Children's Home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Solihull

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232657 1

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Compass Children’s Homes Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children whose adverse childhood experiences can lead to them exhibiting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since 17 September 2019. The current manager took up post on 10 November 2020. She has applied to register with Ofsted and her application is currently being processed.

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This monitoring visit

The home was last inspected in May 2019. Since this time, the home has had five managers.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted did not carry out a physical visit to the home. The inspector gathered evidence in several different ways, including talking to the manager, the responsible individual, staff and children. Managers were also asked to provide documents electronically for the inspector to review.

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This monitoring visit

There are currently four children living in the home. One child has lived at the home for nearly two years and the remaining three children have moved into the home in the last five months.

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This monitoring visit

Children are cared for by a staff team that takes pride in children’s achievements. This positive regard enables children to make progress in all aspects of their lives.

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This monitoring visit

Staff support children to stay in touch with people who are important to them. This has been important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when children have not always been able to visit their family. Staff have assisted children to make telephone and video calls. When visits have been possible, staff have travelled long distances to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232657 2 enable children to see their family. This proactive approach recognises the importance of these links for children who live away from their family.

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This monitoring visit

Staff provide children with clear boundaries and expectations. As a result, children show improved patterns of behaviour, and incidents have reduced over time.

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This monitoring visit

The home has experienced a period of inconsistent day-to-day management and staff changes. Despite staff working hard to minimise the impact of these changes on the children, there have been occasions when staff morale has been low.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments are not always up to date and do not capture all known risks. Consequently, staff do not have accurate information about how to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not ensured that staff receive all required training to reflect their role. For example, only one member of staff holds a level three qualification relevant to residential childcare. This leaves nine members of staff without this qualification. Although some staff are working towards the award, managers have been too slow in implementing plans when members of staff have gone over the set timescale for achieving the award. In addition, staff have not received training that is relevant to the individual needs of the children. This leaves staff without some of the essential knowledge and skills that they require to respond to children’s individual needs.

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This monitoring visit

Inconsistency in management oversight of children’s records has resulted in some records not having all relevant information.

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This monitoring visit

Managers ensure that staff receive regular supervision. However, records of these meetings do not always include key information, including agreed actions. This creates a missed opportunity to improve practice and support staff’s development.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/05/2019 Full Good 12/12/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232657 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 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—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers ensuring that risk assessments consistently contain all relevant information and are regularly updated to reflect new and emerging risks. 12 March 2021

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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

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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 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’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers ensuring that staff receive training that reflects the individual needs of the children who live in the home. 12 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232657 4 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers ensuring that staff complete the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. 12 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232657 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff supervision records contain sufficient detail. This should include details of the actions and outcomes of these meetings. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that records contain sufficient detail to enable the reader to gain a full understanding of the relevant event. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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, Off Squirrel Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3GE

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Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232657 6 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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