Children's home run by Pathway Children’s Services Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2687885 1 Registered provider: Pathway Children’s Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered for up to four children with learning disabilities. It is part of a private organisation that has other registered homes for both children and adults. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022, when the home was also registered. The registered manager is currently away from the home and is due to return in October 2023. This is the first inspection of the home.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2687885 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home was registered, two children have moved in, and one currently remains in the home. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home with another due to move in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress through their positive relationships with staff. A child said that they really like the home and that it was ‘much better’ than where they lived before. Observations showed that staff care about the child and support them to do the best they can.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are central to how the home is run. When new children move into the home, this is explained to those already living in the home in a sensitive way, making sure they understand how the new child may communicate with them and how they can live together as a group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are captured through one-to-one sessions, house meetings and ad- hoc conversations. ‘I’ve been thinking about….’ forms help one child to process what they are worried about and share their feelings with staff. The responses are clear and are communicated in a manner that is understood by the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been significant delays in securing an education placement for the child living in the home. Joint working with the virtual school has secured an education placement for the new school year. Staff have supported the child with education and activities in the interim period, with a daily programme of lessons with a tutor and the staff. Children are encouraged to explore activities they may like and follow the pastimes they already enjoy. Staff bring their dogs into the home, and children enjoy spending time with them and walking them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to understand healthy lifestyles and what this means for them. They learn to cook varied and balanced meals in line with their faith, as well as learning how to look after their physical and emotional health. Joint working with medical professionals and child and adolescent mental health services means children have the medical support they need.

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

Children feel safe living in the home. Staff support the children with any worries or concerns they have and help them to understand their feelings in a way that is easy for them to process and understand. Staff know the children well and recognise if they are becoming anxious or upset and calmly work with them to understand what is concerning them.

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

Staff know the children’s risks and vulnerabilities and work cohesively to support children and reduce the risks of them being harmed. Responses to safeguarding Inspection report for children's home: 2687885 3 concerns and disclosures are swift and thorough, ensuring that children are protected from further harm. A family member praised the staff for handling a disclosure ‘sensitively’ and providing good support to the child afterwards.

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

Joint working with the safeguarding team in the local authority means there is external oversight of concerns, and practice is improved or adapted when necessary. One concern, however, was not reported to Ofsted. This did not have a negative impact on the outcomes for the child.

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

Staff understand the children’s behaviour and communication needs. They seek to understand what the children need and why they respond in certain ways. There has been some mixed understanding of the processes to follow should a child hurt staff, but the expectations are now much more child-focused and understood by the current staff team.

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

Plans and risk assessments are clear about children’s needs and support staff to promote opportunities for them in line with their age and understanding.

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

Physical interventions are used only when necessary and records are clear on the support for both the children and staff after an incident. One-to-one sessions focus on helping children to understand safety and their feelings when they are becoming angry or frustrated. The behaviour support practitioners in the organisation help to review incidents and determine any new plans or approaches.

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

The home and environment are well maintained and monitored, meaning that children are protected from avoidable risks.

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good

The registered manager has been away from the home since March 2023 and is due to return to the home in October 2023. The home is currently being run by an experienced manager from within the organisation. No application has been submitted for them to register with Ofsted in the interim period.

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good

The majority of staff have not had training in the home’s ethos and approach as described in the statement of purpose. While staff are aware of the approach and have engaged in sessions with the organisation’s lead practitioners, they have not had the necessary training to understand the basis of the plans for children living in the home. This has led to some staff believing a more punitive approach should be adopted when the children have behaved in an unacceptable manner.

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good

Some records in the home are not clear or easy to follow. Regular fire safety checks have been carried out, however, these are recorded on two different systems, making it difficult to monitor what checks have been completed and when. Similarly, safer recruitment practices are followed, however, the recording system made it difficult for the responsible individual to demonstrate that the required checks had been carried out. Inspection report for children's home: 2687885 4 The home is being well managed by the acting manager and deputy managers, with oversight from the responsible individual. The staff are well supported and have access to managers when needed. The staff benefit from regular supervision and training to meet the children’s needs. New staff are made to feel welcome by the team. There have been some changes in staffing which have led to the use of agency staff and bank staff from within the organisation. This has had little impact

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good

on children as the additional staff have been regular and consistent.

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good

Plans for children are regularly reviewed and updated, meaning the most up-to-date information is available to staff, to ensure that there is a consistent approach to the children’s care.

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good

Children who are moving into the home have clear transition plans and the strong joint working with partner agencies, parents and children’s current placements means they have bespoke packages when moving into the home. If information is missing, the acting manager follows this up with relevant professionals to ensure that all key details are available before a child moves in. Reflection on why one child’s placement was unsuccessful has led to several changes when considering which children move into the home, demonstrating a desire to not repeat mistakes and to improve outcomes for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2687885 5

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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 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

The registered person must ensure that records are clear, organised and in a format that is easy to review and understand. This includes records of health and safety checks and pre-employment checks. 13 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees —

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the necessary training required to work safely and effectively in the home, in line with the ethos described in the home’s statement of purpose. 13 October 2023

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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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 13 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2687885 6

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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: 2687885 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Afon House, Worthing Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1TL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Lingham

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2687885 8 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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