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

Inspection report children’s home: 2528516 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 privately run home provides care for up to six girls who have been subject to or are at risk of child exploitation. The home provides a compulsory therapeutic programme. This inspection is the first since the home’s registration.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 30 May 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2528516 2 Inspection report children’s home: 2528516 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11(2)(a)(i)(xii)) 02/12/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(vii)) 02/12/2019

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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—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 02/12/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2528516 4 each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(d)) 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—

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Requirement Due date

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)) 02/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)) 02/12/2019

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children can share all areas of home unless there are reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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improvement to be good

Since the home opened in May 2019, some of the children have had positive experiences. However, several aspects of the care require improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

In a six-month period, six children have been admitted. Of these six placements, three have broken down. The manager and staff established that they could not meet the needs of these children. The staff were unable to contain the children’s challenging behaviour. This resulted in the children experiencing unplanned endings.

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improvement to be good

Some of the staff have not worked in a children’s home before. Their lack of experience has led to inconsistent behaviour management. The staff have not routinely provided appropriate de-escalation strategies to reduce conflict. On occasion, the staff relied on police intervention to manage the children’s challenging behaviour. This has led to other Inspection report children’s home: 2528516 5 children at the home feeling unsafe.

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improvement to be good

The staff lock some rooms during the day. Therefore, the children do not have free access to all areas of the home. The rationale for locking these rooms is not assessed or recorded.

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improvement to be good

The children benefit from engagement in a well-researched therapeutic programme, which has reduced their exposure to sexual exploitation. Some children are making progress by beginning to recognise unsafe behaviours and understanding how to avoid harmful situations.

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improvement to be good

The staff are clear about the importance of education and encourage the children to take part in educational activities. The staff provide the children with in-house opportunities to learn. The manager is a strong advocate for the children and works well with professionals and nearby schools. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The manager is bending over backwards to secure education for [the child].’

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improvement to be good

Staff help the children to see their families, and understand the importance of maintaining these connections. The staff provide the children with a broad range of activities, including a recent trip to Disneyland Paris. They encourage the children to wash their clothes, cook and bake. These activities help the children to gain confidence in their ability to try new things, building the children’s self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

The issues relating to group dynamics have affected the children’s feelings of security and safety. The staff said that it had been a difficult time for both the staff and the children.

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improvement to be good

The management team has not dealt with two allegations made by the children. The managers did not refer the allegations to the designated officer. This reduced the capacity for the staff and associated professionals to keep the children safe. The management team has not implemented clear actions in response to the allegations or told the children how these allegations have been addressed. This failure has the potential to damage the trusting relationships that the children have built with the staff.

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improvement to be good

There are clear missing-from-home procedures for each child. When the children leave the home without permission, the staff encourage their safe return. Staff update the children’s risk assessments after each episode of children going missing. Placing authorities provide the children with return home welfare checks. This helps the children to feel safe and helps the staff to understand the children’s reasons for leaving the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager has worked effectively with other agencies to understand the risks relating to the location of the home, and she updates the location risk assessment as required. Inspection report children’s home: 2528516 6 Associated professionals were aware of the recent difficulties at the home. A social worker said, ‘There were errors with the referral process, but the staff have learned from this. The manager takes guidance well and builds on it.’

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

The manager has previous experience of residential childcare and holds a relevant level 5 diploma. However, poor decision-making and poor monitoring have resulted in the home being unstable and three children having to move on in an unplanned way.

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

The management team has failed to provide sufficient staffing levels. This has led to children not having the support that they required. As a result, a deprivation of liberty order that had been imposed to keep a child safe was not routinely adhered to.

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

The managerial monitoring is not good enough. Case records need updating, and the failure to follow safeguarding procedures had not been identified. Actions recommended by the independent visitor have not been addressed. The monitoring and oversight lack rigour. This has affected the quality of care provided.

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

The staff team respects the manager. The staff said that they are well led and managed. The manager provides effective supervision and support to the staff team.

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

The manager has a clear understanding of the progress that the children make. She makes time each month to take each child out. This improves relationships and gives children an opportunity to share their views with the manager. As a result, children feel a sense of worth and belonging.

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

The manager challenges other professionals when their responses are ineffective. The manager made a positive difference to one child by ensuring that family contact went ahead despite the obstacles that the manager faced. The children spoke affectionately about the manager and clearly enjoy being in her company. Inspection report children’s home: 2528516 7

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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: 2528516 8

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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, Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3GE

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Inspector

Lianne Bradford: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2528516 9 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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