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 Ltd 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 that is registered to provide care and accommodation for three children who have problematic sexualised behaviour. At the time of the inspection, there was no registered manager at the home.

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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 managers requires improvement to be 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: 15 October 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children‘s home: 1247764 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2018 Full Good 26/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report children‘s home: 1247764 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, 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that–

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1), (2)(h)) 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16(3)(a)) 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained–

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b), (5)(a)) 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

ensure that they maintain in the home the records relating to 31/10/2019 Inspection report children‘s home: 1247764 4 Schedule 4. (Regulation 37(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to having a copy of the staff duty roster of the persons working at the home, their full names and the hours worked. The registered person must notify, without delay, the local authority for the area in which the children’s home is located of every admission of a child into the home and every discharge of a child from the home. (Regulation 41(1)) 31/10/2019

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report children‘s home: 1247764 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is providing good individual care for children through extensive joint work between the home, the therapy team and school. Staff work closely with the therapist, who is based at the home. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children’s emotional needs. As a result, children are beginning to engage with staff and other adults to improve their emotional health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are beginning to develop trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. This supports children to improve their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care staff work closely with school and the therapy team to successfully promote children’s education. They recognise children’s achievements and use rewards to good effect. As a result, children who have historically struggled to attend school are making significant improvements in their attendance and engaging well in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. It is well decorated and maintained. Children are encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings through individual discussions with adults at the home. Children personalise their bedroom to their own choosing. For example, one child does not want a wardrobe in his bedroom and has opted to have shelving built instead. This ensures that children develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a good range of activities. This includes trips to the cinema, going for walks and playing pool. One child has recently been to Harry Potter World in London. As a result, children grow in confidence and self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to move into the home and leave in a planned way. Children are able to visit the home and speak with managers and staff before they move in. When they leave, the staff support them well to ensure that their move is a positive experience for them. This helps children to feel cared for and helps them to settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placing social workers speak highly of the care that the home provides and the progress that their children are making, often in a very short time. One placing social worker commented: ‘Hearing he is engaging with staff is making me emotional. It is amazing, and I am excited for his future.’

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

Staff have a good understanding of the risks that children face. Children’s risk assessments are accurate and regularly updated. This ensures that staff are clear about the measures that they need to adopt to safeguard children.

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

Children do not regularly go missing. When this does happen, staff follow ‘missing’ protocols swiftly to ensure that they are found and returned safely to the home. Staff Inspection report children‘s home: 1247764 6 talk to children when they return to ensure that they are safe and well. However, children do not have the opportunity to talk to someone independent of the home when they return. This represents a missed opportunity for children to freely express any concerns that they may have and to uncover information that can help to understand the risks associated with them going missing.

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

Care staff, school teachers and therapy staff use rewards effectively to promote positive behaviour through daily medals table and points systems. As a result, children’s behaviour improves significantly from when they first move into the home. Consequently, the need for staff to physically restrain children has decreased. Physical interventions, when used, are conducted appropriately and safely.

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

Recruitment practice ensures that everyone employed at the home is safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager left the home in June 2019. A new manager was employed, but they resigned just prior to this inspection. Senior managers have been supporting the home since June and have been proactive in recruiting a new manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The management oversight of the home has not been effective. The manager has not informed the local authority in which the home is located of the children moving into the home. This means that the local authority may not be aware of any concerns regarding the children in their area and be able to act to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Health and safety checks have not always been conducted in line with the home’s policies and procedures. Poor management oversight meant that for one week all the health and safety checks at the home were missed. This has now been rectified, and regular checks are taking place to ensure that the home is safe for children to live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff rotas are not accurate, as they do not list the names of the staff who provide cover in times of sickness or holidays. As a result, they do not give an accurate reflection of who has been working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home’s statement of purpose accurately describes the function of the home and those working at the home, however it inaccurately states the numbers of children that it can accommodate. This gives a misleading impression to those looking to place children at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff team is consistent. Staff receive regular supervision and feel supported. Staff meet regularly with therapists and education staff as part of the stepping forward programme to discuss both children’s progress and their own practice. This is effective and supports the work that staff conduct with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Training programmes are tailored to the specific needs of the children. Staff receive extensive training in problematic sexual behaviours, as well as core training that reflects Inspection report children‘s home: 1247764 7 children’s needs. However, only one staff member has obtained the required qualification in childcare. Moreover, one member of staff has not obtained this qualification within the necessary timescale. Managers have now enrolled all staff on the course to ensure that they all gain the necessary expertise to care for children as soon as is practicable. Inspection report children‘s home: 1247764 8

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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 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.

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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 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sue Young, social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: 1247764 10 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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