Children's home run by Compass Children’s Homes Kent Limited in Dover

Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 1 SC023637 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 owned children’s home provides care for up to eight children with social and emotional difficulties. According to its statement of purpose, its focus is on safety, while providing intensive therapeutic, personalised care and educational structure and attainment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2021.

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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 24 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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: 10 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: SC023637 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2019 Full Good 04/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/10/2018 Full Good 27/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy secure relationships with the staff. This is because the staff’s care practice is built on open and honest communication with the children. It is consistent and reliable. Therefore, children feel safe to be open and honest in return. This helps them to talk about their past experiences and to think more positively about their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home following a carefully considered matching process. The registered manager and the staff review the needs of the child moving in alongside the needs of the children living in the home. This includes the consideration of potential risks and how these can be managed. The process does not, however, consider any risks relating to the staff’s skills, to further demonstrate that a child’s individual needs can be met. Although this has not had an impact on the current children, it is a missed opportunity for leaders to identify whether any additional training would enhance the quality of the care for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively involve the children in making decisions about their day-to-day care, activities, meals and other matters that affect them. Each child has planned key-work and one-to-one consultations in place. This gives children the opportunity to explore a variety of subjects. In one example, a child has been supported to explore his early childhood experiences. This has led to him being able to engage in meaningful life-story work to better understand his past.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s placement plans are individualised and focus on the priority aims for the child. Goals and targets are clear, such as educational attendance and achievement, so that the children’s progress is measured and rewarded. Plans are regularly reviewed by the team to ensure that they are up to date and relevant to the children’s current and changing needs. This level of planning guides the staff to provide effective and well-considered care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers are committed to ensuring that children move on from the home positively. The staff team is resilient when faced with challenges and provides the children with meaningful support through times of crisis. One child, who cannot remain at the home due to their changing needs, is being sensitively supported to have a positive ending to her time at the home. In another example, the staff supported a child to move to foster care with a thoughtful and planned move that was at a pace suitable to meet the child’s needs. This flexible approach demonstrates that staff understand the importance of children’s experiences and the impact of positive moves on the child’s continuing journey.

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

Staff understand how to safeguard the children. During the inspection, staff were seen to be aware of, and responsive to, the risks present for the children, Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 4 individually and as a group. Staff spoken to during the inspection confidently described the steps they would take if they had safeguarding concerns.

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

Staff are guided by clear risk assessments and management strategies to support them to reduce the risk of harm to children. These are reviewed regularly and updated when new risks emerge. However, in one example, a child’s risk assessment had not been updated following a key-work session when the child discussed having thoughts about putting a cord around their neck. This was communicated to staff and appropriate training was provided. However, managers did not update the relevant risk assessment. Although this did not have an impact on the care and support for the child, such omissions run the risk that information used by the staff is not current.

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

Managers provide clear support plans for the staff to use. These help the staff to recognise patterns and themes in the children’s presenting behaviour and when the children may need additional support. On occasions, this requires the staff to use physical intervention. When this occurs, staff complete debriefs with the children to support them to reflect and learn from these incidents. There is a clear reporting process and the registered manager’s oversight is robust and reflective.

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

Leaders and managers work well with partner agencies. In one example, the registered manager, the local authority designated officer (LADO) and the child’s placing authority are working to an agreed risk assessment and safety plan. The plan sets out the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved, in response to a child who has made allegations against staff during times of distress. This approach serves to protect the child and the staff.

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

Leaders and managers generally follow sound staff recruitment practice. Permanent staff are subject to the necessary checks and references. When there is a delay in receiving information, a risk management plan provides additional safeguards. This is let down by one example of the staff on duty failing to verify an agency staff member’s checks with their agency and allowing them to work in the home. This casts doubt on the staff’s understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are passionate in their efforts to be good role models and trusted figures for the children and the staff. Staff describe a culture which promotes mutual respect. A thoughtful and inclusive approach from managers promotes a positive ethos where children benefit from the genuine care that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, meaningful supervision. Managers use these sessions to assess the staff’s performance. They check that staff know how to safely meet the children’s needs in line with their care plans and risk assessments. Staff are given space to reflect on their practice. The management support that staff receive helps them to remain resilient when managing difficult situations. This inspires the staff to continue to give good-quality care to the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 5 The staff also receive support from the therapeutic team. This provides the staff with direct observations of their interactions with the children, as well as regular meetings to discuss each child’s needs. Working to the home’s therapeutic model with the children continues to be established in the home. As a result, staff are supported to understand how to help the children make progress in relation to their

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is carefully focused on the needs of the children. Staff cover a comprehensive range of topics in their training, such as online safety, county lines and therapeutic understanding. Induction processes are comprehensive and prepare new staff to go on to complete the level 3 diploma at the earliest opportunity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager routinely completes relevant notifications to Ofsted. However, there have been some occasions, within this inspection period, when the registered manager did not notify Ofsted at the time of the incident. This is in relation to a child making and then retracting allegations against the staff. The process of consultation with the LADO and placing authority did take place to ensure that staff practice is reviewed and that the care for this child remains safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 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 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that the staff understand their roles and responsibilities with regard to managing agency staff who come to work in the home. 30 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person must notify Ofsted if one of the situations specified in regulation 40 occurs, if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person must ensure that staff are aware of each child’s risk assessment and understanding of the needs of the child and an understanding of the risks the child faces. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 48, paragraph 9.53)  The registered person must ensure that they only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. In particular, assess the training and skills of the staff team during the admissions process. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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) Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 7 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 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

Rebecca Fisher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 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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