Children's home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2497156 1

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Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people with a variety of complex needs and who are aged seven to 17 years old.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. However, he has recently submitted his application to voluntary cancel his registration with Ofsted and is due to leave this role on 12 February 2021. The company has appointed an interim manager to lead the home while it completes the recruitment process to appoint another manager.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out due to concerns raised by the independent visitor that staff have been unable to prevent children causing harm to each other. Furthermore, children have made allegations about staff following incidents and there are concerns about the physical environment and level of damage to the home.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted completed a risk assessment and made the decision to visit the home. Ofsted last inspected the home in February 2020 at an interim inspection, when the home was judged to have sustained effectiveness; at the home’s first inspection in 2019, it was judged to be good.

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This monitoring visit

There are currently three children living in the home. Since the last inspection, two children have left and one child has moved into the home. These moves were planned and the transition periods for children were managed effectively.

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This monitoring visit

There is a consistent staff team in the home and there is a current recruitment process in place to cover vacancies. Staff work hard to develop and maintain supportive relationships with children. Inspectors observed staff supporting children Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2497156 2 with their education and engaging in activities with children during the visit. As a result, children develop strong and trusting relationships with staff. Staff support children to attend school and engage with their learning. Where children have not had a school place, staff and managers have worked with external professionals to secure an appropriate school place. An external professional informed inspectors that she was really pleased with how staff support one child’s learning.

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This monitoring visit

The national lockdown has resulted in children having restrictions imposed on their everyday lives. Staff report that this period is difficult for children and this has led to an increase in incidents in the home. To counter this, staff have been creative and introduced activities to engage children. For example, a ping-pong table has been created in the home, and one child informed the inspectors that he was the ‘ping- pong champion’. In addition, staff have used the time to support children to identify and plan for life for when restrictions are removed. One child informed the inspectors that she had been accepted into the police cadets and will start in April 2021. This means that children feel valued.

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This monitoring visit

While some parts of the home are homely and personalised, this is not consistently the case. Many areas of the home are damaged and have not been repaired effectively. Furthermore, there have been some delays in getting the work completed. However, the management team is taking action to address this and there is now a plan in place to ensure the work is completed promptly.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have managed some significant incidents with children well. The registered manager has also ensured that reflection has taken place to identify areas where practice can be improved. However, during other incidents, the behaviour management strategies used by staff have been inappropriate. On one occasion, staff offered financial rewards to a child to manage physical aggression. Furthermore, staff failed to intervene or respond effectively to safeguard a child when in distress. Consequently, this led to a member of staff receiving significant injuries and the police being called to the home. On another occasion, staff have used physical restraint to manage children’s behaviour. These measures were used as a last resort and to keep children safe. However, the staff involved had not received training in physical restraint practice and, consequently, the actions taken were ineffective. These shortfalls have impacted on the safety of children in the

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, there have been bullying incidents between children. Staff explained to inspectors the strategies they use to prevent children from harming each other. For example, staff have completed key-work sessions and have held direct discussions with children. These have helped children to understand the impact of their behaviour and learn from incidents. The inspectors found that these strategies were also recorded in children’s risk assessments. This approach has ensured that incidents between children have reduced. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2497156 3 Some management oversight and monitoring systems used are satisfactory. However, there are shortfalls in the recording of key incidents which have not been addressed or identified by the registered manager. Senior leaders have recognised these shortfalls and have a plan in place to improve leadership and management in

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has not submitted an up-to-date version of the home’s statement of purpose to Ofsted. The statement of purpose has failed to include details of the experience and qualifications of staff working in the home. This compromises the reader from having accurate information about the staff working in the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 28/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2497156 4

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to damage to the environment and furniture in the home. 17 March 2021

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the actions staff are required to take when safeguarding children who are distressed. 17 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2497156 5 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff training and reference to an incident when staff took part in a physical restraint despite not having received any form of training. This also relates to shortfalls in management oversight of training records, incident reports and assessment of risk in a child’s impact assessment. 17 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the fact that no information highlighting the experience and qualifications of staff was included in the home’s statement of purpose. 24 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2497156 6

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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 Ltd

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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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Inspectors

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2497156 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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