Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd in Hampshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2570071 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home registered in February 2020. It provides care and accommodation for up to six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home provides single-gender occupancy only. It is one of several children’s homes owned by this nationwide organisation.

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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

The manager registered with Ofsted on 26 February 2020.

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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

Date of last inspection: not applicable.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2570071 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first inspection the home has received.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children who are currently in the home are making good progress. They are well supported by a friendly and consistent staff team. Staff have a very good understanding of children’s individual needs and provide consistent care in accordance with their individual plans. As a result, children settle well in this home. One social worker said, ‘It is early days for him (the child), but I have faith that he will make significant progress as he has already settled well.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with children and with the other adults involved in their lives. Children are supported to maintain positive, safe relationships with their families and friends. A social worker said, ‘Staff recently welcomed the child’s mum on a visit to the placement and made her feel very welcome indeed.’ Staff understand the importance of these relationships for children. Therefore, they ensure that time spent with family is planned, risk assessed and carefully considered. This helps children to develop and sustain relationships with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the needs of the children are fully understood before they move in. Children’s moves are carefully planned to help them to feel welcomed and reassured. Leaders, staff and the manager ensure that the needs of all children are considered and that the individual needs of the group of children living in the home are compatible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since moving to this home, all children have improved their school attendance. Each child is making great progress within their individual capabilities. Staff help children with their homework and encourage them to engage in various activities and routines that support their learning. For example, children are encouraged to read and to participate in themed group meetings that provide information about other countries and their cultures. They also play board games which promote their learning. Staff support children who struggle academically through in-depth reflective discussions to remind them of their achievements. This helps children to recognise the importance of education for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support each child to address their physical and emotional health needs. They work alongside a qualified psychology team to provide emotional and psychological help using a therapeutic and child-focused/trauma-informed model of care. This supports staff to understand behaviours presented by children and how to thoughtfully respond to their needs. Children have access to external medical support from doctors and the child and adolescent mental health services. A parent said, ‘Staff are 10 out of 10 good in supporting him (her child) with his mental health needs. They have even supported me when I feel anxious.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2570071 3 Staff ensure that children are given opportunities to voice their views and contribute to decisions made in the home. Daily ‘medal meetings’, key-work sessions, in-house therapy sessions and conversations enable children’s views to be obtained. The

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

inspector joined a ‘medal meeting’ where one child said, ‘I like these meetings because we all gain medals for our effort, you never leave with nothing.’ During these meetings, clear daily routines are planned and followed. This provides everyone with clarity about what to expect. Children and staff share daily experiences together, which helps them to learn new things and have fun together. This has resulted in the creation of a caring, nurturing and welcoming environment where everyone is respected and accepted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of experiences. Staff support them to participate in a range of activities in the community and other areas. This includes visits to the cinema, amusement parks, driving range, playing golf, going bowling and having holidays with staff. Children belong to local clubs where they meet new friends. They enjoy attending these and benefit from meeting friends. Their active lives also help them to stay physically fit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, decorated to a good standard and feels homely and welcoming. The home is spacious enough for children to spend time with staff or as a group outside their bedrooms. It has ample seating for children and staff to enjoy meals and meetings together if they wish. One child said, ‘I love living here, it is mustard,’ which means ‘amazing’.

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

Safeguarding of children is well managed. Children seldom go missing from the home. Staff use clear protocols and guidance to respond when children go missing. The registered manager has good oversight of all safeguarding issues and responds promptly. Staff work well with other agencies and there is effective communication with social workers and parents. One social worker confirmed, ‘They are prompt in reporting safeguarding issues and work collaboratively with me and parents to address these.’

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s strengths and vulnerabilities. They support and encourage the children to explore their identities, friendships and relationships. Staff use key-work sessions to support children to develop their understanding of danger and to teach them how to be socially responsible. This helps children to increase their self-awareness and to better integrate with the wider society.

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

Staff and managers implement high-quality risk assessments. Training and guidance provide staff with clear processes to reduce potential risk for individual children. For example, training has resulted in staff supporting children to learn self-regulating skills without the use of physical interventions. This has resulted in the significant reduction of restraints and has encouraged children to reflect more on their feelings and emotions. Inspection report children’s home: 2570071 4 Maintenance and repair works are completed swiftly. Children live in a safe environment. However, the inspector noted that the side gates to the home were left open, which compromised the security of the home. These were quickly closed, and the manager stated that they would address this with staff.

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

Leaders and managers carefully recruit and select staff to prevent unsuitable people from working with children. Children are involved in the recruitment processes through arranged meetings where interviewees are invited to meet children in their home. Even though this process is thoroughly assessed and helps to capture the children’s voices, it could potentially expose children to individuals who do not meet safer recruitment requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has implemented some changes which have had a positive impact, and she has made demonstrable improvements to the quality of care provided to children. She provides clear direction, coaching and leadership to help ensure that standards of care remain high. She is passionate about the care of children and has clear expectations regarding the standards she expects. This is reflected in how she role models good practice to others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly ambitious for children and promotes high standards of care and educational achievements. She inspires her staff. As a result, the home has a highly motivated team that enjoys working with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Very clear monitoring systems are used by leaders to track and review children’s progress. All documents and plans are reviewed by leaders on a regular basis, and the registered manager has excellent oversight of practice and the progress children make. This management monitoring is supported by thorough and timely reports from the independent visitor and through regular quality assurance tasks completed by the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers receive regular and effective supervision. This is supplemented with monthly staff meetings and one-to-one therapeutic meetings led by the home’s psychologist. These meetings focus on individual and group practice, policies and service development. Staff appreciate the high level of support they receive. It helps them to deliver a good standard of care to children and supports their progress, learning and development. A member of staff said, ‘I have regular supervisions and I’m completely grateful for the safe and supportive relationship she (the manager) has developed with me to help me to learn and succeed.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She has identified areas for improvement and acted on them. For example, when the home first opened, some children were not suitably matched and, as a result, were not able to remain in the home. The manager has addressed this, which has had a positive impact on the progress and experience of children. Inspection report children’s home: 2570071 5 The registered manager shares a positive and respectful relationship with external agencies. She is not afraid to challenge other organisations when children’s needs are not met. The manager runs a home that embraces high expectations of the care given to children, which makes a positive difference to their lives. Inspection report children’s home: 2570071 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained, as set out in regulations 31 to 33. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that the home is an environment which supports children to stay safe. This particularly relates to ensuring that the garden gates are secure to deter intruders. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)

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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: 2570071 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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Inspector

Alphie Khumalo, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2570071 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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