This effectively safeguards children.

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

The manager has strengthened the approach to managing children’s medication. Medication is safely stored in a suitable medication cabinet and staff are accountable for checking this each day.

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

A range of recruitment checks are completed before staff start work at the home. Candidates answer relevant questions about the role as part of a formal interview. However, the interview panel does not evaluate or record interview outcomes fully. This limits the provider’s insight on the suitability of the applicants. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a thorough knowledge of children’s needs. She advocates strongly and successfully on children’s behalf. Her experience and child- focused approach is motivational for staff. Children also benefit from an enthusiastic and cohesive staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works in partnership with supporting professionals. She asserts challenge and works collaboratively to support the best interests of children. The whole staff team adopts this approach, which is positively recognised. One professional said, ‘The staff go above and beyond.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes a culture of learning and development. Staff and the manager benefit from regular reflective, practice-based supervision. They have training relevant to their role and the support children require. Succession plans help staff to explore more senior duties. Professional development and learning opportunities occur each month as staff research and present topics at team meetings. Staff feel supported and their careers progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A comprehensive induction programme is available to guide new staff. The manager does not track the progress they make. The induction document and supervision do not reflect new staff’s learning journey. The review of the progress new staff make is not clear.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s quality of care review shows how she monitors what is going on in the home. Service analysis extends to senior manager audits, quality assurance reviews and external monitoring from an independent person. In turn, the manager is aware of the strengths of the home and areas that need further development. The views of professionals or family members do not consistently feature in the independent person’s report. This limits the judgement the independent person can make on how well the home safeguards and promotes children’s well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 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, the 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 quality and purpose of care standard requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that routine repairs, redecoration and cleaning take place within an appropriate time frame. 24 October 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

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to all children having an up-to-date pathway and transition plan to support their move from the home. 24 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) 24 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 7 This specifically relates to keeping new staff induction records up to date and under regular review.

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that the children’s guide includes information about the in-house therapeutic support that is available to children. The guide should also set out in child-friendly language the home’s policy on physical intervention. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The registered person should ensure that, when recruiting new workers, interview panel members record a clear outcome of the interview and conclusion as to why a candidate has been successful. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that they help the independent person to interview families and professionals as part of the monthly monitoring review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: SC428700 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Acorn Norfolk Limited, Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Inspectors

Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Inspector Laura Grundy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 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 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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