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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2646001 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

This home is run by a private organisation. It offers care for up to six children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023 and is suitably qualified.

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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: 2646001 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/08/2023 Full Good 30/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2646001 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children living at the home were spoken with during the inspection. The manager and staff speak fondly about the children, their personalities and qualities. They speak openly about how much they love the children and want the best for them. The staff and children have good relationships, which are warm and friendly. One child said that they know staff ‘have their back’ and care about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers are pleased with the standard of care afforded to the children. It can sometimes be difficult to see major progress, but most children are making small and significant improvements. Staff encourage the children to have hobbies and interests, and they also support the children to spend time with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is difficult for some children. One child has missed a lot of schooling, and they are concerned that it will affect their future opportunities. The manager and staff have advocated strongly for this child to have an educational offer that meets their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and on from the home are well planned. The manager and staff do as much as they can to make the transition as smooth as possible for the child. Before any move, the child can visit the home that they are moving to. This gives the child time to become familiar with the home and helps to ease the child’s worries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home requires redecoration across most rooms, including some of the children’s bedrooms. The garden has a disused pond and shed that require attention so that they do not pose a safety hazard to the children.

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

Children sometimes go missing from this home. When this happens, staff take swift action to locate them, which can involve seeking support from external agencies, such as the police. Staff follow children’s individual missing-from-care protocols and will attempt to engage children in reflective discussions once they have returned home. Children are also offered independent return home interviews following any missing-from-care incident. This is another opportunity where the child can talk to an independent person about their experience while missing and explore ways to prevent further incidents.

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

Children have made allegations against staff. The manager takes appropriate action to safeguard children, and investigations have taken place as needed. The manager ensures that decisions regarding any allegations are recorded. When appropriate, restorative work takes place between the staff member and the child.

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

Physical intervention techniques have been used to keep children safe. Staff are trained to physically restrain a child, but they would only do this as a last resort. Most incidents have been managed in line with the children’s risk assessments and plans. However, Inspection report for children’s home: 2646001 4 during one incident, staff used a physical hold that was not approved for that child. This did not cause physical harm to the child.

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

Individualised risk assessments are in place for each child. Staff use safety plans alongside the risk assessments to implement strategies to help the children, which includes helping them to stay safe while they are out with friends. However, some information in the children’s risk assessments does not reflect the current risks for the child, and the documents do not provide staff with the necessary guidance.

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

There has been an increase in self-injurious behaviour for one child. Staff have revisited self-harm training and the concerns have been discussed across the team with the therapeutic practitioner. However, staff have not had any specialist training to support them with the very specific nature of the self-injurious behaviour. This means that staff do not have the skills and knowledge to fully safeguard the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an ambitious, child-centred vision for the home, and she makes decisions in the best interests of the children in her care. She wants to be able to operate at full capacity with a dedicated staff team that can support children to reach their full potential in a safe, nurturing and therapeutic environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of each child’s needs. She advocates for them and will challenge other professionals should this be required. The manager is supported by a deputy, who shares her values and ethos for the home. Staff say that they trust their management team and value the guidance that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands and acknowledges that the current team of staff are inexperienced. Therefore, staff sometimes require additional support and guidance to fully understand their role. Staff receive regular reflective supervision, and they also benefit from additional informal supervision sessions. Group sessions are also offered by the therapeutic worker, which provides staff with the time to explore their emotional well-being and resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has oversight of the records and documents written for children. However, the manager’s monitoring had not recognised that there is evidence of blaming and stigmatising language in records. This does not demonstrate that staff consistently practice in a trauma-informed way and understand the underlying reasons for children’s behavioural responses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff has not completed the required qualification in the time frame permitted in the regulations. The manager is aware of this and has implemented a plan to ensure that staff are suitably qualified. Inspection report for children’s home: 2646001 5

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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 with 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 2 September 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—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h)) 2 September 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a warm and welcoming environment for children. Any outstanding repairs and decoration should be addressed promptly to ensure that the presentation of the home is maintained and there are no Inspection report for children’s home: 2646001 6 health and safety hazards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2646001 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Bowker

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Inspectors

Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Jan Edwards, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2646001 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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