Children's Home run by Northern Community Pathways Children’s Residential Services Ltd in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: 2822725 1 Registered provider: Northern Community Pathways Children’s Residential Services 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

This home is operated by a private provider. It 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 the inspection, 3 children were living in this home and all 3 were spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2822725 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2822725 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress, including in their education. They have positive relationships with staff, and staff work well with children’s families and external professionals to meet the needs of the children.

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Summary of findings

Children are kept safe in the home. Staff understand the risks that some children may face and complete work with children to help reduce these risks.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have good oversight of children’s care. They frequently gather children’s views and respond to these appropriately. Managers provide good levels of support to staff, which helps equip them for their roles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in different areas of their lives. They build positive relationships with staff, and these relationships help children to increase in confidence. Children say that they feel happy and safe in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a range of activities in and out of the home. These include attending regular clubs, such as Cadets, and enjoying arts and crafts and computer games. Children enjoy trips away, and one child recently had their first-ever holiday abroad. This provides children with life-enriching experiences and demonstrates that they are valued by those around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s education well. One child has significantly increased their attendance and is now enjoying school. Another child has enrolled in college and is considering a potential career in the military. When there have been barriers to children engaging in formal education, staff provide alternative opportunities and education- based activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with children’s families. One parent said that staff have helped them to improve relationships with their child, which has supported better-quality family time. For other children, staff help them to visit and maintain contact with their former carers. This approach recognises children’s past experiences and ensures that they can preserve key relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a welcoming environment. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their needs. However, damage to one child’s bedroom was not promptly rectified by staff. This has the potential to compromise the child’s safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822725 4

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

Risk assessments are up to date, contain relevant information and provide clear strategies for staff to manage risks. Staff have clear and detailed understanding of the risks children may face and what to do to reduce these. They work in line with children’s plans, helping to ensure that children are kept safe.

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

Staff are positive role models for children and work with children to increase their safety. There has been a reduction in incidents of one child being missing from home, and the child has been involved in fewer incidents of concern in the community. The child is also being helped to engage with support from external professionals. In addition, children are supported to be safe online and to manage personal boundaries. This work helps children to understand and manage risks that they may face.

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

Allegations against staff are responded to appropriately. Actions are taken to ensure that children are kept safe, and their views are gathered. The registered manager works with social workers and the local authority designated officer to ensure that allegations are appropriately investigated and that any identified actions as a result of this are put in place.

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

Staff respond well to safeguarding incidents and engage well with wider safeguarding processes for children. This includes attending strategy meetings and working closely with children’s social workers to ensure relevant information is shared and plans are put in place to protect children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good oversight of the home and the quality of care provided to children. He knows the children well and has high aspirations for their progress. This filters down to the child-centred care that children receive from staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children meet regularly with staff to give their views about their care and are encouraged to do so through day-to-day interactions and direct-work sessions. Some children access formal advocacy, which helps them to have their voices heard. Leaders and managers also challenge others on behalf of children when required. This all ensures that children’s views are given prominence and that they can contribute to the care provided to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended by staff. They follow a clear agenda and focus on the care provided to children. This allows staff to share their knowledge and skills and reflect on how they are caring for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions are regular and offer space for reflective discussions. This allows staff to discuss children’s needs and develop their practice. However, staff have not received annual appraisals. This limits the manager’s ability to monitor overall staff performance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822725 5 Managers generally have good communication with external professionals. However, on one occasion, there were delays to a request for information from a child’s local authority. This led to a delay in an assessment being completed, which impacted on care planning for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822725 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)) 16 October 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are provided a safe and nurturing environment and that any damage is promptly rectified. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that they and their staff engage proactively with the children’s placing local authorities to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3)

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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: 2822725 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northern Community Pathways Children’s Residential Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 44 Highfield Road, Blackpool FY4 2JA

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Inspector

Jon Collins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2822725 8 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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