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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 1 Pathway Children’s Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to four children with learning disabilities. It is part of a private organisation that has other registered homes for children and adults. At the time of this visit, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to review the provider’s response to the compliance notice issued under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) following a full inspection on 29 May 2024. Managers and staff have received additional training to ensure that they understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff’s understanding of the training is suitably evaluated through supervision sessions, and additional guidance is provided if there are gaps in their knowledge.

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This monitoring visit

Additional layers of oversight are in place when incidents or safeguarding concerns arise. The managers, positive behaviour support practitioners, responsible individual and director of human resources review concerns to determine the best course of action and consider further training and development that may be required.

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This monitoring visit

Pre-placement and assessment documents have been revised to include further prompts to ensure that staff have the skills to meet children’s needs before they move into the home. Managers now identify if there are further areas to be explored regarding a child’s diagnosis or needs before agreeing for a child to move into the home. Children’s emotional well-being is now clearly evaluated alongside any physical health needs they may have. These are reviewed by the positive behaviour support team and responsible individual. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 2 The involvement of the positive behaviour support team will aid in identifying areas where staff require further training to meet children’s needs. The responsible individual commenting on the final decision will help with oversight of the plans and ensure that all leaders agree that the home is suitable and that staff have the skills

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This monitoring visit

to look after the child safely and effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The managers have devised a new checklist for staff working in the home when they come from the provider’s adult services. This ensures that they have seen the recruitment information for the staff who will be supporting the children. A new training schedule has been set up for those staff to ensure that they have appropriate skills and knowledge.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have benefited from a schedule of in-person and online training to ensure that they can meet the needs of the children living in the home. This has included children’s communication methods, trauma and positive behaviour support induction and/or refresher training.

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This monitoring visit

Managers feel that staff have taken the training on board and have been using the communication techniques effectively with children. Observations showed staff using children’s individual communication methods to help children communicate more effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The home currently has one vacancy for a senior member of staff, and the manager is actively recruiting to this role. The managers have identified a small pool of staff from the adult services staff team to support the home, ensuring they have suitable skills and training.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of these actions, the compliance notice is deemed to have been met, although the changes will need to be embedded and tested in practice to determine if they are effective.

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This monitoring visit

Work has been carried out to meet the other requirements set at the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The statement of purpose has been reviewed and amended to be more reflective of the service provided. All staff have been advised of the changes. Staff are supported to work consistently through regular team meetings, where staff must sign to say they have read and understood the minutes and agreements included. Additionally, staff have made good use of a debrief following the concerns highlighted at the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Staff who had previously not been enrolled on their level 3 qualification have now started this. In addition, they receive a range of other training on topics such as the key-worker role and communication tools. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 3 Children’s views are being captured and responded to during house meetings and individual sessions. Children have had advocates allocated by their placing authorities.

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This monitoring visit

Children who are out of education have clear plans for the day and have a range of opportunities to engage in activities in the home and the community. A range of resources have been sourced to provide games-based learning for children. The managers continue to challenge the lack of an education placement for one child, including escalating their concerns with the local authority.

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This monitoring visit

Incident reports have been changed to incorporate the debriefs of children and staff. This allows for ease of monitoring and evaluation. Children have individual sessions as required after incidents to support with their learning about what is appropriate in different environments. The children living in the home have a positive living relationship, and bullying is no longer an issue.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders in the organisation have recognised the need for a responsible individual with specific skills and knowledge in children’s services. They have recently appointed someone and will be seeking the support of a responsible individual consultancy in the interim period.

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This monitoring visit

The changes made to meet the steps outlined in the compliance notice will need to be embedded into practice to show their effectiveness. The requirements will be reviewed at full at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/05/2024 Full Inadequate 30/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 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 with 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on to progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and 23 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 6 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s days are planned to meet their educational needs. 23 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; 23 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 7 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b)) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 8 In particular, ensure that: staff understand children’s communication needs; there are positive relationships between the children; and children understand healthy relationships online and in person.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk is understood in regard to online concerns and exploitation, instructions from partner agencies are followed, and children feel safe with the children who live in their home. 23 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive well- planned care from the home and have a positive experience of admission and transition processes.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1) (2)(a)) 23 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 9 In particular, ensure that moves are well planned, and the management team agrees that the home can meet the child’s needs. Additionally, ensure that staff have the skills and training to meet the needs of the child before they move into the home.

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b)) 23 August 2024

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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, ensure that staff have the training required to meet children’s needs, including communication and behaviour support. 23 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”);

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and 23 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 10 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children and staff have time to reflect on incidents and that records are clear on the holds that are used.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all relevant checks are carried out before staff work in the home; this also includes those who come to work from other homes in the organisation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Children’s Services Limited

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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: Tendai Funganjera

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2687885 12 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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