Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Kent Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 1 SC425071 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Kent Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to six children. The home’s statement of purpose states that it operates as a therapeutic community for children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties (social and emotional difficulties). Education is available on site.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2016.

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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 20 October 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

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2019 Full Good 27/02/2019 Full Good 21/09/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The different needs of the children are met through highly individualised plans and approaches by staff. This enables each child to make meaningful progress in their identified areas of need. This personalised approach is blended with a sense of community that has been created in the home, which includes fun and learning group activities as well as meaningful involvement of the children in how the home is run. This aids the development of the children’s social awareness and helps them to prepare for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children build positive and respectful relationships with the staff and they can readily name individual staff whom they trust and feel able to confide in. The staff speak with care and affection about the children and with pride about the progress that they are making. The positive relationships that the children build with staff make them feel secure and more able to address past issues that hold them back. One member of staff has, however, been found unsuitable to build respectful and trusting relationships with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children say what they think and feel. They like their home and invest strongly in their personal spaces through decoration and display of their personal belongings that show their interests and records of achievement. The high-quality decor of communal areas and well-equipped activity areas demonstrate how the staff value and respect the children. This sense of belonging and attachment helps the children to feel secure and equips them to meet their challenges in learning and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The moves for children who have become more suited to family-based care are carefully managed. Placing social workers speak highly of the good communication and effective collaboration with the registered manager and staff. This enables the children to speak with positivity and understanding about their next steps.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For the children whose families live far from the home, the staff make substantial and sustained efforts to ensure that they visit their families when restrictions allow. When the children have been unable to visit their families, the best possible means of virtual communication have been provided for the children to have conversations with family members. This reduces anxiety for the children about their families and helps them to maintain valued relationships. These efforts by staff help the children to feel settled in the home and reduce distractions that might limit their progress.

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

The children’s feelings of security, belonging and attachment in the home give them freedom to speak out, and to give expression to any feelings of worry and confusion. This provides ongoing challenge to the staff in maintaining positive relationships and stability in the home. Various weaknesses in the staff team in the Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 4 recent past led to a concerning rise in incidents and the need for physical interventions. This was recognised by leaders and managers who took planned and decisive action to address the situation. Previous levels of stability in the home have been restored, as evidenced by a significant drop in recorded incidents and the need for restrictive measures. The children presented as generally happy and settled during this inspection, which took place during their half-term break.

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

The needs and risks associated with each child are well understood by staff and they are alert to any new issues emerging. The plans and guidance for staff on how best to manage and reduce the children’s risks are clear and helpful and contribute to keeping the children safe.

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

It is rare for children to go missing from the home. This is linked to the feelings of belonging and attachment that they develop, and good levels of supervision. The children also engage in regular activities outside the home and there are few factors that might draw them away from the home. The children say that they feel safe, and one child described that, ‘the staff know what they are doing’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads the staff team with confidence and understanding and she enjoys the team’s respect. Leaders have strong ambition for the service and for the progress and experiences of the children. This was, however, recently undermined by weaknesses in the staff team. These factors included some under- staffing, one clearly unsuitable member of staff, and a decline in cohesion and team working. This resulted in inconsistent and sometimes inappropriate responses to the children’s needs and behaviours and undermined their feelings of security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers devised a plan of action to address the growing insecurity felt by the children, as evidenced by the significant rise in incidents and the need for physical interventions. This has succeeded and staff are more consistent in their responses and in their work with the children. They speak about better informed responses to the children and the good support that they are receiving from leaders and from each other. Although successful, the rate of progress of the intervention was slowed by a lack of adequate analysis of monitoring information, and delays in delivering a targeted approach to addressing the root causes of the decline.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Open discussion with external agencies and professionals about the difficulties that were being experienced, and the inclusion of some of these professionals in elements of the action plan, demonstrate the positive relationships that the registered manager and staff have built with these partners.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Significant weaknesses were identified in some of the more recent staff recruitment. These included insufficient interrogation of the suitability factors of prospective staff and a lack of collective review of the relevant information in this regard. This resulted in the appointment of a member of staff who was not able to build mutual respect and trust with the children and contributed to some of the disruption in the Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 5 home. When this was identified, however, the registered manager took immediate steps to address the situation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Several vacancies in the permanent staff team have recently been filled. The leadership team has remained stable and is focused on achieving further improvements to the quality of care being delivered to the children. Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 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 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 27 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(viii)) 27 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or 27 January 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 7 if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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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: SC425071 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Kent Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester LE7 1PF

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Inspector

John Pledger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 9 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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