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Cornwall Council children’s home rated “outstanding” by Ofsted (18 January 2016)

Date: 18/01/2016
Duncan Lewis, Child Care Solicitors, Cornwall Council children’s home rated “outstanding” by Ofsted

A report by Ofsted inspectors has praised the standard of care given by staff at Cornwall’s Council’s Pathways children’s home, calling the children’s home “outstanding”.

The ”outstanding” judgement given to the St Blazey children’s home by Ofsted is the highest rating level – which is only awarded to homes which provide highly effective services that support children and young people in need of help, protection and care, to make greater than expected progress, says the council.

Cornwall Council says that recent changes to the Ofsted criteria mean that receiving this judgement is a significant achievement for the council-run service.

Pathways is based in a nine-bed, purpose-built home, which offers personalised care packages to children and young people aged between five and 17 years, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities.

The service provides long-term residential care, as well as crisis and assessment support – and first opened its doors to children and young people in 2004.

Over the last ten years, the service has provided a “home” environment and specialist support to 29 of Cornwall’s most complex children and families.

The report by Ofsted Inspectors highlights the dedication and commitment of staff to provide the best possible service to young people – and concludes that the high standard of care provided at the home ensures that the young people make significant social, emotional and practical progress.

“The staff’s attention to the needs of young people and their determination to make a difference is exceptional. Understanding young people and interpreting their behaviour is central to the care that staff provide,” says the Ofsted report.

“Staff feel strongly that young people need and deserve to feel loved. They have a genuine affection for those in their care. ‘Whatever it takes’ is the commendable attitude of the staff team; nothing is too much trouble or too difficult when it comes to supporting young people,” the report adds.

Cornwall Council’s Cabinet Member for Young People, Councillor Andrew Wallis, said:

“As the Cabinet Member, I am very proud of the commitment and achievements of the Disabled Children and Therapy Service – and the skills of the staff who provide short breaks and residential care to disabled children.

“I am delighted that the dedication and skills of the staff at Pathways has been recognised by Ofsted – their professionalism, support and dedication makes a positive difference to the lives of disabled children and their families.

“They make a real contribution to improving outcomes for children and giving them a brighter future.

“Ofsted has raised the bar for inspections, making it much more difficult for services to reach a rating of ‘Good’ let alone ‘Outstanding’.

“I would like to congratulate everyone at the home for achieving this ‘Outstanding’ judgement from inspectors – Pathways is a wonderful resource, which is invaluable to the children and parents it supports.”

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