Children's Home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd in Cornwall

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1277045 1 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a large, national organisation. It provides care for up to four children who may have learning difficulties and experience social or emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

During the assurance inspection on 10 July 2024, Ofsted identified serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of the children living in the home. As a result, a compliance notice was issued under regulation 13 and a decision was made to restrict admissions to the home. At a monitoring visit on 8 August 2024, the restriction to admissions was extended. Two of the requirements were met and three requirements were not met and were restated.

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This monitoring visit

The home does not have a registered manager. Although managers have been recruited to the home, they have not been registered with Ofsted. The current manager has applied to have dual registration for this home and another home within the company. Another manager has been recently recruited but is yet to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

A recruitment drive has meant that more permanent staff have started to work at the home and agency workers are not currently used. This provides the children with a more stable staff team. Rotas have been adapted so that more experienced staff work with newer staff to help them to understand the children’s needs more. Shift patterns have also been amended, meaning that children have less frequent changes of staff.

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This monitoring visit

One child has moved on from the home since the assurance inspection. This has meant fewer members of staff being in the home at any one time and the home is calmer. Incidents of children trying to harm each other have significantly reduced. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1277045 2 However, the two children living in the home generally have separate spaces and activities, except for mealtimes. This means they have less access to each other rather than staff developing skills of managing any conflict between them.

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This monitoring visit

Training and mentoring have been provided to enhance the skills of the staff. All of the staff are enrolled on an accredited course for working with people with learning difficulties. Staff work through this at their own pace and some staff have completed the training, others have not. Therefore, the impact of this training is not yet known. The home is currently being taken over by another provider, and they are waiting for clinical assessments of the children to take place to inform the gaps in knowledge and advise on training needs.

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This monitoring visit

Staff provide a consistent approach to one child’s personal care needs on a day-to- day basis. However, there are no systems in place to review this care to support the child to progress. Patterns and trends are not identified. However, if identified, these might help staff to understand the child’s needs more effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s records and plans provide some guidance to staff on how to meet each child’s needs. However, at times, these do not provide clarity on exactly what has happened for the child, or what is needed from staff to help them. For example, records identify that a child has needed a change of clothes, but do not specify whether this is needed due to a hygiene reason or whether they simply want to change their outfit.

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This monitoring visit

Incidents of restraint have significantly reduced, with guides being used appropriately to move children to safer spaces or separate them from each other. Conversations with children take place about these incidents. However, conversations with staff about these incidents are lacking, and this means that opportunities to learn alternative ways to manage these situations are lost. Again, there are no systems in place to monitor or review these incidents and see if there are any patterns or themes.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements made at the inspection in august have not been met and are restated. There continues to be concerns about management oversight. Practice across the staff team needs to ensure the children’s needs are met with consistent care. New staff have started to work at the home, but are not yet established in meeting the children’s needs. The notice to restrict admissions has been extended. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1277045 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/08/2023 Full Good 21/09/2022 Full Good 12/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1277045 4

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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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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 the 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

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)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that there are suitable systems in place to monitor and review care in the home, particularly incidents of restraint. The registered person should ensure that any learning identified is shared with the staff team and that any changes required in response are made in a timely way. In addition, they should ensure that a stable and skilled staff team provides 29 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1277045 5 consistent support to children to enable them to make progress in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

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

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have the skills and support to help children manage their relationships with each other positively, and that, where necessary, they can intervene to stop others being harmed. 29 September

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and 29 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1277045 6 children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are clear plans for one child’s support needs with toileting and that these are well understood by staff.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, there needs to be a clear plan for one child’s needs with toileting, which sets out the child’s needs and how they will be supported to progress. These plans need to inform staff practice and records need to specify what further support this child needs and what the next steps are. 1 November 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s plans clearly outline how to promote and support their communication, including tools or resources that are required. Those tools should be available around the home to support children to express themselves. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1277045 7  The registered person should ensure that conversations with children after incidents reflect on what has happened and are considered by the manager for the learning identified. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.6)  The registered person should ensure that they speak with staff after incidents of restraint in the home to reflect on practice and identify any training needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’,

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Recommendations

page 49, paragraph 9.56)  The registered person should ensure that children’s memory books are kept up to date to ensure the detail of events and outings is not lost. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 1277045 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

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Inspector:

Nickie Doney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1277045 9 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:

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

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