Children's Home run by New Path Residential Limited in Southend on Sea

Inspection report for children’s home: 2680559 1 Registered provider: New Path Residential Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home offers care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2680559 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2023 Full Good 12/10/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2680559 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are not provided with a safe, nurturing living environment. One child has had broken and boarded-up windows in their room for several weeks. Staff have failed to remove offensive graffiti from a child’s bedroom walls. The child’s bedroom is therefore not a space in which they can relax and feel safe.

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improvement to be good

There is evidence of smoking in the garden. Cigarette butts were not cleaned up until they were pointed out by the inspector. This provides children with negative messages about health and respecting their living environment and that of others.

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improvement to be good

Children form trusting relationships with staff. Children and staff enjoy their time together. During the inspection, they were observed laughing and sharing jokes. Children approach staff for help and support when needed, and staff respond sensitively to their needs. One child said that they feel safe and like living at the home. The child said that staff provide good support.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to take part in activities they find meaningful and rewarding. This includes art projects and health and beauty activities. One child has painted a mural on the wall in the lounge. Children and staff also enjoy ‘pamper nights’ together.

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improvement to be good

Children make progress in education from their starting points when they move to the home. Staff supported one child with a carefully planned move to a new specialist education provision. The child is now attending school more regularly than they had been previously.

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improvement to be good

Children receive good healthcare. Concerns are addressed swiftly, and there is a good working relationship between the staff and the local GP surgery. Children can attend drop-in sessions without needing to make an appointment with the GP. Children’s mental health and emotional well-being are monitored by staff, who support children to complete well-being questionnaires. These are reviewed in regular planning meetings to consider children’s support needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently protect children from harm. Staff failed to follow a child’s safety plan and risk assessments when the child was under the influence of a substance. Consequently, the staff could not be assured that the child was not in possession of substances. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680559 4 Staff do not always recognise when a child is at risk or take appropriate action in response to incidents. One child was able to gain entry to an unoccupied bedroom and remove a tin of paint, which they took into the garden and emptied the contents. This incident was not recorded or reported by staff, and the manager was not aware of the incident until the inspector discussed it with her during the inspection. Therefore, the incident and how it occurred have not been investigated, and there is no learning from the incident.

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improvement to be good

Staff protect children from the risks of going missing from care and child exploitation. There is good multi-agency working between staff and other professionals to protect a child who is vulnerable. The child’s plans clearly indicate the steps that staff need to take to keep the child safe. There is regular communication between the staff and the specialist team that works with the child.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to manage self-harm. They receive physical and mental health support when needed. One child has experienced a reduction in self-harming and has had no incidents for a significant period of time. This indicates that the child feels safe and that the strategies used by staff have been successful.

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improvement to be good

Social workers say that children make progress while living at the home. They say that staff understand children’s needs and provide good support. Social workers confirmed that there have been reductions in children being missing from care and self-harming.

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good

Serious incidents involving children are not always notified to Ofsted as required. An incident that required the intervention of the police and paramedics was not notified to Ofsted. This prevented Ofsted’s oversight of how the incident was managed and how the child’s welfare and safety were assured.

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good

There is a lack of independent oversight of the home and how children are being protected and cared for. External monitoring reports were not sent to Ofsted for the months of December 2022 and January 2023. This considerable period included the significant event of a new child being introduced into the home.

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good

Two responsible individuals have left in quick succession. Consequently, there has been inconsistent support for the registered manager. Formal supervision sessions recorded by the previous responsible individual are not in line with the home’s own policy regarding supervision frequency and quality. The registered manager has not been sufficiently supported in managing the home or in her own professional development.

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good

The registered manager and the deputy manager have a good working relationship. They know the children well and the risks that children face. The managers have ambition for children to reach their full potential and know the support children need to achieve this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680559 5 Staff feel supported by the registered manager and deputy manager. They say that both managers are approachable and offer support and advice when needed. Staff say that they feel listened to and valued. Staff receive monthly supervision, either as individuals or as a group. They receive a wide range of training that is relevant to children’s risks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680559 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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. (Regulation 44 (1)) 4 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider is an organisation, the organisation must ensure that the responsible individual undertakes such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the responsible individual has the skills needed for supervising the management of the home. (Regulation 29 (2)) 31 May 2023

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, recognise, report and record incidents involving children’s behaviour that could lead to them being harmed and follow actions in children’s risk assessments to ensure they are not placed at risk of harm. 5 April 2023

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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. 28 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2680559 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, repair all damage promptly.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)) 5 April 2023

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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: 2680559 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Path Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cumberland House, 24-28 Baxter Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6HZ

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Inspector

Tom McGhee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2680559 9 regulates and 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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