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

Inspection report children’s home: 1247765 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited

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Interim 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

Judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be 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

Some areas of the home have been redecorated. However, the overall condition of the home is poor. For example, the young people’s bathroom floor is dirty, the bathroom sink is missing a tap, and there is no soap or hand towels to enable young people to wash and dry their hands. There is no evidence that carpets throughout the house have been vacuumed for some time. There are no curtains or blinds in the lounge window and the windows have not been cleaned. Despite these shortfalls being raised by inspectors to the management team during the inspection, no action was taken by the staff on duty or managers to improve the standard of cleanliness or safety of the environment. One young person’s bed was found by inspectors to be unsafe. This was the only area made safe during the inspection. These shortfalls detract from young people having a homely and safe environment in which to live. Staff do not have a shared understanding of the well-being of young people and are not

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inspection report children’s home: 1247765 2 always successful in working together to achieve positive outcomes. For example, inspectors heard a member of staff raising her voice in the presence of a young person and said, ‘If you do that to me, you will get it straight back.’ This went unchallenged until inspectors requested that a senior member of staff investigated. Ofsted has ensured that the local authority’s designated officer was made aware of these concerns. One staff member has not obtained the required level 3 qualification in residential childcare within the regulatory timescale. Other staff are within the regulatory timeframe, but are still to finish their level 3 diploma in residential childcare. As a result, the confidence and competence of the staff is variable. A total lack of joined-up working within the management team has meant that opportunities to improve staff practice and to safeguard young people have been

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

significantly missed. For example, one young person told the inspector that she felt scared due to the behaviour demonstrated by another young person living at the home. Ofsted is aware that there have been times when the young person has felt it necessary to call the police in fear for her own and staff safety. Levels of damage to the property from one young person have been significant, resulting in multiple windows being broken, showing aggression and seriously assaulting staff. These incidents have required the assistance of the police. When the impact of these incidents on the young person was discussed with the registered manager, he responded by saying, ‘She’s never been physically harmed.’ This demonstrates a lack of understanding about the young person’s emotional well-being. As a result, her well-being has been significantly compromised by these experiences. One young person has raised a complaint about a member of staff. However, the

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

complaint procedure has not been followed and this has resulted in inconsistencies. For example, the timeline of events does not match up with the complaint, there is no evidence that the young person’s concerns were addressed with the member of staff, or if the young person was satisfied with the outcome of their complaint. This shows a total lack of regard to the voice of the child and how the staff promote the young person’s rights to express concerns. Management oversight of paperwork designed to keep young people safe is poor. For example, incident and physical restraint reports lack important details and do not correspond with the young person’s risk assessments. Furthermore, staff have not ensured that risk assessments contain all known risks. There have also been occasions when the staff have failed to follow young people’s safeguarding plans. For example, staff have failed to follow set expectations over staffing levels. On one occasion, this lack

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

of accountability resulted in young people going missing from home. Senior managers within the organisation have recognised some of the shortfalls and have brought in additional support. However, given the number of concerns, the opportunity to start to make changes is at the very early stage. Inspection report children’s home: 1247765 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good

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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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(2)(c)(i)) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) 07/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the 30/03/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1247765 4 children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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(1)(a)(b)(2)(f)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to demonstrate that practice in the home is

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Requirement Due date

informed and improved by taking into account and acting on feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(g) (ii)) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the level 3 diploma for residential childcare or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)) 30/03/2018

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1247765 5 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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Inspectors

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Tracey Coglan Greig, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1247765 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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