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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2539587 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited

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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 provider.

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Information about this children’s home

It provides care for up to eight children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were six children living at the home when the inspection took place.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2539587 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/04/2023 Full Good 30/08/2022 Full Good 20/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2539587 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s environment is warm and welcoming. It has a homely feel and children have freedom of movement in and around the home. Children thrive on the structure and routines in place, and they rely on the fair and consistent care provided by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s needs and vulnerabilities and risks are well-understood by staff. The children receive individualised care from a dedicated and committed staff team. Children have developed strong and positive attachments with staff. Staff practice is trauma informed and they are caring and nurturing towards the children. This helps children to feel secure in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to go on holidays with staff. They enjoy a range of activities and are supported in all aspects of their lives. Each child’s individual hobbies and interests are promoted, giving the children positive and new experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate on behalf of the children. They regularly engage and consult with the children through weekly meetings and key-work sessions. The manager and deputy manager are very hands on, they know the children well and spend time with them and are keenly interested in their daily lives. This gives children a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote and encourage the importance of family time with parents, siblings and other loved ones This helps children to sustain and often repair relationships that are important to them. Children are encouraged and supported to have positive peer relationships and spend time with their friends in the local community. Children’s free time is monitored closely and balanced against the need to progress their independence safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is encouraged and any barriers to learning are well-understood by staff. Children have the necessary plans in place to ensure the right support is available to assist their learning. Assessments are undertaken to inform any specific learning needs such as attention deficit disorder, autistic spectrum condition and dyslexia. As a result, children’s engagement in their learning has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff attend parent’s evenings and support the children in extra curricula activities. Children are guided to make the right choice when they choose their subject options, or when they leave school and go on to further education or vocational studies.

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

The staff are very alert to the risks for each child. Staff response to children who go missing is individualised and underpinned by their risk assessments and missing- Inspection report for children’s home: 2539587 4 from-care protocols. This ensures an effective multi-agency response, and any missing incidents are managed at the earliest opportunity to prevent children from coming to any harm.

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

The need to physically intervene to manage children’s behaviour is low. When holds take place, they are proportionate and used to ensure children’s safety and well- being. The staff understand the individual needs of each child to successfully manage their behaviour. They are effective in identifying the triggers and using de-escalation techniques that children respond well to.

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

The team apply a strengths-based model of care that incorporates a restorative approach when addressing negative or harmful behaviour. The in-house therapist is a real asset, and children and staff can access support as an when the need arises. The manager has a wealth of knowledge about the risks posed by child exploitation, county lines and self-harm and has a good understanding of how childhood trauma influences children’s behaviour.

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

Effective planning and practice results in decisions being made that enhance the safety and well-being of the children. The manager makes informed decisions when considering children who come to live in the home, and applies this when completing compatibility assessments. Risk taking behaviour has reduced as a result of children living at this home.

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

The manager has clear and strong expectations around behaviour which are applied consistently by the staff. This helps children to control their own behaviour and learn more appropriate ways of managing their emotions. The children are helped to develop their own sense of safety. A great deal of work is done around keeping safe online and appropriate online safety tools are used to block unsuitable online activity.

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

Children say that they feel safe and well-cared for. Safe recruitment practice ensures that individuals working at the home are safe to look after children. Allegations and concerns regarding staff conduct are dealt with in line with the policies and procedures in place. Equally, staff understand their responsibility in raising and reporting any safeguarding concerns.

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The of effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an ambitious vision for the home. He strives to offer long term support to children in an environment that they can call home with personalised care plans to meet their needs. The staff team share the manager’s vision and the high standards that he expects in the home.

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The of effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child-centred in his day-to-day practice. He values the wishes and feelings of the children and places them at the heart of decisions made. Children are given the confidence to aspire for their futures and feel that they can achieve them with the support from the manager and the staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2539587 5 The manager actively promotes staff development, and some have already progressed to more senior roles. There are systems in place to support this development and learning which includes staff having additional responsibilities for tasks that will support further learning.

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The of effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked diligently to manage recent significant safeguarding concerns in the home. Decisions have been made quickly and efficiently to ensure that children are safe and that risks are minimised. The manager has liaised with several professionals to share information appropriately to ensure all of the children in the home remain safeguarded from potential harm, both now, and in the future.

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The of effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals speak highly about the quality of communication from the manager and staff at the home. The manager and staff work well as part of the wider team around the children. They advocate on behalf of the children and have significant input into their reviews and other meetings.

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The of effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. However, the quality of the minutes varies and does not give an accurate reflection of what has been discussed. This was recognised as a learning need for staff in January 2024 however, minutes are still of inconsistent quality.

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The of effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are two members of staff in the home for whom the required date to complete the national vocational qualification (NVQ) level 3 diploma has passed. For one staff member this is significantly out of date, and it appears that this has been able to drift. The manager is aware of this and there is a performance plan in place to manage this situation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2539587 6

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 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; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) 31 July 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records of the content and outcomes of supervision sessions are kept, and that both the person giving the supervision and staff member receive a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2539587 7

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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: 2539587 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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Inspectors

Cath Sikakana, Social Care Inspector Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2539587 9 regulates and inspects 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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