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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2620678 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

A private company owns this home. It provides care for up to four children, with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessional compulsive disorder, specific language/communication difficulties, and/or sensory integration difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been at the home since it was registered in April 2021. She holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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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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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 requires improvement to be 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 for children’s home: 2620678 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The two children currently living at the home receive individualised care and support. Staff are having a positive impact on their progress. For example, one child has progressed from only being able to travel in a car to now being able to get out of the car at the end of the journey and to participate in a planned activity. This has increased her opportunities to develop new interests such as horse riding and walking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to explore and understand a range of topics. For example, they have bought a fitness watch for one child. They are discussing the benefits of exercise and are encouraging her to count steps to increase her fitness. Staff are using a social story to support her understanding of this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A clear complaints process is in place for the children which enables them to make a complaint using a range of visual symbols. Staff are aware of each child’s preferred method of communication. This helps to ensure that children have a voice, and that their wishes and feelings are acted upon.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and teachers work well together to meet the children’s educational needs. Both children attend a registered school that is situated on the same site as the children’s home. Staff celebrate educational, developmental and vocational achievements according to the child’s ability. This has continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, both children’s educational progress has continued to be on target.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with families to ensure that the children can stay in touch with people who are important to them. This includes staff providing the practical support to make this contact possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers are continuing to develop the home’s environment. As children move into the home, the registered manager, staff and children are adding personal touches. However, the children’s bedrooms lack warmth and character, and personalisation in these areas is minimal. This shortfall detracts from the children having a homely environment to live in and to enjoy.

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

Safeguarding and practice concerns are well managed by the registered manager and responsible individual. They make timely referrals to appropriate agencies and where appropriate undertake good-quality investigations into incidents and concerns. This management oversight is ensuring any lessons learned are acted upon and this is improving practice. Managers value the input of external and internal professionals to review and develop practice. For example, the Inspection report for children’s home: 2620678 3 organisation’s safeguarding social worker has recently been commissioned to review the home’s safeguarding paperwork and processes.

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

Children are learning skills to cope with situations that they have historically found difficult. Staff are developing strategies and are anticipating when to reassure and support children at key times. As a result, there is a decrease in incidents and physical interventions. However, children’s risk assessments lack sufficient detail and do not mirror this good practice. The documents do not include all the relevant up- to-date information to support new staff to respond to risk and best support the children.

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

Managers and staff identify when the children need additional support. A multi- disciplinary team, which includes education staff, a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist, assesses the needs of each child and then introduces strategies. These are implemented, monitored and reviewed to ensure that good progress is made. As well as undertaking direct work with the children, these professionals also support and provide training directly to the staff team. This ensures that staff are skilled and practice is consistent.

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good

Since the home opened in April 2021, there has been a high turnover of staff and recruitment initiatives have failed to recruit the required number of staff. Staffing levels for the children living at the home have always been achieved but this has required the use of agency staff or staff and managers from other children’s homes across the organisation. The registered manager recognises that this is not good practice or sustainable in the long term. The organisation has recently implemented a range of incentives to improve retention and promote recruitment. While this recruitment and induction of new staff is ongoing, a commitment has been made not to increase the number of children living at this home.

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good

Staff are supported to develop their practice and learn new skills through supervisions, team meetings and a programme of training. However, managers do not have an accurate record or overview of staff skills or their completed training. New staff are not always trained in the home’s chosen model of care. This means children are not being supported in line with the practice described in the home’s statement of purpose. However, a plan is now in place to ensure that as new staff are recruited, they will be appropriately trained.

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good

Internal and external quality assurance processes are effective and have supported the responsible individual and registered manager to learn lessons and to develop the service. For example, following one child’s time at the home, managers revised and developed the process for assessing children’s needs before agreeing they can move into the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2620678 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 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

ensure the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is an up-to- date record of all staff training, staff are trained in the ethos and practice of the organisation and there is a permanent staff team recruited in line with the home’s statement of purpose. 31 January 2022

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 31 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620678 5 The specifically relates to risk assessments being up to date, describing risks and clear strategies for staff to support them to reduce risks.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of children and is homely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 for children’s home: 2620678 6

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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

Dawn Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2620678 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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