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.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2022

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2022 Full Good 10/09/2019 Full Good 04/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 3

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outstanding

At the time of the inspection, there were five children living at the home. Staff have an in-depth understanding of children’s experiences and how these impact on their lives. Staff use this understanding to build relationships with children that are based on empathy, love and nurture. These relationships help children to make significant and sustained progress in different areas of their lives.

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outstanding

Detailed and effective planning takes place in advance of children moving into the home. Managers think carefully about the group of children and how any child moving into the home may impact on them and vice versa. Managers work closely with other professionals to gain a detailed understanding of children’s experiences and needs. This is then shared with staff so that they are well prepared for children to arrive. Children are provided with a significant amount of information about the home and given the opportunity to visit and ask questions. This helps new children to feel more comfortable at what can be a very uncertain time for them.

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outstanding

Children are provided with a high level of therapeutic intervention. All children are engaged in regular therapy, and a therapeutic assessment is completed for all children. This includes clear actions based on the knowledge gained through the assessment. Actions are then closely monitored so that children’s progression is understood.

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outstanding

Staff work closely with children’s families. One child has recently moved home to live with their family. Staff worked with the child’s parent to help increase their understanding of the child’s needs and the type of care that they respond best to. Staff had supported this child to make significant progress in relation to their emotional well-being while living at the home. This progress, as well as the work undertaken with the child’s parent and the wider professional network, resulted in an extremely positive outcome for the child.

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outstanding

Staff help children make excellent progress in their education. Some children have a history of disrupted educational engagement. However, they are now all attending school full time. There are clear processes in place for communication between staff and children’s education provisions. This helps ensure that challenges at home or at school are understood by everyone.

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outstanding

A surprise party was held for one child to recognise their improved behaviour. When another child recently moved on from the home after making significant progress, every staff member, as well as a wide variety of other people who were important to the child, attended their leaving party. The commitment of staff to celebrate children’s achievements and progress demonstrates to children that they are loved and cared for. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 4 Staff help children celebrate equality and diversity. They have arranged numerous events to celebrate Black History month, Pride month and Children’s Mental Health week. Children are fully involved in these events, and staff help them learn about other cultures and think about diversity in enjoyable and engaging ways. Children have also been involved in raising money for children in Ukraine. The children identified a children’s charity for the money to be donated to, and staff worked with

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outstanding

the children to show them the work the charity is doing.

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

Children have experienced significant trauma and have a variety of complex needs. Some children display frequent behaviours that can be hard to manage, including high levels of aggression towards staff. Despite this, staff remain highly committed to the children and work to help them learn different ways of managing their emotions. Children’s risk assessments are of good quality. Staff work in line with strategies identified in them that are based on their individual knowledge of children and what they respond best to. This helps provide consistent responses to children at times of distress.

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

Some incidents necessitate the use of physical interventions to keep children and others safe. Records of them are detailed and demonstrate that staff use a variety of strategies to try and avoid their use. When physical interventions are used, staff reflect on them to consider how they managed the situation and take any learning that is available. Children are also spoken to about interventions. These conversations help them to think about why incidents occurred and how staff can help them try to avoid such incidents in the future. Managers have excellent oversight of physical interventions. They undertake significant analysis to seek to identify patterns that can help understand triggers for behaviour in more depth. For some children, there has been a significant reduction in incidents.

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

Some children have made frequent allegations against staff. These allegations have generally been made at times of distress. Managers have worked closely with other professionals to ensure that allegations are responded to effectively. This has resulted in clear safety plans being put in place. Staff and managers work in line with these safety plans, ensuring that allegations are taken seriously and appropriately investigated.

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

Staff respond well to any bullying concerns between children. When rare incidents have occurred, staff help children to understand the impact of their behaviour on others. They take a restorative approach to managing such incidents, which has helped children build more positive relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is suitably experienced and is working towards her level 5 qualification. She provides highly effective leadership and has high expectations of the care staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 5 Managers have an excellent understanding of the progress that children make. Highly effective monitoring systems and a curiosity as to how different challenges are being managed leads to a continuous drive for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers provide a highly supportive environment. They are a visible presence, and both children and staff feel comfortable approaching them with any concerns. Staff are provided with regular and high-quality supervision. This considers children’s needs in detail and has a clear focus on the safeguarding of children. Staff said managers are supportive of them both inside and outside of their work. This has helped create a culture where staff feel managers care for them and which ensures that they are well supported with the challenges that the role brings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

New staff are provided with a comprehensive programme of induction. This includes them spending two weeks receiving face-to-face training and working alongside experienced staff in the home. This allows them to build up both a theoretical and practical knowledge of the role that equips them well to provide excellent levels of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are provided with extensive training. This includes a year-long programme of training relating to trauma. Many of the team are soon to be accredited as trauma- informed practitioners, having completed this programme. Staff said the training that they have received has helped enhance their knowledge of how children’s early- life experiences have impacted on them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have recently completed work relating to different attachment theories. They have then used their knowledge in this area to think about individual children and how to provide the best possible care for them. Managers have carried out research into individual children’s early-life experiences. They have then used this knowledge to promote discussion in the team, which has helped to enhance staff’s understanding of children’s needs and circumstances. In addition, they have shared their knowledge with education professionals to help ensure that they have a better understanding of what barriers children may face in school.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers are good advocates for children. When they have not been happy with the service that children have been provided by other professionals, they have appropriately raised this. One child was helped to make a complaint to their local authority. When the child was unhappy with the outcome of this, they were further helped to escalate it. The complaint is now being managed at a senior level, and the child is happy with the response that they have now received.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s views are important to managers. They are sought regularly and responded to appropriately. Children said that they feel listened to and that their views are valued. Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 6

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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: SC023637 7

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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

Joe Matkar-Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC023637 8 inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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Inspector

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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