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

Inspection report children’s home: SC031220 1 SC031220 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 25 November 2016

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 The young people make progress in all aspects of their lives through living at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC031220 2  The young people are supported to keep themselves safe and address behaviours that may present a risk to others.  The young people are regularly consulted and their views fully considered. They feel valued and listened to.  Staff are reflective and flexible when working with the young people. As a result, care is individualised and tailored to each young person’s needs.  There is a strong managerial presence in the home. Staff are fully supported to enable them to offer good quality care to the young people.

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Improved monitoring of training so that training is completed regularly and renewal dates are not exceeded.  Implementation of new processes, to improve the securing of key documentation from local authorities.  Clear recording from the manager that the young person has been spoken to following an incident that required physical restraint.  Develop and implement systems to evaluate information from return home interviews, in order to maximise the impact of risk assessments.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/05/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC031220 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children–

p.3

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(a)) 30/09/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children and protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure–

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

p.3

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(v)(vii)) 30/09/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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)(c)) 30/09/2017

p.3

Recommendations

 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). In particular, take steps to remove and treat the damp in the living room and redecorate the area.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC031220 4 All of the young people make progress in their lives due to living at the home. Some become more confident and are better able to express their wishes and feelings. Other young people develop skills that will better prepare them for adulthood and some are able to enjoy education when previously they had refused to attend. All of the young people benefit from being in full-time education and some have gained qualifications, which is a source of pride and supports their growing sense of self-worth. When not in formal education, the young people are encouraged to pursue hobbies and interests that include gardening, boxing and trampolining.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people live in a comfortable and homely environment. Staff work hard to establish good routines for each young person and they provide reliable and consistent care. The care that is offered is tailored to each of the young person’s needs and professionals describe staff as being flexible and ‘thinking out of the box’ in their approach to the young people. Relationships between the young people and staff are warm, respectful and nurturing.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As a result of the care that is offered, the young people begin to fully engage, over time, with the challenges of the therapeutic programme. This programme helps the young people to gain insight and understanding into their backgrounds and how their own behaviours can be harmful to others. The therapy that is offered is fully integrated into all aspects of the care given and informs staff insight and responses to the young people.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people’s views are regularly sought and they feel listened to and valued. One young person said: ‘It is a brilliant house, both the house and the people. Staff are kind and have time to listen. It feels a lot better here. I have my own voice and it is heard. If I have any questions or worries they listen and ask why.’ A social worker, commenting on the progress of a young person, said: ‘He has improved a lot. He used to put his head down in his hands and not speak. Now he has views and talks about them.’ Another social worker said: ‘They have got to know him; know what he likes. They spend lots and lots of time with him.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that contact between the young people and their families is maintained and enhanced. Particular praise was given from one independent reviewing officer (IRO) regarding staff commitment to contact arrangements despite the distance that was involved in transporting the young person.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote self-care skills across a wide range of areas and this helps the young people gain appropriate levels of independence. In line with their ages, staff support the young people to begin to learn to shop and cook on a limited budget. However, plans from the local authority that inform the details for transition into independence require updating. There has been significant delay in successfully securing these plans. A clear timetable of any outstanding work to be achieved with the young person is not in place.

p.4

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC031220 5 Staff have a good understanding of each young person’s background, their vulnerabilities and how those vulnerabilities manifest themselves in harmful behaviours. This understanding informs risk assessments and care plans in order to keep the young people safe.

p.5

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

Particular strengths of the staff are the observations they make of the young people’s behaviours and that they are highly sensitive to any such changes. As a result, risk assessments and subsequent plans are adjusted to minimise risks. These plans assist in pre-empting any behaviours that may cause the young person or others to behave in ways that would harm their physical or emotional welfare. This is further supported through therapeutic intervention.

p.5

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

Staff provide clear and consistent boundaries that young people adhere to. This high- level structure ensures that the young people benefit from developing positive routines and leisure time. It is further complemented by good levels of supervision and support that decrease in line with risk assessments and individual progress through the therapeutic programme.

p.5

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

The young people are not exposed to child sexual exploitation, engage in drug or alcohol use nor do they self-harm. The young people currently at the home do not go missing. When young people have been missing, staff follow procedures and protocols and there is appropriate liaison with other agencies. However, opportunities to record and evaluate information from missing from home incidents have been missed and, in turn, the opportunity to further inform risk assessments.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been registered to manage the home since 2016. She is suitably qualified and experienced. She leads a team of committed and enthusiastic staff who provide good role models and reliable carers for the young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Both the management team and staff are fully attuned to the needs of the young people and offer attentive and nurturing care. This ensures that all of the young people make progress from their starting points. The young people are regularly consulted about the running of the home and staff strive to create an environment that the young people can feel that they have ownership of.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is available and accessible to both the young people and staff. She creates a positive and learning environment for staff and has plans to develop this further through the use of peer/group consultation. The manager ensures that the staff have regular formal supervision that is focused and supportive and she offers daily informal advice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are well-developed systems in place to ensure that she is aware of, and monitors, the care that young people receive and the progress that they make. However, there are oversights in the monitoring of some aspects of staff training. The majority of staff are trained in the use of physical restraint and the refresher training is up to date. The Inspection report children’s home: SC031220 6 refresher training for some staff has exceeded these deadlines. In addition, not all of the staff are first-aid trained and the configuration of staff rotas does not ensure that a qualified first-aider is available for each working shift. The manager has made immediate changes to staff rotas to ensure that this omission is not repeated, although any staff absences would create additional pressures on this reconfiguration.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Planning for young people to join the home has improved, and greater focus has been afforded to the cognitive abilities of young people being considered for admission. This has pre-empted any admissions being inappropriate for these reasons when set against the demands of the therapeutic programme. All admissions and discharges since the last inspection have been planned. In addition, improvements have been made to the recording and tracking of the young people’s progress.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with other agencies. Social workers and IROs are complimentary with regard to the timeliness and appropriateness of information sharing. Positive working relationships are established quickly and are maintained. However, attempts by the manager to secure key documents from local authorities have not been totally successful. A new escalation policy has been introduced. However, this is yet to be embedded and its intent realised.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has undergone some improvements since the last inspection, such as new carpets and laminate flooring, a new bathroom, new blinds and work has begun on clearing the garden of trees. Work completed to address the leak from one of the showers has not been totally successful and this continues to be a source of damp on the living room ceiling. The manager is aware of this and has requested that it is attended to.

p.6

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

p.6

Information about this inspection

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 children’s home: SC031220 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mountfields House, Off Squirrel Way, Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3GE

p.7

Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC031220 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8