Children's Home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Surrey

Inspection report children’s home: 2705518 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 registered to provide care and accommodation for six children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2705518 2

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improvement to be good

One child has been living in the home since January 2024. She moved in very quickly due to a previous placement ending in an unplanned way. This was seen as a short-term arrangement until a more-permanent home could be found.

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improvement to be good

Adults worked hard to provide the child with individualised support during her move and want to do the best for her. However, they do not always receive adequate guidance. For example, before the child moved in, managers identified training that staff would require to best support them to meet the child’s individual needs and to understand some of the trauma that she had experienced. However, not all adults have received this training. This impacts on their confidence and their ability to understand and respond to the child’s behaviours. This is particularly relevant as the staff team is newly formed and some adults are relatively inexperienced.

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improvement to be good

Adults offer effective support to meet the child’s routine physical health needs, and the child has made some progress in this regard. However, leaders have not provided adults with clear and effectively planned strategies for how to help the child with a significant aspect of her personal care and behavioural needs. Some adults have identified some approaches, but there is a lack of coordination and clarity in their responses. Incidents are not always recorded. This makes it hard for managers to identify any patterns or to have clear oversight of the adults’ actions. Adults are also unclear as to whether they could/should share their observations with the child’s therapist.

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improvement to be good

Some adults know the child well. They enjoy spending time with her and support her to engage in some positive activities. For example, one adult takes her to the gym, another takes her shopping, and others play games and cook with her. Consequently, despite this being a time of upheaval for the child, staff have built relationships with her. Some of these relationships are strong and trusted.

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improvement to be good

The child is due to leave the home soon. Plans for this are currently unclear, as managers are awaiting confirmation from the child’s placing authority. However, adults have worked hard to help the child to make progress in some areas. For example, adults support the child to access therapeutic support. One social care professional commented after a recent visit that they had not seen the child so ‘emotionally settled’. Adults also support some educational activity as part of a plan towards a return to school in her next placement.

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improvement to be good

Adults offer sensitive support to the child to meet her religious and cultural needs. Diversity is celebrated in the home and tolerance promoted. Inspection report children’s home: 2705518 3

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improvement to be good

On one recent occasion, the child went missing from the home. Initially, adults acted in line with agreed procedures. They attempted to follow the child when they realised that she had left, and quickly notified the local authority and the police. However, after taking advice from an on-call manager, they did not continue to search for the child, which would have been in line with the expectations of senior managers and the home’s policies. Consequently, adults did not visit or thoroughly search some known addresses or locations. The child was missing overnight, despite staff correctly suspecting that they knew where she was. This was a particularly significant incident for the child given her vulnerabilities, age and previous experiences. The child had broken into an empty property that is also owned by the provider. The break in is now being investigated by the police. A local authority professional expressed significant concerns about the handling of this incident.

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improvement to be good

Leaders were unaware of this shortfall until it was raised during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Adults understand some of the risks that the child faces, and manage these well. For example, when challenging incidents occur, adults respond in a measured way. This helps to ensure that, generally, the situation calms quickly. Physical intervention has only been used once, for a very brief time. This incident was significant for the child. Adults were acutely aware of the reasons for this and spent time talking to the child about how it had made her feel and why the intervention had been used. This helped the child to better understand the incident and give their relationships with adults a chance to be repaired.

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improvement to be good

Health and safety checks, including checks relating to fire safety, are regularly undertaken. The home is safe and free from hazards. Most rooms in the home are clean and freshly decorated. However, a large, clearly visible mark remains on the ceiling of the kitchen following a significant incident. This acts as an unhelpful reminder to staff and the child when they enter the room. Although some initial remedial work was undertaken, this is yet to be completed and the area repainted. This also detracts from creating a homely feel in the kitchen.

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improvement to be good

Adults are knowledgeable about what to do should a child make a disclosure. Allegations about staff conduct are rare and are dealt with efficiently. Senior managers have oversight of these situations, when needed, and external safeguarding professionals are involved appropriately.

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good

The manager is applying to register with Ofsted. He understands many of the strengths and weaknesses of the service and is realistic about some areas that need to be developed further, particularly given the relative inexperience of the newly formed team. He is supported by an enthusiastic, child-focused deputy manager. Inspection report children’s home: 2705518 4 When shortfalls in practice are identified, swift action is taken. However, the manager’s monitoring and review systems did not identify some of the weaknesses found in this inspection. Consequently, at times, adults lack clear guidance, and the child does not always receive good support.

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good

Staff undertake an initial wide-ranging induction programme when they start their employment. However, the team did not receive adequate training in relation to particular types of abuse and trauma. Funding for this has now been agreed by senior managers. However, the training is yet to be arranged, despite the child having lived in the home for several weeks.

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good

Relationships with some other professionals have been strained at times. Despite this, the manager and staff share information in a timely way. The manager challenges others appropriately when he feels that this is in the best interests of the child.

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good

Adults ensure that information is regularly recorded on the child’s file. However, the volume of records means that some important information is not always clear or consistent. For example, the child’s records contain inaccurate information relating to when and how she will stay in touch with some members of her family. In addition, contact details for some professionals are not correct. This could cause confusion for adults, particularly those who do not know the child well.

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good

The child’s views are sought by adults. However, staff and the manager were unaware that the child had an advocate. Although the child had chosen not to engage with this individual before she moved to the home, this was not discussed with her again or an alternative sought. This is particularly important given that the child has limited contact with people outside of the adults working in the home.

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good

All adults spoke positively about the support that they receive from the manager and the deputy. Supervision sessions are regularly held, and the managers are committed to embedding a learning culture in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2705518 5

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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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, respond effectively when a child goes missing. 31 March 2024

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(h)) 31 March 2024

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the needs of each child are assessed prior to their placement and that staff are equipped with the training and knowledge that they require to meet their needs. Ensure that staff have clear and effectively planned strategies to support children throughout their time in the home. 31 March 2024 Inspection report children’s home: 2705518 6

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and, where possible, this should be provided by a person who the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion, and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2705518 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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Inspector

Matt Hedges, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2705518 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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