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

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1226397 1

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children aged six to 17. The children may have faced adverse childhood experiences, trauma or placement and family breakdown.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate on 21 October 2021. As a result of the concerns about the understanding of risk and children’s safety, as well as management oversight of the home, two compliance notices were issued.

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This monitoring visit

This visit found that both compliance notices and nine requirements were met. Four requirements and one recommendation were not reviewed and are restated.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has reviewed and strengthened their monitoring and quality assurance systems. This has included having children’s risk assessments independently reviewed and introducing a further layer of quality assurance for management audits. This means that senior managers are better informed about the home. It also means managers will be better able to direct staff to act on any concerns raised by children. In addition, managers are now clearer when they notify Ofsted about any concerns. This means that the regulator has better oversight of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders in the home have led discussions in team meetings, staff supervisions and in group sessions about safeguarding, allegations and managing disclosures. The responsible individual has joined staff supervisions to reassure herself about staff’s understanding of these areas and staff’s understanding of children’s risk assessments. Staff are now able to talk with confidence about what they would do in these situations and how they should keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff have worked hard to make the home more homely and identify any environmental risks. Staff have completed a detailed assessment of the Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1226397 2 property that identifies areas of risk for children who ligature. While this is not a current concern, it heightens staff’s awareness of the potential risks around the home and helps them keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Where staff have shortfalls in their practice, managers have acted. This involves informal advice and guidance, and more formal plans to ensure change where needed. As a result, managers are clear with staff about the standard of care they expect for the children in their care.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have ensured that there are always enough staff in the home. Children know these staff well and have good relationships with them. Staff are therefore able to care for children with detailed knowledge of their needs.

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This monitoring visit

Children are attending school on time. Staff have created specific areas in the home to help children with their learning at home. They have also put in place a clear structure for children’s homework time. Staff are proud of how children have embraced this change, and of their developing self-motivation.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, staff have ensured that children are seeing and talking with their families in line with their plans. Staff supportively supervise these times where needed. Children are helped to share their wishes and feelings about seeing family, and staff advocate for them as needed. This means that children can safely see people who are important to them. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1226397 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/10/2021 Full Inadequate 26/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/05/2019 Full Good 12/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1226397 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers and staff must build relationships with other professionals which promote trust in their care of children. This relates in particular, but not exclusively, to social workers and schools.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated. 5 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 27 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must employ a manager for the home who must apply to register with Ofsted without delay.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated. 5 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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 5 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1226397 5 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").

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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 (Regulation 32 (3)(b) (4)(a) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv) (b)(i) (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must accurately describe any physical interventions that they use. In addition, the provider must be able to provide evidence of conversations in which children and staff involved in these incidents are spoken to within the required timescale, as well as evidence of who is involved in these conversations. Managers must also make it clear who leads the conversations with staff in order to ensure objective challenge to practice. 5 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1226397 6 This requirement was issued at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and that they understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to 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. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1226397 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

Karol Keenan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1226397 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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