Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 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 home is operated by a private company and was registered in November 2017. The statement of purpose states that the home provides a residential therapeutic community which provides high-quality care and substitute parenting for children who display problematic behaviour. The organisation operates a registered school on the same site.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 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: 15 January 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following a monitoring visit to the home on 12 December 2019, Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation notice and one compliance notice. At a follow-up monitoring visit on 23 January 2020, the compliance notice was judged to be met and the restriction of accommodation notice was lifted. Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/07/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 3

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improvement to be good

Children generally make good progress and have a positive day-to-day experience at the home. However, significant shortfalls in the standard of safeguarding practice and the quality of leadership and management, first identified in November and December 2019, have not yet been fully addressed. Consequently, there is the potential for children’s emotional development and well-being to be compromised.

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improvement to be good

Children form positive relationships with the staff and develop a strong sense of belonging. Many children remain at the home for extended periods and complete their planned programme of therapeutic intervention. A strength of the home is that children’s therapeutic plans can be adapted to address children’s emerging needs as they change over time. Despite this good practice, the inspector identified examples of unprofessional conduct by some staff members and this undermines the generally positive experiences that benefit the children.

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improvement to be good

All the children at the home engage positively with their education arrangements. This is a significant achievement and is partly attributable to the support and encouragement that they receive from the staff. The registered manager takes a proactive approach to supporting children’s education and liaises effectively with education professionals. Practical steps, such as providing support staff for children placed in external educational establishments, are indicative of the importance placed on educational achievement.

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improvement to be good

There are arrangements in place to ensure that children have opportunities to express their views on how the home is run and the standard of care that they are receiving. However, this commitment to ensuring that children are consulted and kept informed is not consistently implemented. One young person had not been informed that his moving on date was being postponed, and another child did not have a clear understanding of the outcome from a complaint he had made. On one occasion, a children’s community meeting was called after a child had made an allegation against a member of staff. This was not an appropriate forum in which to discuss these matters.

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improvement to be good

Most children have made good progress in managing conflict and, overall, peer relationships in the home are positive. One child, however, spoke about feeling unsafe because of the behaviours displayed by one of his peers. Although the situation is improving, there have been recent incidents when the safety of children in the home has been compromised by the challenging behaviour that has been presented.

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improvement to be good

The physical and mental health needs of children are understood, well documented and acted on by the staff. A healthy lifestyle is promoted through activities such as helping children to prepare a balanced diet and engaging them in local community activities, within the restrictions of their risk management plans. Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 4

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improvement to be good

In November and December 2019, significant concerns regarding the safeguarding culture and practice in the home became apparent. A monitoring visit undertaken by Ofsted in December 2019 resulted in enforcement action being taken. A follow-up monitoring visit undertaken in January 2020 established that leaders and managers had taken effective steps to meet the requirements of the enforcement action. Consultation had taken place with both internal and external safeguarding professionals and a detailed action plan to improve the safeguarding culture and practice was being implemented.

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improvement to be good

Despite the level of work and commitment shown by leaders and managers to ensure that children are safe in the home, the changes that have been made are not yet fully embedded in practice. During the weekend prior to this inspection taking place, some staff demonstrated poor judgement in their interactions with children. This compromised the ethos and therapeutic model of intervention which is in place to address the problematic behaviour of children living at the home. Staff also failed to follow the home’s reporting procedures when a child subsequently made an allegation against a member of staff.

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improvement to be good

In one case, the standard of recording a safeguarding incident was poor. The reports relating to the events referred to above were not an accurate reflection of the incidents that took place and did not convey the seriousness of these events. A social worker spoken to during this inspection expressed a similar view. The content of the reports indicates a lack of professional curiosity regarding the potential for staff practice being detrimental to the safety and well-being of the children.

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improvement to be good

Other aspects of safeguarding practice are stronger. Some children have developed positive, trusting relationships with members of staff and these have become a strong protective factor. Children have been able to acknowledge and reflect on their problematic behaviours. This has been a significant factor in helping them to reduce the level of risk that they present to their peers in the home and in their local community.

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improvement to be good

The staff are familiar with the risks that children may face when they go missing and when they are accessing the internet. Children rarely go missing from the home. Strong and effective protocols for responding to children who go missing are implemented in practice and this ensures that children are returned safely to the home at the earliest opportunity. The children engage positively with interventions designed to increase their awareness of online safety. Some children have been able to circumnavigate the systems that are in place to prevent them accessing inappropriate online material. When this has occurred, there has been a strong, multi-disciplinary approach to supporting the child to reduce the potential for them to come to harm.

