Children's Home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report children’s home: SC483220 1 SC483220 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 home is a residential therapeutic community which provides high-quality care for up to five children or young people, aged between 10 and 17, who have problematic sexualised behaviour. A fundamental objective of the home is to provide intensive, therapeutic personalised care and education.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the service was employed by the organisation in April 2018. She has a wealth of experience of caring for and supporting children and young people in residential care and education settings. This includes appropriate leadership experience. The manager has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management of residential childcare settings. She has applied to Ofsted for registration.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 10 October 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC483220 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2017 Full Outstanding 06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/06/2016 Full Good 15/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC483220 3

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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, the 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 registered person must ensure that ─

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Requirement Due date

Within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes ─

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration.

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Requirement Due date

Within five 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)(a)(iv)(c)) 30/09/2018

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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. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, this refers to completing the tiling in the kitchen and to replacing or repairing the stair carpet, also to continuing with the ongoing repair and maintenance work in two of the bedrooms in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people are provided with a high standard of care from a stable and nurturing staff team. Young people have developed close relationships with the staff team and this has contributed to helping them to feel secure. One young person said: ‘I can’t fault the Inspection report children’s home: SC483220 4 staff here. They are all very caring.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people at the home engage in regular therapeutic support. This helps them to regulate their emotions in a safe way and improves their emotional well-being and life chances significantly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person has created a short film about therapy, for other young people who are new to the home. The young person said: ‘After a few sessions you get the hang of it. You start to realise that it changes your life because you manage hard situations and know when to get help. It changes your anger and gives you strategies, so you don’t lash out.’ Because of living in this home, this young person has made exceptional progress. He is in a healthy, positive relationship with an appropriate peer and is being supported to move on to a semi-independent living arrangement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people with a history of disruption to their education have been helped to return to education routines and reach their full potential. Leaders of the home have been proactive in working with other agencies to overcome any barriers to learning. Some young people have recently passed examinations in core subjects. One young person has passed his first year of a college course. This is excellent progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people are supported to engage in positive, structured activities in the community. They enjoy regular outings with the staff. For example, one young person has keen interests in agriculture, nature and aviation. The staff team tailors outings with him to suit his individual interests and to encourage aspiration in these fields of work. This practice helps to provide the young people with a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One young person attended a regular youth group in the community which aims to provide support with issues related to gender and sexuality. It has enabled the young person to develop a positive view of his own identity. This has improved his relationships with peers and has increased his confidence and ability to socialise in the community. This young person has made outstanding progress. The local authority is seeking an appropriate foster family to continue to care for him until he reaches adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people influence the care that they receive in the home through regular consultation and house meetings. Each fortnight, leaders of the home have a meal alone with the young people. This provides a direct avenue for matters to be discussed and resolved and for young people to shape the service they receive from the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff ensure that young people can have meaningful contact with their families. They work closely with parents and carers to provide consistency of care for young people. One parent said: ‘The staff are amazing. The communication is fantastic. I can speak to [name of young person] anytime. This has been a terribly anxious time for me, but I know he couldn’t be in a better place.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is modern, comfortable and welcoming. There is an ongoing programme of maintenance and repair. A recommendation is made to ensure that the tiling in the kitchen is completed and the stair carpet is repaired or replaced. There are two Inspection report children’s home: SC483220 5 bedrooms that also require further maintenance and redecoration.

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

The young people at the home said that they feel safe. Parents and placing authorities agree that safety is a high priority at the home.

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

The manager of the home took an appropriate course of action to safeguard one young person who was going missing from the home. Leaders worked with other professionals to implement a range of strategies to prevent further occurrences. One professional said: ‘I feel the staff have excelled in their ability to manage a crisis. They have been proactive in convening emergency meetings and doing front-line work.’

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

The young people are helped to reflect on their behaviour through qualitative key-work sessions and a consistent approach to sanctions and rewards. Sanctions have become more restorative in nature and encourage the young people to take responsibility for their actions.

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

Risk assessments are comprehensive. There are effective behaviour management and preventative strategies for the staff to follow. On occasions, the staff have physically intervened to keep children and young people safe and to prevent injury to others. However, the records of restraint do not always evidence a full description of the measure used or sufficient detail to demonstrate that a debrief has been completed with the young person.

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

One young person has a history of being at risk of sexual exploitation. Leaders and staff have taken appropriate action to complete a multi-agency risk assessment. The staff team has undertaken direct and therapeutic work with the young person, using a variety of resources. This has helped him to understand the risks to his safety and the basis of healthy relationships.

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

The physical environment in the home is regularly checked for hazards. There are stringent fire safety arrangements in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager left the organisation in February 2018. A new manager was appointed and started her role in April 2018. The deputy manager has provided competent leadership and management of the home throughout this transitional period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has accessed a wide range of training and the organisation provides regular opportunities for professional development, supervision and support. This provides the staff team members with the knowledge and skills they need to perform their roles to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff enjoy working at the home. They feel well supported. The team attends regular meetings which include clinical input from an in-house therapist. This provides Inspection report children’s home: SC483220 6 the team members with opportunities to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care planning processes are effective and regularly reviewed. The leadership team meets regularly with the organisation’s education and therapeutic service partners. Leaders make good use of this opportunity to promote consistency of care and share best practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders are committed to continuous monitoring and evaluation of the service. Young people, their families and partner agencies are encouraged to provide regular feedback. This has contributed to securing outstanding developmental progress for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Placing authority partners have provided highly positive feedback about the level of care provided at this home. One social worker said: ‘I believe your efforts have helped [name of young person] to develop a great deal and are responsible for his positive attitude towards his new placement and the effort he has made in all aspects of his life.’

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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

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: SC483220 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 Squirrel Way Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3GE

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Inspector

Nicola Thomas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC483220 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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