Children's home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1252937 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children. The statement of purpose states that ongoing intensive individual attention, stability and support are provided to children who have experienced disrupted development and multiple placement moves.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since 11 January 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1252937 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/07/2021 Full Good 03/03/2020 Full Good 17/05/2018 Full Good 23/02/2018 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children's home: 1252937 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in their home and speak fondly of the adults who care for them. Children are proud to share and celebrate their achievements at Sea Scouts, and in gymnastics and football. Children participate in a range of activities and speak excitedly about the upcoming holiday they have planned and the range of activities and adventures they will embark on over the summer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn independence skills through being involved in household tasks such as making breakfast and going to the shop for household items. Children feel listened to and they are helped to make choices about their care. Staff advocate strongly for children and, in one example, they were able to ensure a child’s concerns about his care plans were given due consideration by the professional network.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults know the children well and understand their needs and abilities. This has enabled adults to celebrate children’s progress and address any patterns which may impact this progress. For example, one child completed some GCSE exams a year early, which was celebrated by adults. Adults are supporting another child after identifying a pattern of them being unhappy when they returned from school. This has resulted in close communication with the child’s school and social worker, to identify the right support for the child. Children feel cared for and know their best interests are considered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is beginning to plan for their future and the move to their next home. They were keen to tell the inspector about the support they receive from adults. Through the years they have lived at home, adults have been helping the child to save pocket money, supported them to complete a number of independent skills tasks and helped the child to identify realistic aspirations for their future, with a clear pathway to achieve this. This has led the child to feel confident and excited about their next steps towards becoming an adult.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have left the home in the past year. Two moved on in a planned manner and in line with their plans. One child’s move was unplanned, after a short time living at the home. The child has since moved to a specialist placement which is better suited to their needs. The child is happy and settled in this placement. The child’s grandparent explained that adults at this home ‘did everything they could’.

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

Children know how to make a complaint, and adults ensure that prompt action is taken when necessary to investigate any concerns. However, on occasion, the provider has gone against agreed procedures and carried out investigations before informing the relevant safeguarding agency of the concern. This has the potential to Inspection report for children's home: 1252937 4 compromise the independence of the investigation. In practice, this has not had an impact on the safety of children.

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

Adults know the risks children face in the home, community and online. Children have bespoke plans to reduce risks, and adults work with children to better understand risks and keep them safe. For example, adults use behaviour support plans and the support from the in-house therapist to educate children to be able to safely use their mobile phones.

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

When children go missing, adults make every effort to locate them and are quick to inform relevant agencies. When children return home, they are welcomed home sensitively and the relevant people are informed of their return. Managers review incidents of children going missing from the home to ensure that children get the support they need to make safer choices.

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

Children feel supported to become more socially aware. Rewards are in place to encourage socially acceptable behaviour. When consequences are used, they are not punitive and are designed to help children learn. When asked, children felt that these consequences were fair and helped them to understand the impact of their behaviour.

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

Physical intervention is only used in the home when necessary to keep children and others safe. When physical interventions are used, adults are well trained to do this safely, and use holds for the minimum time possible. Following these incidents, children and adults are consulted on their experience, patterns of behaviours are considered, and learning is shared. Managers have good oversight of these incidents and take action if there are lessons to be learned to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been no registered manager in the home since 11 January 2022. During this time, the deputy manager has overseen the day-to-day running of the home and regular support has been in place from the regional operations manager. More recently, a registered manager from a nearby home linked to the organisation has provided close support and has plans to apply to register.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim management arrangements in the home are effective. In particular, extra support from senior managers has ensured that management oversight and monitoring of the quality of care for children remains effective. Action has been taken to address and complete requirements made at the last inspection. Oversight of children’s behaviour is detailed and lessons learned, alongside input from the provider’s therapy team, have helped to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well presented. The maintenance team ensures that the home is safe and known risks are addressed. Adults recruited to the home are appropriately checked to ensure that they are suitable. Adults receive well-timed training to ensure that they can meet the needs of the children. Inspection report for children's home: 1252937 5 Managers actively discourage the use of institutional language in the home. Words such as ‘staff’ are not used and the impact is positive, with children describing the adults as ‘family’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Adults feel supported by their managers. Regular supervisions, appraisals and a dedication by managers to develop the team keep adults happy and focused on the care of the children. One senior member of staff recently returned to the organisation after discovering that the same standard of support was not offered elsewhere. Children benefit from a consistent and committed team of adults who enjoy their roles and are passionate about seeing the children succeed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have positive relationships with important people in children’s lives. One social worker speaks of their child having ‘an exceptional standard of care’ and said, ‘I receive updates every day.’ Adults attend all statutory meetings and share the progress children have made. This has helped to identify new experiences and source the right education provision for their children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are keen for their children to become more socially aware. Regular catch- ups focus on the diversity in their community, considering culture, faith and gender. Children attend annual Pride events and adults help children embrace the diversity in the community around them. Inspection report for children's home: 1252937 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should inform the relevant officer or teams in the local authority promptly of all allegations that come to an employer’s attention or that are made directly to the police. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)

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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: 1252937 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Matt Nicholls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1252937 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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