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 for up to six children who may have social and emotional difficulties. There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The suitably qualified manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2016.

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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: 21 February 2023

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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

21/02/2023 Full Good 26/10/2021 Full Good 05/09/2019 Full Good 27/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Currently, there are two children living in the home. The staff provide the children with individualised care. The children’s written support plans are thorough and regularly updated. This helps staff provide continuity of approach in their care of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed positive relationships with the children and know them well. The atmosphere in the home is nurturing, supportive and fun. The children have settled well and been able to develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly talk to the children throughout the day to understand their thoughts, feelings and wishes. The children actively contribute to the weekly house meetings. Staff celebrate the children’s achievements, whether big or small. They understand the importance of this in helping to develop the children’s self-esteem. Both children attend therapy weekly. The staff’s commitment to ensuring the children attend these sessions has been instrumental to the children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is seen as a priority by staff, and both children attend school. Staff communicate daily with the children’s schools, providing updates on their care and well-being. The staff encourage the children to engage in extra-curricular activities. They work hard to provide positive experiences for children by planning activities in advance and supporting the children to attend.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children spend quality time with their families. There is good communication between staff and families. Regular updates regarding the welfare and progress of the children are shared. Activities are structured to include family members where possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home offers emergency placements to children. The lack of preparation when new children have moved in has had a destabilising effect on the home. For example, there have been a number of crisis incidents involving children where both staff and children have been at risk. Consequently, in the month prior to the inspection, two children moved out of the home with short notice provided to their placing authorities. Unplanned moves represent poor experiences for children in care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to a high standard. The children enjoy living in a pleasant and good-quality home. The children are encouraged to take pride in their home and belongings. Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 4

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

Systems in place to monitor safeguarding practices are strong. Any safeguarding concerns are overseen by the registered manager.

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

The manager ensures there are individualised risk assessment plans for children. These plans identify children’s vulnerabilities and provide staff with essential insights and strategies to manage risk. These documents are reviewed regularly. There are clear systems in place to ensure that staff remain up to date on any changes.

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

In the past six months, there have been many difficult incidents that have occurred in the home. The staff have used physical intervention when attempting to support the children in crisis. The manager has provided additional training on the use of physical intervention given the increased incidents. Staff understand the importance of keeping detailed records, which assist the team as a whole to reflect on their practice and make any appropriate adjustments to plans in place for children. The manager and social workers have had concerns about the escalating situation for some children. Two children have left the home because the staff were not able to safely meet their needs.

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

Children are well supported after any incidents of physical intervention. Their views are sought afterwards, and staff provide restorative letters to them. Some staff have received injuries when supporting children in crisis. They have been well supported by the manager when this has happened.

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

The children have made some allegations against staff. These allegations have mostly related to incidents of physical intervention. Any allegations have been thoroughly investigated by the manager in partnership with safeguarding professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post for many years and has the relevant qualifications for her role. She remains ambitious for the children and appears dedicated in her role. The manager reflected that the last six months have been a challenging period through which she has continued to support staff and seek the best outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and is a strong advocate for them. The manager regularly evaluates the progress children make in all aspects of their lives. Her record-keeping is rigorous. She works well with the responsible individual for the home and the independent visitor, responding conscientiously and promptly to the feedback she receives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and valued. The registered manager understands the pressure both she and her team have been under over the past six months. The manager provides staff with regular supervision and opportunities to reflect on their practice and the care they provide for children. Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 5 The manager is protective of staff. During challenging periods and when new staff have joined, the manager has created action plans to help prevent burnout, such as redeploying staff to other homes and avoiding back-to-back shifts. Staff state that the manager goes above and beyond in her role, which has been a contributing factor in their decision to remain in post following a very unsettled period in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains good oversight of staff training. She ensures staff receive relevant training to support them in their role, such as ligature training. The manager invests in the staff and effectively builds her team’s skills. She has supported staff to successfully progress their careers. 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, The 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(iii)) 11 December

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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 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

Jane Balfe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC425071 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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