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. There were six children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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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 outstanding

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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: SC023637 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/03/2023 Full Outstanding 14/02/2022 Full Good 10/09/2019 Full Good 04/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC023637 3

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outstanding

The care provided to children is consistently excellent. The manager and staff go over and above what is expected. They provide children with a home in which they feel safe, valued and loved. This approach provides children with a sense of belonging and they feel part of a family.

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outstanding

Children trust the staff and seek comfort from them. The quality of the relationships between the children and staff is exceptional. Staff respond to the children with patience, warmth and respect. Children enjoy the time that they spend with the staff in the home.

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outstanding

The staff ensure that the comprehensive individualised support plans for children provide essential insights into how to best care for them. These are dynamic documents, updated regularly by staff to reflect any changing needs. Such changes are disseminated promptly to the rest of the team. Staff understand the children and are highly committed to meeting their needs. Children are aware of and, whenever possible, participate in, the development of their care plans.

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outstanding

The organisation provides all the children with access to therapy. The therapy helps them develop their sense of self, address trauma and build resilience. The staff understand how to work in a trauma-informed way. The therapeutic approach is used consistently by staff and woven throughout all aspects of care, offering continuity and consistency.

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outstanding

Children make significant progress. For example, their independent living skills increase and they become better able to understand and manage their emotions. The progress that children make is celebrated. One parent said staff ‘put things in place to help [name of child] de-escalate. They know that they are not alone.’ A social worker for a child who had recently moved in said the child had quickly settled and ‘feels happy and relaxed’.

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outstanding

All the children engage in education, at the organisation’s school, the local school or college. Staff place a high priority on education and children are supported to succeed. When children are reluctant to go to school, staff are proactive in ensuring that they return promptly.

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outstanding

Children feel listened to. Staff seek their views constantly through conversations or home meetings. Children constructively challenge the staff about how the home could be improved on a day-to-day basis. The children’s feedback is encouraged and acted on.

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outstanding

The children enjoy a comfortable home. Their bedrooms are personalised and they have things that are important to them, including games, collectables and family Inspection report for children's home: SC023637 4 photos. The home is large, which allows each child to have their own space. One child said this space helps them to deal with their behaviour.

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outstanding

Staff understand the importance of family for children. They go above and beyond to support children to spend time with their loved ones. For some children, this has helped them to reconnect with their families.

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outstanding

Staff work hard to ensure that the children feel part of a family. Any moves into or out of the home are meticulously planned and diligently carried out. Staff have built trusting relationships with the children. In some cases, staff show significant commitment to support children through to adulthood. For example, one staff member is to become a child’s foster carer under the supported lives scheme when the child is 18. This has led to the child feeling a sense of belonging, commitment and love.

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outstanding

Children said they feel safe. Staff are committed to keeping children safe and do this exceptionally well. The staff are guided in how to do this through individualised comprehensive safety plans for each child. Staff keep these plans up to date and all staff are aware of any changes. The staff team meets regularly to discuss any changes in risk relating to the children and responsively adapts the care and support that they provide.

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outstanding

Children enjoy living at the home and consequently rarely go missing. For some children, this is a significant improvement. One child who used to go missing has not done so in the past 12 months. As a result this child is much safer.

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outstanding

Staff understand the trauma that children have experienced. This insight helps them to understand the way that children sometimes behave and react to situations. Staff help children to understand their own feelings. They take a non-judgemental approach, which supports the children to feel secure. Staff gently and carefully challenge children. One child recalled having spent hours on the landing outside their room chatting to staff. This helped them to leave their bedroom, something that they found difficult in the past. Another child said that staff had helped them have a better understanding of positive relationships, love and safe and appropriate touch.

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outstanding

The highly supportive and sensitive relationships the staff develop with the children mean that the children trust the staff. This underpins the success the staff have in working with the children. Staff are highly skilled in how they respond to children in crisis and sensitively care for children when they become distressed.

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outstanding

The relationships that staff build with the children also mean that children are able to talk through things that are worrying them. As a result, incidents of physical restraint have decreased. This is hugely significant progress for one child. When physical restraint is necessary, staff use the least intrusive approach. Staff monitor Inspection report for children's home: SC023637 5 all physical interventions closely and seek to understand the causes of the child’s behaviour. Consequently, they are able to anticipate tricky situations and reduce the likelihood of difficulties escalating. Staff understand the importance of restorative practice. They always ensure meaningful conversations take place with children after such events.

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outstanding

The staff model tolerance and this has a positive influence on the relationships children build with each other. Staff take time to help children understand the needs of the other children living in the home and to rebuild fractured relationships. This has contributed to the home being a harmonious and safe place for children to live.

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outstanding

Staff know what to do should they have any concerns about a child’s safety and well-being. Any allegations and complaints are thoroughly investigated and acted on. The staff work closely with external safeguarding professionals. When reparation of damaged relationships is appropriate, this is child-led and sensitively managed. This provides children with reassurance that their voices are heard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The experienced manager is highly conscientious and ambitious for both the children in her care and the staff that she manages. Her positive influence is felt throughout the home. She works collaboratively with a similarly committed deputy manager. Staff refer to them both as approachable and supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff speak extremely highly of the manager and the care and support that she offers them. Staff benefit from regular, meaningful and reflective supervision. Because of the high level of support, staff changes are few and morale is high. One member of staff described the home as feeling ‘like a family’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is professionally curious. She values research-based practice and brings this into the home. She has organised bespoke training for staff about relevant topics such as care leavers and therapeutic models of care. A care- experienced person has also talked to staff about their lived experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager knows the children incredibly well because she is actively involved in their care and support. The children trust her and have chosen her to support them when meeting family members that they have been separated from for many years.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s daily oversight of the care provided in the home is exceptional. Direct work with the children is evaluated and critically appraised. She tracks children’s individual progress and is particularly focused on managing change, knowing the destabilising effect that this can have on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is child-focused and creative in her thinking on how to continually drive improvement. She is a strong advocate for the children and is well respected by external professionals, who praise the level of commitment she and the staff consistently show the children. 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

Jane Balfe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC023637 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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