Children's home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 1 SC428700 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd

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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 provider. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at this home. All four children were seen during the inspection.

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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 February 2025

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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: SC428700 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/02/2025 Full Good 17/10/2023 Full Good 12/09/2022 Full Good 19/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have gained a real sense of stability and security. They are cared for by a staff team that is dedicated and ensures that the children’s experiences are positive. The staff team fosters a nurturing, calm and supportive environment so that the children can achieve whatever they desire.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of trust and stability. They prioritise forming and sustaining positive, supportive relationships with children. Staff tell the children that they are loved; hugs are given and reciprocated. Staff are also attuned and sensitive to the children’s emotional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences when they move in or out of the home, with transition plans that are well thought out and that are tailored to their individualised needs. Staff support children to develop their emotional and mental resilience to cope without the staff’s support when moving onto living independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress with their education and health. All children now attend bespoke educational settings, which are equipped to support the children’s identified needs. Staff have a good understanding of children’s individual health needs. Furthermore, staff have the nurturing ability to be able to support with sensitive health issues with compassion and genuine care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are heard. The children are given different opportunities to share their thoughts and feelings, such as attending statutory reviews so that they can be involved in plans made for their future. Children are encouraged to participate in activities, which are tailored to their own individual interests and likes. For example, children go trampolining, horse riding, and have joined a football club.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been encouraging improvements to the home’s décor, and there is still a renovation plan for the coming year, which includes improvements to the driveway and a new kitchen.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One professional said, ‘I believe staff demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s needs and have supported me in better understanding [Name of child]’s lived experience. They have offered a stable and nurturing home environment, allowing [Name of child] to thrive and grow into the young person they are today. [Name of child] has a bright future ahead of them.’

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

Children are kept safe by staff who know them well. The manager develops comprehensive risk assessments. These documents help staff to respond promptly to Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 4 an identified risk due to the clear guidance and strategies. Staff demonstrate vigilance and professionalism in their approach, responding swiftly and appropriately to children.

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

One child sometimes goes missing from the home. When they do, children receive a positive response from staff, who follow their plans and work hard to ensure a swift return home. Staff work alongside external professionals, and when they return, children are offered the opportunity to speak to an independent person about their time away from the home.

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

When children harm themselves, they approach staff and tell them what has happened. Staff respond in a caring and empathetic manner, offering children hugs and reassurance. This reflects the development of strong, trusting, and secure relationships.

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

When allegations have been made, these have been appropriately dealt with in a timely manner. This ensures that children’s voices are heard and that follow-up work is completed along with relationship-building work between staff and children.

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

When staff need to hold children, physical intervention is applied safely, proportionately and for the shortest time possible. After a child has been physically held, they are offered the opportunity to discuss their experience. However, staff have not consistently checked or recorded whether the child has sustained any injury during the physical intervention.

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

Staff keep children safe when they are using the internet. Staff manage this well for the differing ages of the children. Furthermore, staff have a good understanding of what signs to look out for, and what steps they should take should they have any concerns about a child’s internet use.

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

Staff hold regular structured and spontaneous discussions with children about topics that are meaningful to them. These include helping children to understand their risks and the steps staff take to keep them safe. While these are largely recorded well, some records are not written therapeutically or in a child-centred manner, which reduces their quality.

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

Staff try hard to implement natural consequences to support children’s learning. However, some consequences have been punitive and prolonged unnecessarily. Furthermore, children are not given clear end dates for when the restrictions will end.

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

There are times when children are at increased risk of harm. To keep them safe, staff have appropriately restricted some of their freedoms. However, there have been delays in lifting these measures due to insufficient accountability placed on the local authority for multi-agency decision-making. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a caring and supportive manager and all staff said that she is approachable. She models a calm, respectful and child-centred approach, which is followed by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager advocates tirelessly for the children. She takes children’s wishes and feelings seriously and uses these to guide her decisions and actions. Furthermore, the manager and staff are aspirational for the children. Staff take pride in children’s achievements, and these are celebrated regardless of how small they may appear to be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an effective system of oversight. She reviews all documents relating to the children. The manager’s monitoring systems enable her to ensure that staff consistently provide an excellent quality of care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home adheres to safer recruitment procedures, ensuring that staff are safe and suitable to care for children. Staff are enrolled on the relevant qualification as soon as they have passed their probationary period. Staff’s progress is regularly monitored to ensure that they attain the required residential qualification within the necessary time frame.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and yearly appraisals that are child focused and gives staff a platform for reflection and to inform their practice moving forward. Staff have access to an array of training that is tailored to children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds regular reflective team meetings with staff where they discuss the children in detail. Any good pieces of work are disseminated among staff along with ways of improving practice and outcomes for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5(a)(b)(c)(d)) 17 May 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. In most cases, children’s homes should be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion, and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 7 be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC428700 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys Group, Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

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Inspector

Angela Ross, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC428700 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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