Children's home run by Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 1 Registered provider: Artemis Support Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties and children who may have learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2022 Full Good 14/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, staff have supported three children to move on from the home and welcomed two children in. At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into the home after well-planned introductions. One child’s plan helped them to develop relationships with staff before their move. Another child moved to the home in more urgent circumstances and staff met with the child and family to provide reassurance. This means that children are given the best opportunity to prepare for their move to their new home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prepare children to move on from the home well. They collaborate with professionals to develop transition plans that best meet children’s needs. This means that staff advocate for children to ensure that any move takes place at the right time for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children they care for well. They speak with professionals and family members to better understand how to care for children. This helps children to make progress from their starting points. One parent said that they could not think of a better home for their child to live.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and learning needs are important to staff. Children are supported to attend health appointments and encouraged to attend education and learning. When children experience difficulties engaging in education, staff work with the child and professionals to ensure that they have additional learning in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager advocates for children when their care needs cannot be met by staff. This ensures that children receive the right support without delay.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s privacy is not always respected at night. Their bedrooms are fitted with a buzzer that activates when they leave their bedroom at night. Managers do not assess whether this is necessary to safeguard each child. These measures are also not kept under review.

p.3

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

Children’s risk assessments and care plans are detailed. Information is clearly recorded and informs staff how best to support a child when they need additional support. Therefore, staff have appropriate information to determine how to manage and reduce risks for children.

p.3

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

Staff take quick action when there are risks to children. Safeguarding procedures are followed by staff and records of any incidents are detailed. Managers have Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 4 conversations with staff and children, and the manager appropriately evaluates all incidents.

p.3

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

Physical restraints of children take place as a last resort when there are risks to children or others. Staff are trained to respond to children in these situations. However, when additional staff are brought in to work in the home, this can impact on the consistency in how a child is physically held. Children are provided with opportunities to discuss their experiences and staff provide communication methods to help all children.

p.4

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

The manager carries out a risk assessment to look at the impact of a new child moving into the home. There are meetings with professionals and family members to enhance the manager’s understanding about the new child. The assessments are detailed and provide information about children’s behaviours and vulnerabilities. This helps the registered manager to make decisions about whether the staff team has the skills to meet the needs of all children living in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager, with support from a deputy manager and senior workers. Leaders and managers provide new staff with an induction programme to ensure that they have the skills to meet the needs of children living in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that staff complete training and refresher courses. When children need staff to adapt how they work, appropriate training is provided to upskill staff. This ensures that the staff have the skills to meet the needs of all children in their care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The practice for the safe recruitment of staff has improved. This is because leaders and managers ensure that they follow safe recruitment procedures for staff who are employed to work at the home, as well as for agency workers. This provides reassurance that adults who work in the home are safe to do so.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When children’s behaviours and risks increase, the registered manager arranges for additional staff to work in the home. When additional staffing is not available, the registered manager and deputy manager step in to care for children alongside other staff. This can impact on the managerial roles, such as how well managers monitor and evaluate children’s quality of care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the managers at the home. Regular supervision takes place which allows staff an opportunity to reflect on their practice and focus on children’s needs. Staff attend regular team meetings, and the in-house therapeutic team attends for consultation and advice to help inform care planning for children. This support ensures that staff are focused on how best to meet the needs of the children in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 5 Professionals and family members give positive feedback about the registered manager and how she advocates for the children in her care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. The home has experienced an increased level of staff changes since the last inspection. Recruitment to vacant posts is a priority as the registered manager understands the use of agency staff can impact on consistency of care for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff hold the required qualification to help them to care for children in the home. Some staff are qualified and are supported to progress. However, one member of staff has passed the relevant date to complete the qualification and needs to enrol on a programme of learning. Leaders and managers are aware of this shortfall. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(e)(h)) 12 April 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

p.6

Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 12 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 7 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.6

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.7

Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

p.7

Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

p.7

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

p.7

Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

p.7

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home afte r 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 12 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 8

p.7

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: 2594952 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Artemis Support Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2594952 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

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 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 .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10