Children's home run by Pathways Care Group Limited in Runnymede

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 1 SC417031 Pathways Care Group Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2010 and is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since 15 April 2024. The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the visit, one child was living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

An assurance inspection was carried out on 13 August 2024 due to an increase in safeguarding notifications and an anonymous complaint. Inspectors identified several regulatory breaches which were impacting on children’s safety and welfare.

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This monitoring visit

In response, Ofsted issued a notice to suspend the home’s registration. Therefore, children living at the home moved to new homes and no new children were permitted to move in. In addition, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out on 8 October 2024 to monitor the provider’s response to the suspension notice and to look at the action taken to meet the steps in the compliance notice. Inspectors identified that four of the five steps had been met. Therefore, one step around safer recruitment was restated.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to look at the action taken to meet the restated step in the compliance notice. The suspension lapsed on 5 November 2024 and one child has moved into the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 2 A case review was held on 29 November 24 where it was agreed the remaining step in the compliance notice had been met.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have reviewed safer recruitment procedures. This includes an updated policy and changes to how references are verified. The provider has planned to change the reference template to ensure that more information is obtained from previous employers. This helps to ensure that all relevant information relating to staff suitability has been obtained before staff work at the home.

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This monitoring visit

There is a core staff team, which has reduced the reliance on agency staff working at the home. This has helped to provide consistent care to the child. The provider is planning a recruitment drive to employ more staff.

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This monitoring visit

The provider ensures that a robust investigation takes place when there are concerns about staff conduct. The provider has liaised with safeguarding professionals and taken appropriate disciplinary action to ensure that staff working in the home are safe. This promotes children’s safety and welfare.

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This monitoring visit

One child has moved into the home. The child said that they like the home and enjoy activities with staff. A professional who knows the child well said the child has settled into the home and made some progress since they moved in.

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This monitoring visit

Since the child moved into the home, there has been one missing-from-home incident. Staff took appropriate action to find the child and communicated with relevant people in the child’s network. However, updated risk assessments do not include all relevant information about where the child was. This does not help staff to have the knowledge to act promptly or to prevent future incidents.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, the inspector identified further shortfalls around the accuracy of children’s records. The manager does not ensure that children’s records include all their statutory documents, such as their care and placement plans. This includes there being no delegated authority for the child, who requires daily medication. The manager and senior leaders have not escalated requests to the child’s placing authority. This means that the manager cannot be reassured that staff are following the children’s current care plans or have the authority to meet their needs.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements under Regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met), Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) and Regulation 36 (children’s case records) are restated. The other requirements and recommendations were not considered as part of this visit. Therefore, they have been restated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/07/2023 Full Good 21/06/2022 Full Good 10/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 December 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; 30 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 5 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

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

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; and

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 December 2024

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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 30 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 6 promotes their welfare.

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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; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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; 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)(b)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 7 The registered person must ensure that—

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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

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person 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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical 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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(i)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case Records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 8 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff play a role in supporting children to understand their own history and identity, for example through memory books, life-story work or other direct work. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.1)  The registered person should ensure that when a child is not attending their identified education provision, they are supported to regain their confidence in education and engage in suitable and structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: SC417031 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathways Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Minton Place, Victoria Street, Windsor SL4 1EG

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Inspector

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC417031 10 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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