Children's home run by Northern Community Pathways Children’s Residential Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2664326 1 Registered provider: Northern Community Pathways Children’s Residential Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation runs the home. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager overseeing the day-to-day running of the home who registered with Ofsted on 13 March 2023. Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: 12 October 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: 2664326 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12 October 2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2664326 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living in the home are making good progress because of the stable and trusting relationships they have with staff. There is evidence of change and improvement in the progress and experiences of the children living in the home. This is due to the quality of care that is provided to them by the registered manager and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships are strong, and children have forged good attachments with the registered manager and the staff team. Clear boundaries and routines, coupled with a consistent staff group, enable children to feel settled and gain ownership of their home. The children experience care that is sensitive to their needs, identity and family history. The staff support the children and offer care that assists them in developing attachments and resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that the children have access to a range of positive experiences, including activities and excursions. The photos on display in the home clearly show the children’s enjoyment of these activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children feel comfortable speaking to the staff if they have any worries, and the staff ensure that the children are aware of the complaints procedure. The children are aware that they can also talk to the independent visitor. One child said, ‘The home is really nice, and the staff are sound. I can talk to any of them about anything.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are new to the home are welcomed, and the registered manager plans to meet the children before their move to make the transition a positive experience. The staff work closely with the children and encourage them to be involved in the personalisation and decoration of their bedrooms. When children move on from the home in a planned way, this is managed sensitively and with care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff recognise the value of education and support the children in getting to school. The staff have directly challenged the local authority when a child was not in education, which resulted in a tailored timetable that meets the child’s needs. The registered manager and staff communicate regularly with the education providers and attend meetings to discuss the children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use weekly children’s meetings and individual discussions to seek children’s views on a range of subjects, including meal choices, home renovations and future activities. The key-work sessions with the children provide further opportunity to seek their views and identify individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage the children to develop their independence through discussions and involvement in the housekeeping, including laundry duties. One child has been involved in setting up a post-16 provision with the same provider. This has developed Inspection report for children’s home: 2664326 4 their independence through strengthening their understanding of their personal responsibilities, such as budgeting.

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

Effective safeguarding practice contributes to children’s strong sense of safety and well-being. Risk-management elements of care planning are carefully considered for each child. There is a clear identification of the risks, potential triggers for risk-taking behaviours and strategies to minimise or manage those risks.

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

Staff ensure that the children have ample opportunity to discuss issues that may worry them. Staff pre-empt situations that could cause a change in behaviour and develop plans with children to help manage these more effectively. As a result, the frequency and severity of challenging behaviour have significantly reduced. This further demonstrates that children are settled and happy living at the home.

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

While child exploitation is not a current area of concern at the home, there is a good working relationship with the specialist worker in the local authority who is available to offer advice and support to the staff. One professional said, ‘Staff at the home appear very skilled in looking after the children and go out of their way to ensure that they have the support they need.’

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

The communication between the staff at the home and the children’s social workers is good and very timely. One social worker said, ‘The staff have the child’s needs clearly at heart and will contact me if there is a need to advocate or challenge.’ The social worker concluded by saying that they would have no hesitation in placing another child in the home due to the care and support that children receive.

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

The staff at the home are proactive in chasing up health and social care appointments for the children. Children are registered with all essential health services. Staff talk openly with children about how to keep themselves safe. Examples of the topics discussed include the dangers of vaping, online safety and substance misuse. This helps children to better understand risk and develop a concept of situations that could make them unsafe.

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

The children’s files are well organised and clearly referenced. There is a timely chronology and supporting documentation that shows the pre-planning for children coming to the home and the communication with the placing local authority to exchange required information.

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

Children’s records are child-focused and written for the child. The manager clearly emphasises to staff that they should ensure that they use caring language when writing and talking about the children. The staff understand that children can access their records and are mindful of the information recorded.

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

Children’s risk assessments are of good quality. They identify the risks associated with each child’s behaviour and include strategies for staff to follow. The risk assessments Inspection report for children’s home: 2664326 5 are reviewed periodically and after a specific incident. This ensures that risks are well managed and there is a clear, up-to-date plan in place to reduce risks.

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow the missing-from-home procedures. Staff are proactive in looking for children when they are missing and welcome them back into the home when they return. Return home interviews are arranged with the local authority and are offered as soon as possible. If the child declines the return home interview, the staff are mindful to have a conversation with them during a key- work session. Every child at the home has a copy of the agreed protocol for actions to be taken when children are missing. This has been developed in colour and with children in mind.

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

There is a fire risk assessment in place for the home. However, training records show that not all staff have completed the fire awareness and prevention training. This is of concern due to a previous fire and an incident following the previous inspection where children were found with flammables in another child’s bedroom.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager have a thorough sense of what the home is doing well and where improvements are required. The needs of children are very clearly at the forefront of managers’ thinking. It is evident that the registered manager and the staff know the children well and that building and maintaining positive relationships are the very centre of their care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear vision of the improvements needed at the home. The staff are fully informed and involved in this vision, and they provide the manager with their views. The children benefit from a stable staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager ensure that all pre-employment checks are undertaken before a new member of staff joins the team. Checks are robust, and follow-up calls are made to referees. This helps to ensure that as much as possible is done to only employ safe and suitable people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular supervision of their practice. They are encouraged to reflect on their own skills and areas for development as well as children’s progress. Supervision sessions and team meetings include a check on staff members’ emotional well-being. This helps to ensure that staff feel valued by the seniors, supporting them to perform well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have access to a wide range of training that helps them in supporting the children in their care. When spoken to for feedback, the training partner advised that the registered manager is very quick to identify when there are staff training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is clear evidence of management oversight on the children’s records. Key-work sessions are checked by the deputy manager and seniors, and follow-up actions are recorded. Inspection report for children’s home: 2664326 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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must —

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention. (Regulation 25 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager and staff team must undertake fire safety awareness training. 31 October 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: 2664326 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northern Community Pathways Children’s Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 3, 321 Red Bank Road, Blackpool FY2 0HJ

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Inspector

Lisa Finch, Regulatory Inspector Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2664326 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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