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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2587047 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

This home provides care and accommodation for up seven children who may be experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. There is currently no registered manager in post.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was registered in May 2020. It has not had a full inspection. A monitoring visit was undertaken following recent notifications. Furthermore, the home has had several management changes.

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This monitoring visit

Since the home opened, leadership and management have been inconsistent. The registered manager resigned from her post shortly after appointment to take on another role within the company. There is currently no registered manager for the home. This has created some instability in the day-to-day management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Notifications to Ofsted have not been sent in a timely manner. Some documents have not been updated to reflect current concerns, for example risk assessments for young people who are missing. The impact of illness due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) has also had a direct effect on the home. Managers recognise that it has been a turbulent and unsettling time for the home and that some children may have felt let down.

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This monitoring visit

The care plan for one child has been challenging to manage, and she has had frequent missing episodes out of the area. This is highlighted by the geography and differing views between police authorities. Consequently, effective safeguards to keep her safe have been difficult to implement. This is important for those children Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2587047 2 who are at risk of child sexual exploitation and are frequently missing. Staff were able to carry out frequent spot checks and were in daily contact with the child at the place where she was staying. Although the child told the inspector that she felt let down by staff, this contact helped to maintain positive relationships between the child and the staff.

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This monitoring visit

Children who have a history of child criminal exploitation are not fully safeguarded. Lack of detailed care planning between the placing authority and the home meant that one child had unsupervised time in the community for several hours. Although this was addressed in key work sessions, there was no clear action plan determining how to reduce missing episodes for this child.

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This monitoring visit

The child admitted to smoking cannabis since the start of his placement. Cultural norms around cannabis smoking should be challenged to ensure the health and safety of children. Key work sessions did address cannabis smoking but lacked a clear action plan on how to reduce risks associated with drug misuse. Realistic expectations of placements should be carefully considered for children who have a reunification plan home to their placing authority and family.

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This monitoring visit

Generally, social workers and professionals reported good working relationships with the manager and staff from the home. Staff liaise with the police and attend multi- agency meetings. All children are encouraged to attend education. When necessary, staff support children to attend medical appointments.

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This monitoring visit

Regulation 44 reports continue to provide an independent review and monitoring of the home. However, leaders and managers have failed to complete a six-monthly review of the quality of care provided to children.

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Recent inspection history

This is the home’s first inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2587047 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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 protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. 30 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2587047 4 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 30 April 2021

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 30 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2587047 5 manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission; or

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Requirement Due date

the child requests a review of the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(e)(i)(ii)(iii)) The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 30 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2587047 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2587047 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jessica Middleton

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Inspector

Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2587047 8 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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