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improvement to be good

Each child has a detailed behaviour management plan that takes account of the child’s individual needs. The plans reflect the advice and guidance given by the professionals working with the child, and this ensures that a consistent approach is Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 5 taken to managing negative behaviour. Physical interventions are only used in accordance with statutory guidance, and the majority of children at the home have not been restrained since the last full inspection that took place in July 2018.

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good

Leaders and managers have undertaken a significant amount of work to address the shortfalls that were identified by Ofsted in December 2019. This has included a detailed analysis of how and why a culture developed where some children were placed at risk due to the inappropriate practice of some members of staff. Effective action has been taken to ensure that the staff now working at the home do not pose a risk to the children and that staff learning needs are clearly identified. The home’s policies and procedures have been reviewed and this has resulted in changes to practice with the intention of identifying emerging concerns at the earliest opportunity. As a result, there are early indications of some improvement in the overall safeguarding culture.

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good

The learning needs and professional development of the management team have been identified and there are plans for how these will be met. However, there are still some weaknesses in the leadership and management of the home. One senior manager contributed to the overall poor response to the recent safeguarding incidents, referred to earlier in this report. The management team has not yet ensured that the therapeutic ethos, described in the home’s statement of purpose, consistently underpins day-to-day practice and the overall physical environment. For example, an unsuitable poster was seen in one child’s bedroom. The registered manager acknowledged that this poster, while newly displayed, was not something that he considered suitable.

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good

Work has been undertaken to improve the home’s quality of care monitoring systems. Some new processes have been introduced as a result of the management investigation into poor practice. These include a ‘practice concern log’ introduced to monitor any emerging low-level concerns regarding staff practice in the home. Measures have also been taken to raise staff members’ awareness of whistle- blowing procedures. Despite these positive developments, monitoring systems are not yet consistently utilised to ensure that the strategies for preventing children coming to harm are fully implemented.

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good

There is a strong focus on preparing young people for semi-independence. A flexible approach is taken to moving young people on when they reach their 18th birthday. Young people aged 18 may remain at the home temporarily if their accommodation arrangements have not been finalised. However, there is no policy or guidelines for staff to follow when managing these situations. Consideration has not been given to consulting and informing all relevant agencies when a young adult is temporarily residing at the home.

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good

Leaders and managers have taken positive steps to support staff during a challenging period at the home. Staff receive good-quality supervision within the timeframe specified in the home’s statement of purpose. They can also consult Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 6 members of the therapy team for additional guidance on how best to meet the needs of the children. Focused training is being provided to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to raise the standard of safeguarding practice. However, the staff team is not yet working collaboratively and there is insufficient challenge when members of the team fail to act in accordance with the policies, procedures and therapeutic model which is meant to underpin practice at the home.

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good

There are well-established systems for recording children’s progress. Children’s individual case files clearly specify the goals that children are working towards. The files are well organised and regularly updated. This ensures that a child’s progress over time can be easily tracked. This benefits the care planning process and ensures that children’s placing authorities are kept well informed. Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 7

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(vi)(vii) This is with particular reference to ensuring that written accounts of child protection concerns are an accurate reflection of the incident, and that staff act in accordance with the home’s child protection policy and report safeguarding concerns in a timely way. 20/04/2020

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(h) This is with particular reference to ensuring that the physical environment complements the home’s therapeutic model of care, that staff practice does not compromise the children’s 20/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 8

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Requirement Due date

sense of well-being, and that monitoring systems are used to ensure that strategies to prevent children coming to harm are consistently applied in practice.

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Recommendations

 Staff should have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. Staff should understand that they have a responsibility to observe, notice and respond to children who are expressing their views, acknowledging that it is not the sole responsibility of the child to ‘tell’. They should also understand how children might communicate their feelings through their behaviour, or non- verbally especially where the child has a disability which does not allow them to communicate as others might. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10) This is with specific reference to providing children with information regarding future plans and how their concerns are being responded to.  Regulation 11(2) sets out the expectations on staff in building a positive

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Recommendations

relationship with each child and helping the child develop skills to have positive relationships with others. ‘Others’ includes individuals both inside and outside the home such as other children in the home, staff, family members, siblings, previous carers and friends (in accordance with their relevant plans). The care planning standard (page 55) provides further detail in respect of contact with parents, relatives and friends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6) This is with particular reference to ensuring that children do not feel unsafe as a result of negative peer relationships.  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative.

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Recommendations

There should be clear lines of accountability. Each home must have clear arrangements in place to maintain effective management when the manager is absent, off duty or on leave. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) This is with particular reference to ensuring that there is a policy and guidelines for staff to follow when planning and caring for young people who temporarily remain in the home beyond their 18th birthday. Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 9

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 1263129 10

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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, Squirrel Way, Off Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3GE

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Inspector

Stephen Collett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1263129 11 to 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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