Children's home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC374405 1 SC374405 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. There were three children living at the home at the point of inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a new manager who registered with Ofsted in October 2024.

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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: 19 September 2023

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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: SC374405 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2023 Full Good 15/11/2022 Full Outstanding 13/07/2021 Full Outstanding 17/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC374405 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Following the previous inspection, the previous manager was absent from the home. This affected the stability of the staff team and consistency of care for children. The new registered manager is developing the service and improving the quality of care children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children with complex needs receive bespoke and personalised care, helping them to make good progress and live fulfilling lives. For example, one child who has a registered disability loves to go trampolining and is supported to do their own food shopping and cooking. Another child is starting to use words to communicate and is accessing the community for the first time. One parent said their child ‘is coming on leaps and bounds’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health despite complex diagnoses. Staff receive specialist training in relation to children’s health needs, such as epilepsy, pica and dysphagia. Therefore, staff are confident and competent in caring for children. When children are admitted to hospital, staff stay with them, helping children to feel safe and providing consistency of care. As a result, children’s overall health and well-being improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to do well in education. For example, one child is excelling in college considering their starting points. The manager and staff have good relationships with teachers and advocate well for children. When children are unsettled at school, staff liaise with and support teachers, ensuring that children’s needs are understood and met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are effective in gaining children’s wishes and feelings. Communication methods are unique to each child. For example, one child benefits from social stories and another child needs lots of verbal repetition. Children know how to make a complaint and are supported to voice their concerns. Children’s concerns are taken seriously and are appropriately reported and investigated by the manager. As a result, children feel safe, heard and valued.

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

Staff understand the risks that children can be exposed to. Safety plans are comprehensive and tell staff how to respond. Risks are regularly assessed and reviewed in collaboration with other professionals, such as social workers and the epilepsy nurse. This is an effective approach to safeguarding.

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

Staff respond well to behaviours that are difficult to manage, such as physical aggression. They understand that children’s behaviour is a form of communication and work as a team to implement effective strategies. This helps staff to identify and meet children’s developing needs and wants. As a result, children are settled and incidents occur less often. Inspection report for children’s home: SC374405 4 Physically holding children is used as a last resort to keep children and others safe. The least restrictive measures and force are used. There is good management oversight, and learning is used to improve practice. Children and staff are supported after each incident. A stable and upskilled staff team is helping children to feel safe, therefore reducing the number of times restraint is used.

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

Children are helped to keep themselves and others safe. Staff have regular and meaningful one-to-one discussions with children. Children are helped to understand the risks they are exposed to and are encouraged to make safer choices. For example, children are learning to use safe touch and engage in sensitive discussions around sexual health.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child-focused and sets high expectations for staff. She leads by example and supports staff to improve and develop their practice. There is a stable staff team that enjoys working at the home. Staff morale is good, and staff have positive relationships with each other. This provides a harmonious environment for children and consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training in relation to children’s specific needs, such as autism and specialist training from the Royal National Institute of Blind People. This gives staff a deep understanding of children’s needs and guides them in how best to respond. As a result, children feel understood and enjoy close and trusting relationships with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective oversight and quality assurance systems in place. She knows what is happening in the home daily. The manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the service and successfully drives up standards of care. Robust internal and external audits are undertaken, and any shortfalls are quickly identified and appropriately addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes reflective practice discussions in team meetings and supervisions. Learning from incidents and audits is shared with staff and used to inform and improve practice. This creates a continuous learning environment where staff develop professionally, promoting good standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have good relationships with parents and professionals, such as social workers, teachers and health professionals. The manager seeks regular feedback and uses this to monitor and improve the service. Feedback from external stakeholders is unanimously positive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC374405 5

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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: SC374405 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Becky Thompson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC374405 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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