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

Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 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 children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for three children who have learning disabilities. A new manager has been at the home since November 2019 and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. She is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 December 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

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/09/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(viii)(x)) 31/01/2020

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child 31/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 4 protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 31/12/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 31/01/2020

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 5  The children’s guide must be made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home if the placement is made in an emergency) and must be age appropriate, provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure they understand it. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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improvement to be good

The progress of children in the home has not been consistent. Some children have developed good independence skills that have enabled them to successfully transition into adult life. Other children are not attending full-time school and not having their educational needs met. This means children are not being able to fulfil their potential.

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improvement to be good

The matching and compatibility of children in the home is not satisfactory. There has not been adequate consideration of children’s individual needs or how their learning disabilities may impact on each other. Some children have had their placements ended early as the home was unable to keep them safe and meet their needs. As a result, children have experienced unnecessary moves.

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improvement to be good

The quality of relationships between children and members of staff has not been consistent. Children struggle to form close relationships with some staff who work on a sessional basis in the home. This impacts on children’s ability to develop in self- confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Staff communicate with children using communication tools individual to them. However, this practice is not embedded. The children’s guide is not available to children in ways that are meaningful to them. This means children may not have a clear understanding of where they are living or of the expectations of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to stay in touch with their families. As a result, children can rebuild relationships with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in a range of activities both inside and out of the home, including playing football and going ice skating.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding concerns have not always been managed appropriately by staff, and there are ongoing investigations into staff practice and failures to report concerns. Managers have started to put processes in place to strengthen staff understanding of safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures. Managers plan to enhance staff understanding of safer Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 6 caring with a series of workshops to supplement safeguarding training.

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improvement to be good

Children currently living in the home do not regularly go missing. When children have previously gone missing, staff have acted appropriately to ensure that they are found and returned safe and well to the home.

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improvement to be good

Appropriate 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

There have been significant changes in management and staff since the last inspection. The new manager is clear that the home is on a journey of improvement. Managers have reflected on shortfalls. They have identified areas where staff practice needs to improve and have developed systems to strengthen management oversight.

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

Recent placements have compromised the identity of the home as a home for children with learning difficulties. Managers are developing a detailed matching process that will ensure that children are living in a home that can meet their specific needs.

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

There are an insufficient number of core staff to meet the needs of the children in the home. Consequently, the home is utilising a high number of sessional staff. This has led to inconsistency for children. There has been little explanation to children when staff have left, which has meant that children have been left confused and anxious.

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

There is a wide range of internal training for staff tailored to the specific needs of the children. However, few staff have obtained the required qualification in childcare. Although managers have ensured that staff are enrolled on the course, children are being cared for by staff who do not have the necessary expertise to care for children.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 7 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 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

Sue Young, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1254840 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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