Children's Home run by Clear Path Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2729569 1 Registered provider: Clear 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

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties. The home was registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

After the last inspection took place, a new manager was recruited. Her application to register with Ofsted was in progress, but she resigned and withdrew her application in January 2025. A manager has been in post since March 2025 and has submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. They were seen and shared their views as part of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2729569 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/05/2024 Full requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2729569 3

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improvement to be good

One child was living in the home at the time of inspection. Three children have left, including one new child who joined the home but has since moved on.

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improvement to be good

One child moved into the home, but notice was served within three days of their moving in. The child was new to care, so limited information was known about the child and not all known information was shared by the local authority. While the manager took appropriate steps to consider the matching of children, the agreement to move a child in without meeting them first reduced the opportunity to plan how best to support them and the other child living in the home. This resulted in the new child experiencing an additional move. Senior managers have reflected on the ending and how best to support positive transitions for future children from lessons learned.

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improvement to be good

When children have moved on, staff inform children of their next steps. Preparatory work to equip children for a move has taken place. Moving-on plans evidence a carefully considered move to the child’s new home, and where appropriate include ways to maintain contact with them. One child has since returned to share a birthday celebration with another child and attend a day out at a theme park. This helps children to feel cared for even when they move on and promotes positive endings.

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improvement to be good

There are barriers to learning for some children who refused to attend school. Despite this, one social worker said that ‘The home could not have done any more. They considered creative ways to support engagement at college, they did all they could.’

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improvement to be good

Since living in the home, one child has been supported to continue their education at the same college. The child has made considerable progress and their attendance has increased significantly from their starting point. Their commitment to learning has increased and the child has now completed their GCSEs and secured a place at college for the new academic year and is aspirational about their future.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, a medication error resulted in one child being given a double dose of medication. Staff did not follow the home’s protocol, causing delays in identifying the error and seeking medical guidance for the child.

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improvement to be good

Healthy lifestyles are promoted well by staff. They ensure that children are encouraged to eat healthy meals and participate in physical exercise. Where specialist support is identified, senior leaders will ensure this is made available to children. One child is accessing a range of specialist support services. Additionally, all children in the home can attend weekly sessions with the in-house therapist.

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improvement to be good

Children’s views are respected. They know how to make complaints. Detailed and timely responses ensure they feel listened to, and their voice is heard. Children have Inspection report for children’s home: 2729569 4 contributed to the recruitment of new staff and have shared their views at a staff meeting, in addition to their own house meetings. Children feel valued at having had the opportunity to share their views.

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improvement to be good

Professionals speak positively of the home and the care provided to children. Children are making progress from their starting points and are given new experiences and opportunities, including holidays and trying new hobbies.

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improvement to be good

When the home was managed by a previous manager, there were three significant safeguarding incidents in the home. A review of these incidents identified gaps in oversight and decision-making processes. Delays in responding to these events have increased risks to children and did not adequately support or protect them. Senior leaders have responded appropriately, notifying the relevant agencies and addressing the concerns. They quickly identified the areas needing improvement and have implemented measures to strengthen managerial oversight. A new manager and deputy are now in place to support these improvements.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand how to respond when there is a missing-from-home incident. They understand children’s individual protocols and take appropriate action. While they respond well to the incident, recording is poor and lacks scrutiny from the manager. One report lacked detail of the child’s return and incorrectly named a member of staff involved in the incident who was not present in the home at the time. Furthermore, a significant amount of time had passed from the date of the incident and the manager’s oversight of the report.

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improvement to be good

The use of physical intervention is proportionate, and holds are very brief. Strategies to de-escalate are clearly evidenced prior to a hold and descriptions of the hold are promptly recorded. On occasions though, debriefs with staff and children have been overlooked and therefore not completed, resulting in missed opportunities to restore relationships with children and ensure their well-being after a hold.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of children hurting themselves are sensitively managed. The staff team understands the risks associated with the children hurting themselves. Additional training is scheduled to support staff to develop their confidence in reducing and responding to incidents. Updated individualised risk assessments are in place that identify children’s vulnerabilities effectively and set out the action staff should take. When it is necessary to conduct a room search following an incident, this is done by staff with dignity and respect and with the child’s knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Inspection report for children’s home: 2729569 5 The new manager is supported by the responsible individual, who provides strong leadership and oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The monitoring of the home has been mixed. Effective monitoring has identified safeguarding concerns in practice, resulting in prompt action being taken. Furthermore, it has identified areas of practice that needs strengthening, in particular more structured key-work sessions. In contrast, shortfalls in reporting and recording of some incidents have not always been identified, resulting in missed opportunities to support staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have high expectations for children and have embedded this message into the current staff team. Staff feel supported by the new management team and feel more confident in their practice around safeguarding following additional training that has been provided by the new deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is well maintained and presented to a high standard. When areas for improvement are identified in the property, these are swiftly addressed. Children live in a home which they are proud of.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff team is stable, and while there have been some changes since the last inspection, these have been well managed. Children are given the opportunities to say goodbye to staff and are kept informed when new staff join the home. Children feel prepared and informed beforehand about who will be supporting them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff supervision is held monthly, and it is reflective and child centred. Supervision records are made available to supervisees. They contain details of the discussions held and actions set to develop practice. Team meetings are held each month and provide support and learning for the team as a peer group. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729569 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

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 1 August 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)) 1 August 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible Inspection report for children’s home: 2729569 7 local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 2729569 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clear Path Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 42 Hunslet Road, Burntwood WS7 9LF

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Inspector

Joanne Hawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2729569 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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