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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2710542 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 organisation. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home and was spoken to.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2710542 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2024 Full Good 16/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2710542 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is tastefully decorated. Furniture is well maintained, which contributes to a homely and nurturing atmosphere. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms in a way that reflects their interests. The registered manager and staff have been proactive in ensuring that the environment continually develops. The rear garden has been remodelled to a good standard, offering areas for social interaction and activities, such as growing vegetables and herbs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain positive relationships with their families. Staff understand the significance of these connections and take children considerable distances so that they can spend time with their family. Children’s family and friends are also welcomed into the home. This transparent care reduces the risk of close cultures developing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. The social worker for one child praised the efforts of the staff team for teaching the child how to use public transport safely. As a result of this, the child can now travel on the train alone.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are regularly consulted about their care and there is evidence that staff listen and act on their requests. For example, one child wanted their friend to sleep over and the staff team arranged for this to happen. This reinforces to children that what matters to them is important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not always receive child-focused care. On one occasion, ineffective care planning has resulted in a child leaving the home prematurely. The registered manager’s decision to serve immediate notice did not consider the effect that moving from the home in an unplanned way would have on the child’s emotional stability and sense of security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to attend school. The social worker for one child said the child’s attendance has improved since moving to the home. For children with inconsistent attendance, personalised education plans are in place. These plans also guide staff on how to support children with their learning. However, staff do not consistently implement these plans, which limits children’s opportunities to engage fully in education.

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

Risk assessments are comprehensive. They are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that staff understand children’s current risk. Strategies provide staff with measures they should take to minimise risks. All staff have received safeguarding training to ensure that there is an effective response to safeguarding incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2710542 4 Staff support children to take risks based on their age and level of understanding. They are encouraged to learn about safety in the community so that they can make informed decisions about their own well-being.

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

Leaders and managers follow safer recruitment practices to ensure that only individuals who are known to be safe and suitable to work with children are employed.

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

Overall, there is an effective response when children go missing. Staff mostly follow procedures that promote the swift and safe return of children. However, on one occasion, staff did not follow the missing-from-home protocol. This was a missed opportunity to locate the child quickly.

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

There has been one physical intervention since the last inspection. This is an increase, as generally incidents are rare. The incident record identifies shortfalls in staff practice. The physical intervention involved the use of a hold that is not supported by the home’s behaviour management policy. This compromises the safety and well-being of children. Additionally, one child involved in the hold was not offered an opportunity to speak with an independent person following the physical intervention. Failure to provide this opportunity limits the possibility of staff learning from children’s experiences of being held.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified. She is described by her staff team as approachable and supportive. Staff have confidence in her leadership and decisions she makes about the children and their welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work jointly with external agencies to safeguard children. When incidents occur, leaders and managers share relevant information with professionals such as the police and mental health services without delay. They seek their advice and guidance to ensure that children receive the specialist support that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are systems in place to monitor the welfare of children and the quality of care that they receive. However, sometimes, these systems are not used effectively. Consequently, shortfalls in staff practice go unnoticed. This oversight means that opportunities to improve the service offered to children and to develop the staff team are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to training to support the delivery of good care to children. In addition to completing the provider’s mandatory training, leaders and managers ensure that staff complete training tailored to children’s specific needs. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that refresher training in the use of physical interventions has been completed, to ensure that any physical contact with children is safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular opportunities to discuss their work through formal supervision. However, these sessions do not consistently encourage staff to critically reflect on and evaluate their practice. This reduces the potential for continuous improvement and development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2710542 5

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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 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

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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;

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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;

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff routinely take part in refresher training on physical interventions.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that monitoring systems are used to identify and address shortfalls in staff practice. Specifically, this includes ineffective responses when children go missing, the use of unapproved holds and failure to follow children’s education plans when they are not in school. 25 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2710542 6 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.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)) 25 September 2025

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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; 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)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that incidents where children are held are thoroughly reviewed. Where inappropriate practice is identified, staff are supported to develop and improve their practice.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children are supported to take part in a debrief that explores how they felt about the physical intervention. When children refuse to take part in a debrief, this must be clearly recorded. 25 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2710542 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff take part in supervision that is reflective and supports their learning and development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2710542 8

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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: 2710542 9 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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