Children's home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2523025 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

A private company operates this home. The home is registered to provide care for up to six children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been on maternity leave. During this period, the home was overseen by another manager who registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2523025 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/10/2023 Full Outstanding 14/02/2023 Full Outstanding 14/12/2021 Full Outstanding 20/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2523025 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, six children were living at the home. One child had left, and one child had moved to the home. All children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have lived at the home for many years and are making excellent progress. For one child, this has meant they have been able to successfully move to a foster family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A new child’s needs were assessed well by the manager. The manager considered how staff could meet the child’s needs and if they would be a positive match with the other children living at the home. The child has settled quickly and has begun to form positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who genuinely care about them. There is a sense of belonging where children all come together for dinner, talk about their day, and make suggestions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of this home is having an on-site therapist who supports and enhances the overall care. She provides support to the children to help them understand their past traumas. In addition, she helps staff to develop plans, which helps them to provide consistent care to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are creative in gaining views from children. Children give suggestions about activities and some aspects of their care and have suggested questions as part of the recruitment of new staff. However, children are not always involved in writing their care plans or asked about specific ways they would like to be helped and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education. When children are struggling in school, the staff support them at school and with learning in the home. For one child, this support meant they went from being at school part time to full time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to follow their interests. Children attend a variety of clubs away from the home, which has a positive impact on them. On child attends air cadets and their love of aeroplanes has led to them aspiring to be a pilot. They are working hard to achieve this goal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a diverse staff team who act as positive role models to the children. Children are helped to attend religious classes at the weekend and encouraged to join in cultural days and take part in Pride and religious events. Staff cook a range of food and talk to children about difference and being accepting of difference.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know that keeping in touch with friends and family is important to children. Children are taken by staff to visit family members and friends no matter the distance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523025 4 For those who cannot visit as often as they would like, staff help children keep in touch through technology and letter writing.

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

Staff know the children well and can often pre-empt behaviours and are able to defuse them. On occasions, physical intervention is needed to keep children safe. On rare occasions, behaviours have been such that despite all efforts to defuse situations staff have had no choice but to request support from the police. This is a last resort and not a decision that is taken lightly.

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

Staff and managers have developed good multi-agency working. They have invited other professionals, including the police, to visit and talk to children about the consequences of using weapons and making threats to others.

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

Most risks are well understood by staff. Staff have developed plans which help them to understand the risks and what strategies they need to use to manage the behaviours. However, for one child a previous risk had re-emerged, and a risk assessment was put in place. This assessment did not tell staff what action they should take to try and prevent the risk of a child climbing on the roof. As a result, the child was able to gain access to the roof on a second occasion.

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

On occasions, children can say or do things which upset the other children at the home. Staff have taken action and spend time talking to children about things like bullying and its impact. Sessions are undertaken as part of children’s meetings and staff have put information around the home for children to read so that they know who to talk to if they are concerned.

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

Children do express their views and will tell others when they are concerned that staff actions fall short of expectations. The registered manager reports, investigates and follows up any concerns raised, and, where necessary, has taken action to retrain staff.

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

Children have access to technology through mobile phones, computers and games consoles. The manager has made sure the Wi-Fi has parental settings enabled and children’s phones have monitoring applications. Children are helped by staff to understand the risks online through learning programmes and discussions. When it is found that children may be putting themselves at risk, action is taken to reduce the risks and report to those who need to know.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been several changes to the leadership of the home. This has had some impact on both staff and children due to the changes in ways of working and leadership style. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523025 5 There have also been some changes to staff at the home, with some well-established staff leaving. As children have lived at the home for some time it has taken time to get used to the loss of staff they know and trust and get to know new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is settling into the role and beginning to establish her vision for the home. She has made some positive changes which the children and staff say are for the better and children say she listens to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is regular monitoring of the home by the responsible individual and therapist. The multi-agency approach helps them understand children’s progress. Managers have identified the need for improved recording of work done with children by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported well. They receive regular supervision which is reflective. When the manager has found shortfalls in staff practice, she has acted by placing staff on performance improvement plans. However, she has not put in place any monitoring of one worker who, it had been identified, needed additional support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a wide range of training both online and face to face. The home’s therapist also provides bespoke training to staff individually and as part of group learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has an independent visitor as part of regulation 44 requirements. However, they do not regularly see or speak to all the children. This does not give children the opportunity to talk to an independent person about their concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523025 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, The 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, when risks emerge, prompt action must be taken to assess that risk. In addition, information must be available to staff on how to reduce any risk to children. 1 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the independent visitor seeing and talking to all children when they visit. 1 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2523025 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that each child is provided with support (appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. This may include the use of and support to use communication aids, equipment and/or any necessary language support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)  The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. Specifically, staff recording of work done by staff with children requires improvement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They

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Recommendations

must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2523025 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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Rebecca Dacre and Zeynab Fadil

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Inspector

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2523025 9 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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