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

Inspection report children’s home: 2539587 1 Registered provider: Compass Childrens Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to eight children aged between 10 and 17 years who may have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is experienced and is appropriately qualified for the role. She registered with Ofsted in March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 1 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2539587 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2539587 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive experiences while living in the home. They build exceptionally strong relationships with staff and these help them to form positive attachments. Staff support children to engage in a variety of activities, such as football and cycling. This helps children to develop trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. Children said that they ‘really like’ living at the home and that they can speak to staff if they feel sad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Living in this home helps children to develop their social skills. The in-house therapist delivers group sessions that support children to discuss their views and thoughts about current affairs and group living. The aim of these sessions is to unite the children. This approach gives children confidence and improves their self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children’s emotional well-being. The in-house therapist completes direct reflection work with the children about interpersonal skills, building confidence and self-awareness when in the community. This reflection work is important to the children. It makes them aware of their behaviours and how these may influence their own development and, at times, the development of others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend their routine health appointments. Staff encourage children to eat a healthy diet, take regular exercise and recognise the importance of looking after their physical and mental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a focus in the home. Staff work closely with teaching professionals to make sure that children’s schooling reflects their needs. This approach means that all children are making good progress, with some children now taking formal examinations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views, wishes and opinions heavily influence the design and decor of the home. Their bedrooms are personalised with pictures, posters and personal items. The home is in the process of being redecorated and, although some parts are not yet finished, it provides an environment that is modern, warm and welcoming for children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s risk assessments are easy to follow and provide staff with clear guidance to help them to manage and reduce the risk of harm to children. The registered manager and staff regularly review these risk assessments and update them following all incidents. This ensures that staff have the up-to-date information that they need to enable them to support children effectively and promote their safety. Inspection report children’s home: 2539587 4 Children’s bedroom doors all have alarms to monitor their movement during the night. Children living at the home do not present with risks that warrant the use of door alarms. This creates an institutionalised environment and is an unnecessary restriction for children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children rarely go missing from the home, but if they do, staff follow the protocols in place to ensure that the children are quickly and safely located. Following any incident of a child going missing, staff carry out one-to-one sessions with children about their welfare and safety. Nevertheless, they do not ensure that the placing authority completes the required ‘return home’ discussions within appropriate timescales.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are occasions when staff use physical restraint to protect children and others from the immediate risk of harm. Records of these incidents are detailed and informative. After each incident, the registered manager completes debrief sessions with children and staff. This gives children a chance to speak about how the physical restraint made them feel and to reflect on what may prevent a reoccurrence. For staff, this session is an opportunity to discuss any lessons learned and to share best practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager takes allegations from children seriously. She ensures that they are dealt with as swiftly as possible, informing children’s social workers and the designated officer for the local authority. Following the outcome, the registered manager adheres to company protocols, ensuring that there is minimal disruption to children’s care.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are no concerns with health and safety in the home. All checks are up to date and are signed off by managers through internal audits. This ensures that the children are living in a safe home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and well established in her role. She is actively involved in the running of the home and knows the progress that the children make. The registered manager is well thought of by other professionals, such as children’s social workers and independent reviewing officers. These professionals all praise her commitment to providing individual care and support for children and they comment on how this enables the children to make good progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that key professionals work together to support children. Care staff, key workers, therapists, managers and education staff hold regular meetings to discuss children’s current risks and care plans. The registered manager oversees these meetings to make sure that children’s care is consistent and meets their changing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the strengths of the service and the areas for development. The monitoring systems in place are effective and provide the Inspection report children’s home: 2539587 5 registered manager with a detailed oversight of the service. As a result, she is able to evaluate the effectiveness of children’s care and continues to review whether the service is meeting children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular formal supervision. This gives them the time and space to reflect on their practice and discuss the impact of the care they provide on outcomes for children. Regular team meetings and training further support these sessions and mean that staff are up to date with practice changes in children’s social care. Inspection report children’s home: 2539587 6

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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 registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)) 21 November

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 2539587 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Childrens 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jessica Middleton

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Inspector

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2539587 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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