Children's home run by Pathway Care Solutions Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482275 1 SC482275 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a large, 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

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Staff in the home are referred to as adults. This is reflected in the report.

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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: 10 September 2024

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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: SC482275 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2024 Full Good 09/01/2024 Full Good 23/08/2022 Full Good 29/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC482275 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children have lived at the home for a long time, which has given them a sense of permanence and stability. This is their home, which is reflected in the photos, toys and belongings that are on display. One child spoke proudly about their bedroom and often refers to the other children as their siblings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have close, trusted relationships with members of the team. There have been six changes to the adult team since the last inspection. This appears to have had minimal effect on the children. The children seek out members of the team to play or ‘game’ with. Caring interactions were observed between the adults and children. Written records also reflect the nurture shown to children. Adults regularly tell children that they are loved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has benefited from a recent refresh. New flooring, freshly painted walls and a new bathroom have made the home brighter and more inviting. The children’s bedrooms are highly personalised to each of them and are full of their toys, belongings and books.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some restrictions are in place to keep children safe, and these are regularly reviewed. Door alarms were used for a short period and removed again. The use of window restrictors is detailed in the children’s plans, with reviews scheduled. The home feels very much like a family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children attend school, and the adults have high aspirations for each of them. Two children attend the same school. Adults have supported them in moving to classes that better meet their needs and provide challenges for them. Close working relationships are in place for another child, who attends mainstream school. When this child was missing from the home, adults promptly liaised with school staff, and supportive measures were implemented. This has prevented the child from going missing from the home again. Adults have challenged other organisations to provide information, but they do not always have the most up-to-date documents for each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults engage in numerous conversations with children to provide them with support. Sexual health and puberty are openly discussed. Resources such as age-appropriate books are used to support these conversations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s days are busy and involve lots of fun. Even when children do not wish to do much, trips to the beach or woods for hot chocolate take place. The children have been to many local attractions and enjoyed holidays abroad and visiting large theme parks. These memories are captured in photo books, which are used by the children to reflect on their positive experiences.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482275 4 Adults know and understand the risks to children well. They know how to pre-empt situations and offer children distractions and alternatives. Risk assessments generally provide clear guidance to adults, and processes are followed. Since the last inspection, there have been few serious incidents. Overall, notifications have been related to minor injuries and incidents of children being missing from home for short periods, which, in most cases, is for less than one hour.

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

When children go missing from home, there is a clear and consistent response from the adults. Chronologies clearly outline the incidents at each stage and identify who has been informed. Adults search for children, often to their annoyance, and they return home quickly. Conversations take place with children to understand why they have left. Actions are taken to address the reasons. For example, one child was leaving the home because they were struggling with school. Adults worked closely with school staff to support the child in school. This stopped the child from going missing, and there have been no incidents for over five months. Return home interviews have not always taken place.

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

Clear boundaries are set, and children understand them. For two of the children, positive behaviour is rewarded using incentive charts. While their behaviour is rewarded, it is less clear to see when and how rewards are given. Children are helped to understand their feelings. Adults encourage children to name feelings. They show curiosity when children express different emotions.

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

Restraint has been used. Primarily, these interventions serve as guides to help move children away rather than restrictive holds. Records of restraint are generally detailed. Conversations take place with children about these, and actions are meaningful. For example, a social story was created for one child following a restraint to help them understand what had happened. Conversations with adults after restraints do not always take place in a timely way. On one occasion, there was a two-month delay before the adults were spoken with. This means that important learning from the incident could be lost. However, lessons learned from incidents are discussed during team meetings and supervision sessions.

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

Concerns raised about adults practice are taken seriously. Managers compiled concerns regarding a child's comments for a comprehensive review. They notified the social worker and the local authority designated officer about this. Steps were taken to ensure children’s safety and support adults moving forward. The advice from the in-house therapy team has also been used to guide the team in managing the matter in the future.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place to ensure that appropriate adults are appointed. Medication in the home is stored safely and recorded appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home is operated by a dedicated and nurturing manager who knows the children well. The children have experienced consistency despite several changes to the team. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482275 5 This is largely because of the stable management team. Managers have high ambitions for the children, and that culture is becoming embedded across the team. One professional expressed how wonderful it is to see the child they work with be ambitious for themselves. They also said that the adults embrace all the child’s interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are noticeable improvements in the monitoring of care in the home. Incidents of restraint are being considered as a whole, not just individually. Managers are noting the days and times of incidents and looking for patterns and trends. Management oversight is clearly recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s actual words are recorded in their plans, which shows they are asked about their lives. Children’s plans are generally informative and help adults understand how to respond. However, some information is missing or out of date. Documents are not always up to date. Some plans contain information that is no longer relevant.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In-house therapists support the team. Regular and quick access to therapists means that discussions can happen quickly. This helps adults to feel more confident with how to respond. It also ensures the team works collaboratively and considers the same approaches.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and reflective group sessions ensure that children’s needs are understood. Supervision takes place, but some adults have not received it as often as necessary. This includes newer members of the team who need regular oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and family members is largely positive. Parents expressed feeling included and reassured about the care their children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482275 6

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is 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. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)) 31 August 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should work in close partnership with other professionals who are involved with the child’s life. The registered person must evidence how they have challenged organisations when information has not been shared with them. The provider must ensure that they have the most up-to-date documents to inform the child’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3)  The registered person should ensure that return home interviews are provided by the responsible local authority when children have been missing from care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that they have the latest version of the child’s plan from the placing authority, as well as current copies of all the child’s key documentation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3)  The registered person should have systems in place to ensure that all adults receive supervision, especially new members of the team. If the manager is not directly managing adults, they should be aware of any gaps in supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children’s home: SC482275 7

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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: SC482275 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Group Limited

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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: SC482275 9 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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