Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd in Herefordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1247764 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited

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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 service is a privately owned children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 September 2017

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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 registered 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

Date of last inspection: This is the home’s first inspection since registration .

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children's home: 1247764 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people receive good quality care from staff.  Young people make excellent progress in all area of their development.  Young people have an excellent range of activities to enable them to follow their hobbies and interests.  Staff help young people to express their views, interests and understanding though a range of forums.  Staff help young people to maintain relationships with people who are important to them.  Professionals and parents speak positively about the staff and the progress the young people are making.  Young people’s risks have reduced because of living at this home.  Risk assessments are up to date and reflect the young people’s current risks.  Safe recruitment ensures that anyone employed in the home can work with young people.  Equality and diversity are promoted using themed events which young people take part in and enjoy.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager has not had sufficient oversight of the physical restraint records.  The registered manager has not ensured that there is sufficient oversight of the home’s fire risk assessment. Inspection report children's home: 1247764 3

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Recommendations

 Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly when any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the quality standards, as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) This refers to ensuring that the registered manager has a sufficient overview of the home’s fire risk assessment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good quality care from staff who focus their care on the things that matter the most to young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak passionately about wanting young people to have the very best care and to aspire. As a result, young people make excellent progress. For example, one young person is now attending full-time education after a long absence. The young person told the inspector: ‘The staff support me. I go to school now. I have made lots of progress. I didn’t used to want to go to school or do my GCSEs but now I do.’ This support helps to improve young people’s opportunities so that they can reach their full academic potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Another young person has made improvements in his personal health and hygiene. The young person is now able to take pride in his appearance. He has fully engaged in a healthy eating programme and is now living a healthier life style.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is an excellent range of activities that helps to promote young people’s hobbies and experiences. For example, one young person has been given the opportunity to have horse riding lessons. Another young person has a keen interest in the second world war and staff have supported him to explore this interest.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that young people have the opportunity to participate in group Inspection report children's home: 1247764 4 meetings, discussions and key-work sessions to express their wishes and feelings. Young people have also become involved in the company’s forums and have been able to share their experiences of coming into care with other young people. Young people have taken part in competitions and have won prizes as a result. This has helped young people to develop their self-esteem and self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to maintain relationships with people that are important to them. Relationships with loved ones have strengthened because of living at this home. A parent commented: ‘We are so pleased with the progress she has made.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to help with the daily housework, such as washing up and keeping their bedrooms tidy. These opportunities enable young people to take on appropriate levels of responsibility to develop life skills for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff make sure that the house remains homely. There are pictures of the young people around the home and young people have personalised their bedrooms. This has helped young people to have a sense of belonging.

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

Young people’s risks have reduced because of living at this home. For example, one young person’s risk of child exploitation has reduced. Staff have enabled this risk to reduce by completing a range of focused key-worker sessions that have helped the young person to understand some of the potential risks she was facing. Consequently, the young person is now being supported to manage the use of a mobile phone and to have short periods in the community without staff.

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

Young people’s missing from home episodes have reduced. When young people have gone missing from the home, staff have worked in partnership with the police and the placing authority to protect young people from potential harm. The registered manager makes sure that young people are made welcome when they return home and are given the opportunity of a return home interview. Swift action by staff helps to ensure that young people have the right help to make safe decisions for the future.

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

None of the young people in the home are at risk of radicalisation or self-harming. However, staff remain vigilant to the potential risks. Staff receive training that helps them to recognise any early triggers that could indicate an emerging risk.

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

Risk assessments are up to date and reflect the young people’s current risks. Staff make sure that the risk assessment provides clear guidance on how to de-escalate behaviour and how to keep young people safe.

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

Young people are supported to improve aspects of their behaviour through personalised behaviour management plans. Staff use their positive relationships with young people to de-escalate incidents. Physical restraint is only used as a last resort to safeguard young Inspection report children's home: 1247764 5 people. However, the registered manager has not ensured that a through oversight of records is maintained. For example, records contain confusing information on who has been informed about a restraint. It is not always clear whether the young person has been offered medical assistance. Furthermore, it is unclear when the young person has been offered an opportunity to talk about the incident. This lack of management oversight results in a missed opportunity to ensure that staff practice is subjected to a level of internal scrutiny.

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

A newly appointed registered manager is in post. The registered manager has a level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

Staff speak positively of the management team and enjoy working at the home. One member of staff told the inspector that they are all supportive: ‘You can go to them for support. They offer encouragement and guidance if we are on the wrong path.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

Professionals speak positively about the registered manager and the progress that the young people have made. For example, a social worker told the inspector:

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

I’m sent updates on incidents. The young person has made lots of progress. The staff advocate for her. They have challenged school and worked with them around how to manage her behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

The registered manager makes sure that team meetings take place regularly and are a forum to refresh staff members’ understanding on the young people’s needs. The registered manager makes sure that staff benefit from a thorough induction. This includes being enrolled on the level 3 diploma in residential childcare at the earliest opportunity. This has ensured that all staff are qualified or are working towards the level 3 diploma within the appropriate timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

Young people benefit from taking part in themed events when they get to try out different food from around the world and learn about cultural beliefs and language.

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

The registered manager has made sure that the statement of purpose demonstrates the aims and objectives of the home. This helps parents or placing authorities to have a clear understanding of the service’s aims and objectives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

Safe recruitment practice ensures that anyone employed in the home is safe to work with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and registered managers: good

The registered manager has not ensured that there has been sufficient oversight of the home’s fire risk assessment. The registered manager took quick action to address this shortfall during the inspection. Inspection report children's home: 1247764 6

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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 differences 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. Whenever 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.

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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: 1247764 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mountfields House off Squirrell Way, Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3GE

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 1247764 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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