Children's Home run by Pathways Care Group Limited in Southend on Sea

Inspection report for children’s home: 1256660 1 Registered provider: Pathways Care Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities and social and emotional needs. This is one of several children’s homes operated by this private provider.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 18 October 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1256660 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2022 Full Good 03/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/04/2021 Full Inadequate 27/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1256660 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been seven children at the home since the last inspection. Two children successfully moved on to adult services. One child had a planned move to a sister home. At the time of inspection, there were four children living at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a range of communication methods to meet children’s needs. One child has some communication difficulties. The staff support this child using a variety of resources. The child has made excellent progress. When he first came to the home, he could only manage a few minutes of tutoring, and this has progressed to three hours. The staff have identified a school place for September 2023, and to support this transition, the child is continuing to have tutoring over the summer.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are proactive in helping children to attend education, and they understand the importance of this for their futures. They have supported two children who have been out of school to return to school placements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home employs a psychologist who visits the home weekly. She sees all the children and creates plans to work with them at their own pace. She is also available to support the staff team and offers staff a space for reflective practice.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two of the children have needs relating to their culture and ethnicity. Both children have specific haircare needs. The staff are informed about these, have sought advice and have bought suitable products. Understanding and supporting children’s ethnic and cultural needs helps children to retain their identity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see their families when this is agreed. Family members can also visit the home. Supporting family relationships has been highlighted by a social worker as a positive aspect of children’s care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a good range of activities. They enjoy trampolining, visiting the cinema, crazy golf and a recent trip to the zoo. They also have a virtual reality headset that they enjoy. The younger children relish messy play with different textures. Creating opportunities for play helps children to experience joy.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children help to plan the meals each week. However, the options are not healthy or varied, and the snacks that children eat are not nutritious. It is important to provide children with a variety of nutritious foods.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house and the garden area need some maintenance and repair. Ensuring that this repair happens will enhance the homely environment that the staff are creating.

p.3

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

The children have experienced significant trauma and are supported by individual Inspection report for children’s home: 1256660 4 staff. This allows staff to provide a high level of care and support for each child, both at the home and in the community.

p.3

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

Each child was able to talk about their care in a way that felt safe for them. This is an indication that they feel secure and trust the staff.

p.4

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

The staff have assessed the risks of the internet, and the appropriate safeguards are in place. The children’s use of the internet and technology is always monitored by staff. The children understand these restrictions.

p.4

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

There are no recorded incidents of harm from bullying, self-harm or radicalisation for any of the children. There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. There are reward charts for each child to work towards weekly goals. These rewards are not monitored for their effectiveness, making it difficult to assess whether incentives are successful and motivate children.

p.4

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

There have been two incidents of children going missing from the home, and both of these were responded to in accordance with the home’s missing-from-care policy. The individual safety plans for these children have been updated appropriately.

p.4

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

The fire doors in the communal areas of the home do not meet requirements. This fails to ensure that the home has good fire protection measures. The staff provide fire evacuation practise with new children to ensure they know how to leave the home safely.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified manager.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the home. The scope and remit have changed over the last year. The manager clearly expressed his views on the children he felt they could help the most. Since then, he has carefully considered the children moving into the home and whether they could live together successfully.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s transitions into the home are considered and planned. The assessment process for the child who most recently moved in was thorough. The manager went to meet him and completed an assessment that considered the child’s needs and the staff’s skills. This careful planning offers children an opportunity to flourish.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager builds effective relationships with the wider team around each child. Professionals provided good feedback on how well the manager and staff communicate. Having a good chain of communication for each child helps with effective care planning.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high aspirations for the children, and these values are also held by the staff team. The staff team is strong and works well together. The manager uses regular team meetings to help the team develop consistent practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256660 5 There is a good training offer, and all mandatory training is up to date. The staff have taken part in more specialist and bespoke training, which helps them meet the specific needs of individual children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are offered regularly. They are child-centred and reflective in their approach. They also offer staff the opportunity to think about their development. However, the staff have not received any appraisals in the last year. This reduces opportunities to develop staff and help them to set targets.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has changed the remit and the age group of children it cares for. The statement of purpose has been updated but fails to reflect the changes. It is important that the statement of purpose is kept up to date and reviewed regularly. Inspection report for children’s home: 1256660 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that any requirements of that order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, all fire doors must meet the required standards. 1 September 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

p.6

Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

the measures of control and discipline which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that any consequences given to children, positive or negative, are reviewed to ensure these are appropriate and effective. 30 September 2023

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being. This includes key areas of health and well-being, such as, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of Inspection report for children’s home: 1256660 7 other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement.

p.6

Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review. The home’s statement of purpose should be child-focused, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the quality standards for the children in its care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. It should be a homely, domestic environment. In particular, they should make sure that all parts of the house and garden are maintained to an acceptable standard to enhance the homely feel throughout. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.7

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: 1256660 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathways Care Group

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1st Floor, Minton Place, Victoria Street, Windsor SL4 1EG

p.8

Inspectors

Mary Costello, Social Care Inspector Eileen Bultitude, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1256660 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.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9