Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: 1250931 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to six children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. It is owned and run by a private organisation. At the time of the inspection, six children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since June 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1250931 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2023 Full Outstanding 05/10/2021 Full Good 22/01/2020 Full Outstanding 17/10/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1250931 3

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outstanding

Children make excellent progress in relation to their starting points and these achievements are celebrated with them. For example, one child has made substantial progress in their ability to communicate. Another child is settled, having had to move around a lot previously.

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outstanding

Staff develop warm and caring relationships with children. Children feel cared for and listened to. They speak confidently with staff and make their feelings and wishes known. Staff also support children to maintain regular contact with their social workers and one child is now a member of a children in care forum in their local authority.

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outstanding

Children receive high-quality care and support. Staff are guided to deliver this by well-written plans that provide clear, relevant information which helps them to meet the needs of each individual child. When children come to live in the home, careful planning ensures that all staff have a clear understanding of the support the child will need and how to reduce any potential risks.

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outstanding

Children’s health needs are managed in a sensitive and nurturing way. One child is receiving sensitive, ongoing support from the home’s therapeutic practitioner regarding important issues for them. Another child has been able to lose a healthy amount of weight through appropriate care and support from staff. This has improved the child’s overall health and well-being and increased their self- confidence. A child with a specific health need has had such sensitive and effective support that the issue has resolved, and the child no longer requires any medication.

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outstanding

Children are supported to spend time with their families when this is appropriate. This is managed thoughtfully, and children help to decide how they are supported with this.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged to think about their futures. Staff support them to have their thoughts and wishes understood. For some children, this includes discussions about moving back to foster care when it is appropriate for them to do so. Children are helped to take part in their care planning meetings and contribute their views.

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outstanding

Children are supported to explore their own identities in a safe way. This is possible because of the trusting relationships that they have with staff. Staff help children to think about who they are and who they want to be.

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outstanding

Children enjoy a wide range of leisure activities that help to support good health and well-being. These include swimming, going to the cinema, horse riding and laser tag. Children have also enjoyed holidays together to Wales and Italy. Activities are Inspection report for children’s home: 1250931 4 often attended together by all the children. As a result, children can have fun together, share new experiences and develop positive relationships.

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

Staff take effective, prompt action when concerns about the safety or welfare of children occur. Practice consistently demonstrates collaborative working with partner agencies. Documentation of any concerns is clear and concise, providing evidence of effective oversight by managers. There is a clear account of how concerns have been addressed to improve outcomes for children.

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

Staff take appropriate action when children go missing. They work effectively with agencies, such as the police, to ensure that children return safely. Staff work with children to understand their motivation for these incidents and prevent recurrence. As a result, the number of incidents when children go missing is very low.

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

Incidents when children harm themselves are managed sensitively and with care. Staff support children to be safe and to seek support when they are feeling worried, trying to understand the causes for the behaviour in a non-judgemental way. Staff work closely with other stakeholders, such as mental health practitioners and therapists, and ensure that the focus remains on the child’s well-being and safety.

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

Staff are skilled in managing incidents of challenging behaviour. They support children to think about their behaviours using careful, nurturing language that helps them to make positive choices. The number of incidents involving the use of physical intervention is low. When physical intervention is required, it is a last resort and only used for the minimum time needed to keep children and others safe. Documentation of these incidents is clear and demonstrates good reflective practice. This reflection enables learning from incidents to be shared, which improves practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has high expectations for children and is ambitious in his vision for the home. He has a very clear understanding of the progress that children have made and takes pride in explaining this. The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the home. He uses monitoring systems well to maintain effective oversight. These inform service developments and maintain his high standards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager maintains very positive relationship with families and their feedback about the care provided to children is excellent. Families feel that staff understand their children’s needs and highlight the progress made by children. One family member commented that their child really enjoys living at the home and appears much happier. They feel that communication is effective, and that staff are approachable and accommodating of their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent relationships with external professionals, including social workers and education colleagues. Communication is highly effective and enables a Inspection report for children’s home: 1250931 5 consistent approach to supporting children. Professionals recognise the progress made by children living at the home. For example, an education colleague observed a noticeable improvement in a child’s behaviour at school due to the child developing the skills to understand their feelings and seek support when needed. This has led to a sustained improvement in the child’s engagement with learning. Another professional stated that moving into the home was the best thing that had ever happened for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

When managers are not satisfied with the responses from other agencies, they challenge this constructively to ensure the best outcomes for children. For one child, managers worked closely with social workers to challenge decisions about their education. This resulted in the child moving to a more appropriate school, enabling them to make significant educational progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff speak highly of managers and the supportive environment that they have developed. They feel valued in their roles and are encouraged to be ambitious about children’s futures. They receive regular, well-planned supervisions that enable them to reflect and think creatively about how to develop their own practice. They receive a wealth of training that enables them to feel confident in delivering high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are always keen to speak to children and understand their views. They have regular discussions around the dinner table as a group and reflect on how their day has been. Children’s views are used to help improve the home and the processes that guide staff. For example, the manager has been working on overhauling documentation so that it is written by children and specific to them. In addition, managers have developed a new children’s guide that includes a section for children to design their own bedroom before coming to living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1250931 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: 1250931 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Jay Shekleton, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Chris Warren, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1250931 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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