Children's home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Charnwood

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . The majority of young people at the home continue to make good progress from their starting points. Young people have benefited from the nurturing and care that the staff provide. As a result, missing-from-home incidents have significantly reduced, and drug and alcohol use has stopped completely. A social worker, commenting on the qualitative difference in care provided by the staff in comparison to previous homes, said: ‘For two years previous to [the home], placements were just managing him, but now he is progressing and importantly [X] is recognising this progress himself.’ Since the last inspection, other young people have made progress in education, engaging with the therapeutic programme, and have enjoyed an increase family contact. Young people who have moved on from the home have done so in a

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

planned way, with some successfully moving into foster care. The staff and managers are quick to identify when they cannot meet a young person’s needs. They act upon this in a timely manner, working well with the local authority and ensuring that young people are supported throughout the transition to alternative provisions. Planning for young people to join the home is not always a consistently thorough process, in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Planning for one young person to join the home did not involve the home’s therapist, nor were key educational documents secured prior to the young person moving in. As a result, it emerged that the young person was not suitable for the home’s therapeutic programme. The young person’s experiences while they have been at the home have been positive. However, this omission in planning has resulted in an additional move. Young people feel safe living at the home and they are positive about the care and

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

attention that they receive. Young people’s comments included: ‘It’s a good home’; ‘Staff make sure that I am happy living at the home. They support you when you are angry and upset’; ‘They help you. When I am naughty, they give me strategies’; ‘We help each other and this helps me feel safe. They could do nothing else for me. They do everything for us.’ Young people know how to make a complaint, and any complaints are responded to in a timely way by staff and managers. However, one complaint made was about young people not being given a hot drink after a certain time in the evening. This was addressed by the managers. However, the practice of staff routinely locking the kitchen door at a certain time was not. This prevents young people’s free movement around the home and access to its facilities. The risks that young people may face either from their own behaviour or from others are understood well by the staff. However, this understanding has not

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

always pulled through to documented assessment of risk, and not all risk assessments are signed by all staff. In addition, some risk assessments are not clear about the monitoring of young people’s phone calls. This can be confusing for staff in their expectations of their practice and reduces non-permanent staff’s insight into young people’s risks. Managers have made improvements in the recording and documentation of physical interventions, and these changes now meet regulations. However, a requirement made at the last inspection regarding the documenting of return-home interviews, following young people being missing from home, has not been met. Improvements in this area have been frustrated by local authority personnel changes. As a result, this requirement is re-instated and will be further evaluated at the next inspection. A recommendation that the provider should improve the decor of the home has

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

partially been met, and redecoration has taken place in many of the areas identified. However, further damp problems have recurred in some areas that now require redecoration. Managers and staff have good insight into young people’s progress, and other professionals confirm this. At the last inspection, a recommendation was made to improve recording of young people’s progress. Placement plans still do not consistently reflect this in an evaluative way, nor are they updated in a timely manner. Oversight and a full understanding of young people’s starting points are therefore restricted to longer-serving members of staff. Managers and staff continue to work well with a range of other agencies. This ensures that young people’s needs are met in a holistic manner. The managers are aware of areas for improvement and of how these proposed changes will ensure that good standards of care for young people are maintained.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

04/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to young people always being provided with an opportunity to have an independent return-home interview and the home recording and taking account of the information when assessing risk, the registered provider must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person, and

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Requirement Due date

(vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. 15/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring that essential information is secured from the placing authority prior to accepting young people referred, that key personnel are involved in the decision-making process, and that recording is evaluative in nature, the registered person must ensure that children: (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure: (a) that children are only admitted to the home if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 15/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

6. In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to the suitable admission of young people and young people being able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why they should not, the registered person must: 15/12/2016 (2)(a) understand and apply the statement of purpose, (b)(i) ensure that staff understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). This is with particular reference to addressing the damp in the living room and games room and redecoration of these areas.

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection, we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children’s home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference that adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service 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’. the guidance Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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