Children's Home run by Bright Path care limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children's home: 2806691 1 Registered provider: Bright Path care 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider and manager registered with Ofsted in December 2024. This is the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in 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 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2806691 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by a nurturing staff team. Staff take the time to understand their individual interests and what is important to them. As a result, children develop trusting relationships with staff and view them as reliable adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual needs are met effectively on a day-to-day basis. They are provided with meals that reflect their preferences and are supported to participate in activities that interest them. This supports their well-being and sense of autonomy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s educational progress and achievements are prioritised. Staff have high aspirations for children and encourage them to engage in learning. They provide tailored support to help children succeed academically. For example, staff have worked with one child to establish routine and structure in preparation for their GCSE examinations, which the child has completed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to express their views about the home and contribute to decision-making. Staff listen to children’s opinions and take appropriate action, ensuring that their feedback leads to meaningful changes where possible. This promotes a sense of belonging and empowers children to feel heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning arrangements for one child leaving the home were not child focused. Leaders and managers did not take all steps to ensure that the child experienced a positive and well-supported ending. As a result of this, the child did not receive the emotional preparation and reassurance needed during this important transition.

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

Staff use direct-work sessions to help children explore how to keep themselves safe. Where appropriate, specialist services are accessed to provide targeted support around risk-taking behaviours. This multi-agency approach helps children to manage their behaviour safely.

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

Staff have access to well-documented safety plans that include children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Records demonstrate that these plans are used effectively by staff to safeguard children. As a result of this, children are kept safe and their welfare promoted.

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

Thorough safer recruitment processes ensure that only suitable adults work in the home. Detailed background checks and vetting procedures are in place to prevent children from being cared for by individuals who may pose a risk to their safety and well-being.

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

Missing-from-home incidents are well managed by staff. Staff demonstrate that they have a good understanding of the reasons why children go missing from home and implement proactive, individualised strategies to reduce these incidents. Consequently, Inspection report for children's home: 2806691 3 the frequency of one child going missing from home has decreased. The child’s social worker praised the staff team for its commitment to keeping the child safe and acknowledged the success of its efforts.

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

The registered manager and her staff did not consider all safeguarding strategies available to them when responding to a significant incident. Because of this, the child accessed and took an overdose of medication. The responsible individual responded quickly by conducting a thorough review of the incident. Further training needs for the staff were addressed, and reflective discussions took place with the staff team members to help them understand what went wrong and strengthen safeguarding practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified. She knows the children living in the home well and advocates effectively on their behalf to ensure that their needs are met. Staff feel supported by the registered manager and feel she is someone who is committed to their well-being, which contributes to a positive team environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Support systems for staff are effective. Staff receive regular practice-focused supervision that helps them reflect on and improve their work with children. In addition, team meetings are used well to promote collective learning, ensuring that staff have a shared understanding of their roles, the needs of the children and the most effective ways to support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of care provided to children is routinely reviewed by leaders and managers. There are systems in place to review staff performance and to ensure that children’s care plans are being met. Leaders and managers carry out thorough reviews of incidents to inform practice and improve outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work effectively with external professionals to promote children’s safety and well-being. They share relevant information with partners such as social workers, the police and health professionals to ensure that children’s needs are understood. This joint approach results in well-informed, coordinated care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that children’s statutory documentation is complete, up to date and readily available on file. When there are delays in receiving essential information from placing authorities, this is appropriately challenged to prevent disruption to care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home’s workforce development plan includes an up-to-date record of training completed by staff, in accordance with statutory guidance. Inspection report for children's home: 2806691 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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; and

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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)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders, managers, and staff must ensure that when children are acting in a manner that compromises their safety and well-being, they use risk-assessed safeguarding strategies, including physical interventions, to protect them from harm. 10 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 10 July 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan is updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children's home: 2806691 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: 2806691 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Path care limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17 Victoria Road East, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 5HT

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2806691 7 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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