Ignite Pathways LTD

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 1 Ignite Pathways LTD Registered provider: Ignite Pathways LTD

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

A private provider owns and operates this supported accommodation service. The service can accommodate up to 16 individuals in four shared or group living homes that are limited to accommodating looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of this inspection, the service provided support for eight children aged 16 to 17 years old.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted when the organisation was registered in September 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 12 May 2025 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 14 to 15 May 2025.

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Outcome

Inconsistent quality of service delivery adversely affects some children’s experiences, and this may limit their progress. Leaders and managers must make improvements.

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Summary of findings

Most children spoke positively about their experiences and progress. However, some children are not in education, training, or employment.

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Summary of findings

Some staff understand children’s needs well, but not all staff have the necessary skills and experience to support children.

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Summary of findings

Overall, children’s living environments are maintained to a good standard. Children speak positively about their accommodation. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children’s needs are not always carefully assessed at the point of referral. Although the registered service manager consults with placing authorities, children’s needs and risks are not consistently considered along with the needs of children already living in the accommodation. This does not provide a coordinated approach to support stable and effective placements for all children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Some children make progress due to the support that they receive from individual staff members. Most staff build positive relationships with children and understand their needs and vulnerabilities. This helps staff to recognise when children need more support. One child said, ‘If I have concerns, I can speak to staff about it, and they support me with my independence.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff practice does not always ensure that children’s records are up to date or that they capture children’s experiences and progress. Not all staff review children’s support or pathway plans to make sure that relevant information is included about children’s targets, goals, and objectives. This lack of oversight has the potential to hinder the sharing of information and misrepresent children’s progress towards independence .

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Overall, children benefit from living in a comfortable environment that is decorated to a good standard. However, staff practice does not always ensure that the environment is homely. For example, there is a blanket approach from staff to locking away knives and cleaning products. This is not proportionate to any potential or identified risks for children. In addition, one child’s bedroom was unhygienic, there was considerable damage to the walls, and drug paraphernalia was found. Children are not given a front door key to access their home. This does not create a nurturing and supportive environment to prepare children to live independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children’s progress in education, training or in their employment opportunities. Some children have made measurable and meaningful progress. However, for one child, staff do not always review their educational, training and employment progress with them to identify any potential barriers to their learning, and do not consistently help them to access employment or training opportunities. This is a missed opportunity to support the child’s development towards their future independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff work with children to ensure that their physical and mental health needs are met, and they support children to attend relevant health appointments. When children experience times of crisis, staff and managers are responsive. This leads to children experiencing better stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff work closely with other professionals and agencies to ensure that the support provided to children is coordinated. One child’s social worker said, ‘The placement offered my previous young person a safe, supportive environment. They were very committed to his well-being and success and showed great resilience as he was very Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 3 challenging at times.’ Another professional said, ‘The placement has undoubtedly had a positive impact upon [child’s name]. He has experienced a very settled period in his life when compared to how things were going for him previously.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff encourage and help children to maintain meaningful relationships with those who are important to them. They have a good understanding of how these relationships support children’s journey into adulthood and promote their emotional well-being.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children said that they feel safe, and that staff support them. Staff understand the importance of building trusting relationships with children so that if or when they have concerns about their safety, they are comfortable to speak to staff about these.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers ensure that staff complete specific training to help them to support children effectively and to improve their knowledge. However, not all of the core staff team are trained in the therapeutic approach of playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy, as advocated by the service to support children. This means that not all staff are equipped with the additional knowledge and skills that they need to consistently promote children’s safety.

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How well children are helped and protected

Overall, leaders and managers follow safer recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable and safe to work with children. However, on one occasion, managers failed to get a suitable reference for a member of staff.

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How well children are helped and protected

On one occasion, managers did not notify Ofsted of an incident they consider to be serious. This meant the regulator could not review if managers and staff had taken appropriate action to protect a child from harm or taken steps to manage and reduce risk.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children said that they understand their rights and know how to make a complaint. Managers ensure that any concerns are quickly investigated and addressed. This assures children that any issues they raise are taken seriously and timely action is taken.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s individual plans are reviewed and updated following any missing-from- home event. This means that documents contain the most up-to-date information for staff to use to inform their practice.

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How well children are helped and protected

Managers and staff take appropriate action and respond quickly to ensure the safety and welfare of children. For example, staff follow up issues relating to self-harming behaviour, ensuring that children receive timely health and medical care. This promotes children’s health, welfare, and safety. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager has yet to embed effective monitoring systems to sufficiently scrutinise the service and identify areas for development. Currently, these monitoring systems do not help leaders and managers to assess children’s experiences, or the quality of support, to ensure that this reflects the ethos of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff say that managers support them in their role. They benefit from regular reflective discussions and team meetings regarding children’s progress. However, managers do not always ensure that all staff receive regular formal supervision to discuss their practice or identify their learning needs. The ineffective monitoring systems mean that the registered service manager is not fully aware of all staff’s professional development or the additional skills they need to better support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager has carried out a review that focuses on the quality of support provided by the service. However, the review does not consider feedback or evidence from children, staff, and the relevant stakeholders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager is developing her understanding of what the service does well. As part of an improvement agenda, she also recognises the need to better quality assure staff practice, the quality of support and children’s experiences. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within 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 supported accommodation undertaking that puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.

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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 supported accommodation undertaking in a way that is consistent with the ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the undertaking’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work effectively as a team, where appropriate, to meet the needs of children;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills appropriate for the work that they are to perform;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation undertaking and admissions of children to premises used as supported accommodation, including, where relevant, emergency referrals and admissions;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that arrangements are in place for the supervision, training and development of staff. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g)) 27 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The accommodation standard is that children experience a comfortable and secure living environment.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 27 June 2025 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 6 are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child individually and all children collectively;

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Requirement Due date

are suitable for the purposes of supported accommodation and are accessible, safe, secure and well-maintained;

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Requirement Due date

offer a comfortable, positive and nurturing environment, while respecting children’s need for privacy;

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Requirement Due date

are adequately maintained so as to provide a welcoming and homely environment within both individual and shared living spaces;

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Requirement Due date

are designed, furnished and maintained to remove avoidable hazards which could pose a health and safety risk to children. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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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

keep the child’s support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe;

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Requirement Due date

a suitable representative to attend any meeting the accommodating authority may hold about the child;

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Requirement Due date

engage and work with the accommodating authority if the registered person has concerns or if the child’s support needs to be changed, including where that change may mean that the child requires more intensive support. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(c)(ii)(f)) 27 June 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all employment checks are completed prior to any member of staff starting work. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards,’ page 16)  The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 27(3)(a)-(e) occurs, or if Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 7 there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards,’ page 61)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of support provided by the service and the experiences of children living in each of the provider’s settings, looking at the impact the support is having on outcomes

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Recommendations

and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards,’ page 62)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Ignite Pathways Ltd

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Ignite Pathways, 91 Trench Road, Trench, Telford TF2 6PL

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Donna Makawa

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: donna@ignitepathways.co.uk

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Inspector

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Ignite Pathways LTD 9 regulates 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

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