Children's Home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC051739 1 SC051739 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a large private provider. It provides care for up to three children who have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced manager who is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC051739 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/01/2020 Full Good 16/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC051739 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in this large and comfortable home, which has a family feel. Children’s views and ideas were sought about how they wanted to use the different rooms in the home. They were also consulted about the colours they wanted to decorate the bedrooms with. The result is a home that meets the needs of all the children and is personalised to their wishes, tastes and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff want the best for children. They have a child-centred approach in all that they do. Everything is tailored to the individual needs of the children. This allows each child to have the opportunity to be themselves and be supported to flourish in all areas of their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are in good health. Staff ensure that appointments are made, and children are encouraged to attend health appointments as required. When needed, staff support children at these appointments. The children eat a varied and balanced diet and choose what meals they want. Children help cook meals for everyone, and they enjoy doing this with the support of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education. Staff reinforce the value of achieving good outcomes at school. When there are issues in accessing education, staff work with education professionals to resolve these quickly. Staff encourage children to attend school and take them to school daily. They will assist children with homework. Staff want to support children and help them attain their best possible grades.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have worked hard to build trusted relationships with children. The children value the support they receive from staff and feel able to share their worries with them. When arriving home from education, the children are eager to tell staff how their day went. The staff provide children with praise and encouragement as any good parent would. The children respond well to this. Consequently, children feel cared about.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to participate in various activities. These are linked to their interests and hobbies. Children are regularly asked about what they want to do. Group holidays are a time for children to try new experiences with the support of trusted adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have many opportunities to make their wishes and feelings known. They feel that staff listen to them and respond to requests. If something cannot be done, staff are aware that the children appreciate being told the reasons why. Therefore, staff take the time to give explanations to children. Working this way shows children that staff have heard them and value them, as their comments are not dismissed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC051739 4

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

Staff know the children well. They have taken time to get to know all about each child. They do this through engaging the children in activities and having individual discussions on a regular basis. As a result, children feel cared about and know that staff are always there for them.

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

Children are supported to feel safe, and they are safe. They do not go missing from home or engage in any criminal behaviour. Incidents in the home have drastically reduced to the point where there have not been any in over three months. This is because children have learned ways to manage their emotions with the support and guidance of staff.

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

Children are safe online. Staff carry out regular checks on devices. They regularly discuss the dangers of using the internet and social media with the children. The trusting relationships that children have with staff mean that they openly share what they have been doing online. This means that children enjoy using the internet and social media in a positive and safe manner.

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

Risk assessments are thorough and detailed. They capture the needs of the children and how staff should support them. These assessments are reviewed on a regular basis by managers and shared with staff. Having up-to-date information allows staff to support children to the best of their abilities and de-escalate situations safely.

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

If staff find items of concern, they have a discussion with the relevant child. However, they have not undertaken room searches to determine if there are any further worrying items in the child’s room. Staff are not consistently working with children to undertake room searches, if they are required. The manager needs to ensure that staff know the room search process and the necessary documentation. This will provide a record of why and when the search was undertaken and will help to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads this home well. Staff feel that she is approachable and supportive. Staff turnover is low. The team is clearly committed to the children and manager. This means that children have consistent carers and the opportunity to form positive relationships over time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is keen to invest in her team. Staff receive good opportunities for training and development. Staff benefit from regular supervision and developmental appraisals in which they can reflect on every aspect of their role. They can also consider issues relating to personal or team development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A psychotherapist provides ongoing training and development to the team. This assists them in gaining more awareness regarding the children’s respective histories and trauma. Appreciating the child’s history helps staff coordinate appropriate care and support for each child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC051739 5 Feedback from external professionals is very positive. Working in partnership with external agencies is seen as a key strength of the staff. Professional feedback has also stated that the care provided by staff is ‘priceless’, and that staff are keeping children ‘as safe as possible’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At times, local authorities have not shared key documents with the leadership team. This then places staff at a disadvantage as they may be unaware of important information about a child. The manager has not been proactive in requesting documents or escalating this concern to the relevant local authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are moving from a paper-based system to a computerised one. They have small tablets on which they can update information about a child. The new system has review systems in place that will enable the manager to maintain oversight This will allow her to maintain oversight of key documents and ensure that all the information captured is current. Inspection report for children’s home: SC051739 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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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(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that escalations are made to a local authority if relevant documents are not received. 5 June 2023

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place. 5 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC051739 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s rooms are searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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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: SC051739 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL1 4AG

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC051739 9 inspects 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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