Children's Home run by New Path Residential Limited in Southend on Sea

Inspection report for children’s home: 2828710 1 Registered provider: New Path Residential Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a small private organisation and provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in August 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2828710 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have moved into the home since registration. One child moved out in an unplanned manner as staff were unable to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a safe and comfortable home. Children are beginning to value their environment and the effort staff and managers put into making it feel like home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children do well in education. They move quickly to reduce gaps in children’s education by arranging local provisions soon after they move in. Some children make great strides in their attendance and engagement in education due to the help and support of staff. One child has increased their educational attendance from 25% to over 70% since living at the home. The manager ensures that children have a programme of vocational activities when out of education. Staff help children apply for college and employment opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children keep well. They educate children on the importance of maintaining good physical and mental health. They ensure that the children attend healthcare appointments and encourage them to engage in regular therapy as appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff keep the children busy and active. The manager develops bespoke plans for children centred around their interests. Children enjoy trips to castles, trampoline parks, escape rooms and the seafront, and they enjoy going swimming. They have also enjoyed short holidays to caravan parks. One child said, ‘This is the best place I have lived. The staff really engage with you here, and there’s so much to do. I am never bored.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in safely engaging in the motorcycling activities they enjoy. They ensure that the children receive the required training and use appropriate protective equipment. These activities are carefully managed, with vehicles stored securely off site and used only on private land. Providing these supervised, high-interest experiences diverts children from seeking unsafe or illegal activities in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children effectively in developing their independence skills. A bespoke programme helps staff determine what stage children are at with their life skills and how to support them appropriately.

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe as part of a multi- agency approach. Staff appropriately share information with relevant professionals when they have concerns about children’s safety. They respect children’s beliefs and choices while ensuring that they remain safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2828710 3 Staff engage children in meaningful conversations that help them understand the risks of any criminal involvement. Staff assist children in safely increasing their independence as legal restrictions lift. This helps children rebuild positive relationships with their families and friends.

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

Staff respond effectively when children go missing by following established protocols and welcoming them back with care and professional curiosity. This approach encourages children to share their experiences. Staff also promote children’s self-esteem by sharing positive messages when they make safe and responsible decisions.

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

Clear risk assessments help staff understand children’s individual needs and how to mitigate them. Staff share these assessments with children to encourage them to work with them and begin to take ownership of their safety.

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

Staff use humour, patience and professional curiosity to prevent incidents from occurring and de-escalate situations that do occur. When necessary, staff use distraction effectively to support children’s wellbeing.

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

Physical interventions are proportionate and only used when necessary to keep children and/or others safe. However, incidents are not always recorded correctly. On two occasions, staff used restraint but failed to record it as physical intervention. As a result, children were not offered medical attention, and there are no records of the holds used or their duration. This undermines the manager’s ability to have effective oversight and fully monitor the safety of these interventions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The suitably experienced and qualified manager ensures effective leadership and management of the home. She is ambitious for her staff and supports their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported. The regular supervision and welfare checks help them reflect on incidents and support them with their knowledge of the children in their care. One staff member said, ‘It’s the best management I have had.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held frequently. They provide clear expectations to ensure that the home is well maintained and that children are well cared for. The manager holds reflective sessions with the staff team. These help staff process experiences and explore lessons learned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff have the necessary skills to meet the children’s complex needs. A comprehensive programme of regular, structured training and collaborative workshops supports continuous professional development. This investment in staff enables them to enhance their practice and improve the experiences of the children in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2828710 4 Senior leaders work with partner professionals effectively to enhance children’s care and support. One social worker said, ‘They (the staff) have been open to collaborate. They come up with plans and suggestions and really care about the child.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2828710 5

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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 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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)(a)(iv)(viii)(c)) 28 February 2026

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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: 2828710 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Path Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 475 Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6NJ

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2828710 7 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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