Children's Home run by Pathway Care Solutions Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC382994 1 SC382994 Registered provider: Pathway Care Solutions Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 5 children who may have disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living in the home at the time of inspection and their views were obtained.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC382994 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Outstanding 07/11/2023 Full Outstanding 16/05/2022 Full Good 18/05/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC382994 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children, including those who use non ‑ verbal communication, take an active role in their care. Staff understand each child’s communication style and use social stories, PECS and symbols placed around the home to help children express their wishes and feelings. Children share their views after incidents and during regular meetings with managers and staff. Children also provide their views about food, activities and give feedback on their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prepare children for medical procedures. They use each child’s preferred communication methods to explain health needs and upcoming operations, reducing anxiety and increasing understanding. For example, a child recently attended hospital for treatment under general anaesthetic and recovered with minimal impact on emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive consistent support with their education. When difficulties arise, the manager and staff work with professionals to understand the causes and put strategies in place to improve engagement. When children cannot attend formal education, the manager advocates for in ‑ home tuition and phased timetables. Consequently, children meet targets in their plans and remain engaged in their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have their ethnic and cultural needs met. Staff speak with children, professionals and follow parental guidance on cultural and religious expectations. Staff adapt menus seamlessly with small but effective changes. Children are provided with appropriate skin and hair products, and cultural practices are promoted through regular interactions and skills development. Staff promote children’s understanding of these aspects through routine discussions and daily care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are unnecessary restrictions on a child’s privacy. A monitoring device remains in place to oversee night ‑ time routines, despite the home’s own assessment stating the likelihood of incidents is unlikely and any harm would be minor. There is no record of these incidents, team meetings do not review the risk effectively, and staff have not completed key work to help the child understand why the measure is in place.

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

The plans that staff use are effective. They identify each child’s vulnerabilities and any risk they may pose to other children or adults. The plans set clear actions so children can try new experiences and continue preferred activities at home and in the community. This promotes a positive attitude to risk taking that allows children the freedom to try new experiences safely.

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

Staff rarely use physical intervention to manage behaviour. Staff follow children’s plans to engage them positively and address potential situations before they escalate. When this Inspection report for children’s home: SC382994 4 is not enough, they use distraction and the least ‑ restrictive interventions or low ‑ level touch to keep everyone safe. Children have repeated opportunities to express their feelings at a time they are able and in a way they understand.

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

All staff, including those new in their role, know the children and the relevant plans that set out the children’s care needs. The staff also understand what action to take in the event of a serious incident. They are familiar with the children’s missing ‑ from ‑ home protocols and the allegations management procedure. Staff have children’s safety and well ‑ being at the centre of decisions if they were to respond to incidents of this nature.

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

On one occasion, a child received an overdose of controlled medication. Staff did not follow the home’s medication policy, and the home was operating with less than the required numbers of staff during the day. As a result, the child needed to attended hospital immediately for hourly tests and observations before being allowed to return home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager creates an environment where staff feel supported and encouraged to learn within their roles. Regular supervision sessions give staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice, discuss their performance and consider how they can continue to develop. Discussions place strong emphasis on relationships with children, focusing on what staff are learning from their work and how they can adapt their approaches to better meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers routinely monitor the home’s systems and processes to ensure the quality of care remains high. Daily, weekly and monthly checks help them identify any shortfalls and respond to these promptly. When issues arise, managers address them through supervision, team meetings and day ‑ to ‑ day discussions with staff. As a result, the quality of recording in children’s files has improved, and children’s health and welfare have been better safeguarded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When new staff join the home, they complete all mandatory training alongside additional competency assessments and regular check ‑ ins with supportive mentors. Throughout the probationary period, managers carry out increased supervision sessions to ensure consistency in staff development. Staff report feeling well supported by the manager, senior staff and more experienced colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When external services are not performing to the expected standard, leaders and managers raise their concerns directly with the professionals involved. Their communication keeps the child’s health and well ‑ being at the centre while maintaining a professional and respectful tone. For example, health and education services acknowledge the shortfalls and arrange home visits to build a better understanding of the child and work in line with their plans and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When concerns arise about staff practice, the resulting investigations do not provide a thorough reflection of the evidence. Staff involved in the process identified several Inspection report for children’s home: SC382994 5 shortfalls. However, these were not fully explored or followed up when evidence was gathered. As a result, key information was overlooked, limiting opportunities to conduct a meaningful lessons ‑ learned exercise to strengthen the quality-of-care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Routine maintenance within the home is not addressed promptly, allowing minor issues to develop into more significant repair needs. The home looks in need of refreshing inside and outside of the home. There are radiators that need replacing and holes in the ceilings. This environment does not provide children with a homely, welcoming space, nor does it offer a comfortable setting for their families when they visit. Inspection report for children’s home: SC382994 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that when staff administer medication to chidlren, the procedures must be followed correctly. 29 April 2026

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(c) (2)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that investigations into staff practice should be thorough, and when shortfalls are identified they should be explored fully. 29 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC382994 7 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular that the use of monitoring devices in relation to children are only used when required and are kept under review to ensure these are still required. 29 April 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that repairs and maintenance are completed routinely to maintain a nurturing and homely environment that meets the needs of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC382994 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

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC382994 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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