Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd in Essex

Inspection report children's home: 2683331 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

The home is owned and managed by a private company. The home is registered to provide care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 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

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2683331 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: 2683331 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living at the home. One child has moved in a planned way and one child moved in three months ago.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well decorated. There are nice pieces of artwork and comfortable furniture throughout. There is a calm atmosphere at the home and the children seem relaxed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have chickens in the garden which they really like. One child collects the eggs and helps to look after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are warm and friendly. They know the children well and this helps to build positive relationships. Through these relationships, children build their sense of self and make positive choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a school linked to the home that both children attend. One child is on a revised timetable suited to his needs. Another child has made excellent progress and is taking seven GCSE’s this year. This is a vast improvement as when this child moved in, they had been out of education for two years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build skills for the future. One child cooked lunch for everybody during the inspection. The next day the child prepared a slow-cooker meal. Children are supported to make their own appointments, learn how to do laundry and keep their rooms clean and tidy. Building these skills will help them prepare for their adult lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Childrens moves to the home are well planned. The manager ensures she has considered the relevant information on whether children can live alongside each other. One child’s transition plan was delayed by several months and the manager proactively made sure she remained informed of the plan. She worked closely with the team around the child and their family. This helped the child’s eventual move go more smoothly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support family time. They understand the importance of this for the children they care for. They arrange and facilitate family time often driving long distances to help children see their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a range of activities and experiences that they can enjoy. For example ,they enjoy fishing, swimming, trampolining and boxing lessons. Staff recognise that being active is beneficial for the children’s well-being and physical exertion is a good outlet. This shows that staff understand the children well. Inspection report children's home: 2683331 4

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

The staff and the manager understand children’s histories, and this helps them to keep them safe. Children have experienced exploitation and trauma before coming to the home. Staff have had relevant training to ensure that they are informed and able to meet children’s needs.

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

Children are safer since moving to the home. They have a range of restrictions in place that have enabled staff to keep them safe. However, staff are not risk averse and work with children to help them build their emerging independence. One child has gone from very high levels of staffing to having time to himself in the community and time with a friend.

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

The home’s psychologist puts forward a specific model of practice. She meets with children on a weekly basis. She also works with the team to enable them to work with children using a trauma-informed approach. One child has made excellent progress in these weekly sessions and is opening up about his emotions and learning how to recognise and manage them.

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

The staff’s relationship with the local police team is a real strength. The missing- from-home protocol is well designed and individual to each child. There are few missing-from-home episodes but these are always well managed. Police provided good feedback about the home and said, ‘It is the best in the area’. They were particularly complimentary about the structure and routine that the staff offer children and the positive impact that this provides.

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

There have been a number of psychical interventions. However, these are not always recorded or reviewed properly. One physical intervention was not recorded for eleven days. This record also included an allegation against a member of staff that was not reported for eleven days. One record was reviewed by the manager who was involved in the incident. The manager and was open and transparent about these shortfalls, however a significant amount of time following the intervention had passed. Accurate and quick recording and reporting of incidents is essential to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is effectively managed by an experienced manager who has been part of the home since it opened. She is extremely dedicated and sets an excellent example for her team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has had a very high turnover of staff and at times this has placed extra pressure on the manager and the staff. The manager is currently recruiting staff and several new members of staff have joined the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children receive individualised care. Planning for children is staged at a suitable pace. The manager and staff create high-quality placement plans. They set realistic and achievable targets for each child. These are regularly reviewed and updated. Inspection report children's home: 2683331 5 The manager is empowering staff, to help them grow and develop. The staff’s professional development is supported well in supervision sessions. Supervision sessions are regularly provided by the manager and support the staff’s development and well-being. Staff speak very highly of the manager. They say that she goes above and beyond in her role. She is approachable, available to staff and knows the children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works very well with professionals and parents. Parents praise the support she has offered them and said that they are always updated and informed. The manager has worked with another home where one child’s family member lives and helped them to recognise wider safeguarding concerns. The child’s social worker praised the manager’s response in this case.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager places importance on training and development for herself and for the staff. She is planning to start a level 7 diploma. She invests time in training staff and helping them to build the required knowledge and resilience required for the role. This will help them to build on their strengths and continue to provide a positive service for children. Inspection report children's home: 2683331 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, 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 12 March 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2683331 7 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) (c)(iv))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are listened to and enabled to report any allegations at the earliest opportunity. Staff should report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager within the home. Any allegation of harm or abuse must be addressed in line with the home's child protection policy. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 44, paragraph 9.17)

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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 children's home: 2683331 8

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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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Inspector

Mary Costello, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 2683331 9 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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