Children's Home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Cheshire East

Interim inspection report children’s home: 1232658 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private organisation and can accommodate five young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Judgement at last inspection: good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has experienced a rise in the levels of disruptive behaviour from young people since the last inspection. This is partly due to changes in the group dynamics, coupled with the fact that there has been no registered manager in post since June 2017. A new manager was appointed in August 2017, and they submitted an application to register with Ofsted. However, the applicant has since notified Ofsted that they resigned from the post in November 2017. A senior member of staff from another home has been brought in as the interim manager.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the time of the last inspection, the manager was often on shift in the home due to gaps in the rota and the inexperience of the staff team. The residential service manager commented that staff retention continues to be problematic, with only two of the original staff team members still working in the home following the last inspection. This means that the young people are being looked after by a relatively new staff team. For Interim inspection report children’s home: 1232658 2 example, five of the staff only joined between October 2017 and January 2018. This means that they are still in the early stages of forming relationships with the young people and each other. The residential service manager said that they plan to bring some experienced staff across from another home, so that the more experienced staff can work alongside the newer staff. This will help to guide their practice and improve confidence when managing challenging behaviour.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

On occasions, the home has been chaotic, with young people at times refusing to adhere to the boundaries. Some young people have not always got along with each other positively and have colluded in anti-social behaviours that impact on the stability of the home. There have been instances of damage to the home, and staff have been subject to verbal and physical assault. At times, the staff have needed the support of the police in order to help them to manage young people’s behaviour. This places young people at risk of being criminalised.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have struggled to live alongside those young people who present with challenging and violent behaviours. A young person expressed their upset at staff time and attention being taken away from them to deal with other young people’s negative behaviours. They told the inspector, ‘This past year has been awful… there’s been lots of shouting and violence.’ This compromises young people’s right to live in a calm environment and impacts on their feelings of safety.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s educational outcomes vary. One young person who had one-to-one tutoring at the time of the last inspection is now in full-time education. This reflects the positive work undertaken between the home and educational professionals. However, another young person has refused to attend school since October 2017. Despite the home working with educational professionals, they have not yet found a solution to this situation. Another young person who recently moved to the home does not have any formal education in place. Staff provide some activites during the school day but much of the school day remains unstructured.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person feels unsupported and does not know who to turn to outside of the home. A key member of staff who they could talk to at school has left. This has left them feeling isolated. The young person told the inspector, ‘This is not a homely environment. I understand they have a job to do and care for us… it doesn’t feel like my home.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A shortfall in the care planning records has been identified. The interim manager could not locate the impact risk assessment for a young person new to the home. When he eventually located it, it was incomplete. This does not demonstrate that managers have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of young people. Furthermore, not all staff have signed the young person’s risk assessments as is required by the internal policy, to show that they have read and understood them. These shortfalls have the potential to impact on young people’s welfare and safety.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two recommendations made at the last inspection related to a young person who has since left the home. Sanction records, mostly, demonstrate that young people have been Interim inspection report children’s home: 1232658 3 spoken to about the measures imposed. Furthermore, the young person new to the home has been placed with the relevant local authority documentation to inform their care.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A social worker confirms that there is good communication between them and the home. The interim manager has escalated their concerns to a local authority in relation to the care planning for one young person. This indicates that staff strive to work in partnership with other agencies.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home does not demonstrate capacity for continued improvement at present. There needs to be a permanent manager in post, as well as a strong and stable staff team. This will ensure that consistent care practice is developed, which will help to improve the progress and experiences for young people.

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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, 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

Ensure that the provider employs individuals to work at the children’s home who have the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for their work. (Regulation 32 (3)(b)) 05/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard 11.—(1) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults. (Regulation 11) 05/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard 13.—(1) The leadership and management standard is that the 05/03/2018 Interim inspection report children’s home: 1232658 4 registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28,

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Recommendations

paragraph 5.15)  Staff should regularly remind children of their right to access an independent advocate, concerning any matter relevant to the child’s status as looked after. Independent advocates can support both the child and the home to seek redress of issues which affect them, such as lack of contact with their social worker, contact with family and leaving care grants, in addition to issues about their care within the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.17)  All children’s case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the Interim inspection report children’s home: 1232658 5 quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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. 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.

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Information about this inspection

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

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’.

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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

Michelle Bacon, social care inspector Interim inspection report children’s home: 1232658 6 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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