Children's home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2523025 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

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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 owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children. Children may have faced adverse childhood experiences, trauma and placement and family breakdown.

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Information about this children’s home

A qualified and experienced registered manager is in post.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 November 2019

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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 good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2523025 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection since being registered with Ofsted in July 2019. Children have made progress in the short period of time that they have been living in the home. Staff respond to children in a nurturing, patient and caring way. This helps children feel supported and they settle quickly. Children enjoy where they live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children well and help them to make progress. One member of staff takes a child to see their family on a regular basis and attends all their review meetings, even on her days off. This provides consistency for the child and family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not currently attend school. However, since children have moved to the home, the registered manager has strongly advocated for them. Consequently, education placements have now been identified, and tutoring has been secured until children start school. Staff maintain a good daily routine to ensure that children are prepared when they start school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to become more independent and to develop life skills that will benefit them in the future. Children can cook basic meals and complete laundry tasks and are working towards going to the local shops by themselves. This helps them to develop confidence and promotes positive self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with children in a child-focused way to help them to understand some of their behaviours. The positive routines that staff promote help children to feel secure and give them a sense of stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff give children the opportunity to engage in a range of activities. There is an abundance of games for children to play with. The home is decorated to a high standard and provides children with a positive homely environment.

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

Safeguarding incidents are rare. When they do occur, staff and the registered manager demonstrate good safeguarding knowledge and act appropriately to keep children safe. Staff have the skills and training to manage self-injurious behaviour and act quickly when they need to. Consequently, children feel safe and are supported to manage their emotions.

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

The registered manager analyses why incidents happen and how children and staff can be supported to reduce further risks. This helps staff to consider and understand children’s needs, rather than focusing on their behaviours.

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

The registered manager and staff support children when they have disagreements with Inspection report children’s home: 2523025 3 each other. This work is effective, and relationships between the children have improved. Staff use physical interventions as a last resort and hold children for a minimal amount of time. Staff debriefs are very honest and reflective and improve future practice. Children are always consulted following a restraint and they share their views and feelings with staff.

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

Children have not gone missing from the home. However, staff are aware of how to respond should they need to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the children well and has a very good understanding of their needs and starting points. She is reflective and analytical and is supporting the staff team to develop a therapeutic style of parenting. The registered manager has a clear vision for the home. She is focused on ensuring that children get the best possible care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is developing a consistent approach in the home. As well as children having clear boundaries, the registered manager has set clear expectations for the staff team. This provides children with consistent responses from the staff who care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a strong advocate for children. She challenges other professionals so that children get the best possible care and receive the services that they are entitled to. This supports children’s future progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through regular supervision. They are well trained and have the skills that they need to meet the needs of the children that they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has effective monitoring systems. These help her to review the service, develop practice and identify patterns and trends. Children are regularly consulted. This allows them to feel listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff consider children’s cultural needs and how these should be supported. In addition, a member of staff has given the children an insight into his own culture and religious beliefs. This helps children to understand differences and respect different religions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has positive relationships with social workers. She keeps them well informed. This is vital when children are placed outside of the area where their families live. Inspection report children’s home: 2523025 4

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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: 2523025 5

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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

Lisa O’Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2523025 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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