Children's Home run by Horizon Pathway Supported Living in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home: 2785684 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Registered provider: Horizon Pathway Supported Living

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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 children’s home was registered in March 2025. The home cares for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2025.

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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: first inspection since registration

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2785684 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This new home has quickly become a nurturing and supportive environment, thanks to the exceptional efforts of a dedicated and passionate staff team. Strong leadership and a clear ethos have laid the foundation for a successful transition of children into the home. Children have benefited immensely from the deeply caring and focused support provided, settling in quickly and making remarkable progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Warm, trusting relationships filled with good humour and affection have developed between the children and staff. Staff ensure that the children’s individual needs, preferences and wishes are central to all decision-making. The children’s voice is consistently valued and respected, with active involvement in key decisions about the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals expressed praise for the positive start their children have made in the home. They appreciate staff’s effective communication and cooperation, which have contributed to the children’s successful integration.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children speak highly of the staff team and the home itself. They feel heard and valued. They also enjoy the quality of the relationships they have with staff. Staff’s ability to create a stable and consistent placement in such a short space of time has made a positive impact to support the children’s personal, emotional and educational development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported children with sometimes complex contact arrangements. Staff have a well-developed understanding of the impact of this on children and the importance of trying to rebuild strong links with family wherever possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use effective key-working relationships to help the child set personal targets, fostering a sense of ownership and involvement in life decisions.

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

Staff possess a strong understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and are guided by experienced managers who model effective practices. They are confident in both internal safeguarding procedures and their role within wider safeguarding partnerships.

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

Record-keeping is meticulous and well-organized, with detailed risk management plans in place. Staff are aware of areas of vulnerability for individual children and are clear on their plans to support children to keep themselves safe. Staff also place a strong emphasis on trust and allowing children to learn to make safe choices for themselves. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785684 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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

The manager’s careful planning and the team’s high-quality risk management have ensured a safe transition for all children. Children who have been particularly vulnerable in previous homes have all been able to develop life skills and make wiser choices since moving in. Children very rarely leave the home without staff knowledge, and there have been no significant incidents in the home or in the community.

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

In one example of staff recruitment, it was not clear how adverse information on references was considered during the recruitment process. While leaders could give a clear account verbally, it would be advised to capture this decision-making on record.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A confident and knowledgeable registered manager has successfully transformed a new team and home into a warm, welcoming and effective living space for children. Their passion and ambition for the service are evident, and they have successfully communicated their vision for the home to staff and children alike. Together with the staff team, they have established clear systems and expectations, and enabled successful arrivals for all children moving in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective training and supervision have quickly built staff confidence and skills. Senior staff have played a key role in mentoring and modelling best practices for those new to residential care. Managers recognise that they have some work to do still in creating autonomy and confidence across the whole team, but they have development plans in place and have made this a priority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recruited a strong deputy and senior team. This has been instrumental in creating the stability which has helped the home to settle and develop at pace. Managers demonstrate a profound understanding of the impact of early life experiences on children’s confidence and development. They work collaboratively with staff and the child to set positive and ambitious goals aimed at rebuilding self-belief after the difficult starts in life children have experienced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

With a bold vision for the future, managers employ strategic planning, monitoring and oversight to identify strengths and areas for improvement. They actively involve the child and team in service development. Strong relationships have been established with key partners in health, social care and education, fostering shared goals and collaborative support for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2785684 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 13.1, p. 61)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered person must clearly record rationale and decision-making when employing candidates who have adverse data on references, DBS checks etc.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 10.11, p. 53)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered person should continue to develop opportunities to enhance staff autonomy, confidence and self-determination wherever possible.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2785684 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Pathway Supported Living

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Airport House, Purley Way CR0 0XZ

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Inspector

Peter Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2785684 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspector

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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