Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited in Gateshead

Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited

p.1

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke with three of the five children who live in this home.

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: 1232649 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2023 Full Good 07/09/2022 Full Good 09/11/2021 Full Good 24/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with the adults who care for them. Staff invest significant time and energy in getting to know and understand the children. Children speak positively about the home and staff. They say that they can talk to staff about their worries and that they are treated fairly.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children struggle to engage with their attendance and engagement at school. Staff recognise that barriers are linked to their childhood experiences and advocate for an individualised approach. Staff appropriately challenge education professionals where plans do not meet the needs of children. Children who are attending school are making good progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to participate in decision-making meetings about their care. Staff regularly gather children’s views through key-work sessions and children’s meetings. These influence change in the home, which lets children know that they are listened to, showing them that they are valued.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children from different cultural backgrounds have lived in the home. Staff support children to practise their religious and cultural beliefs. Staff encourage all children to participate in events such as Eid. This helps all children to learn about different cultures and share in traditional events and practices.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to pursue their interests and hobbies. For example, children take part in activities such as going for a walk, horse riding and quad biking. These activities provide children with opportunities to exercise and give them a sense of achievement. Staff capture these memories in photos that are displayed around the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not always take prompt action to repair or replace broken items of furniture in children’s bedrooms. This does not demonstrate to children that the condition of their personal space is important to those caring for them. The rest of the property has a homely feel and is currently undergoing redecoration.

p.3

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

Staff complete risk assessments that are individual to each child. They detail the nature of the risk and what staff should do to safeguard children. Staff also support children through key-work sessions to better understand the things that pose a danger to them. These help children to talk about things that worry them and enables staff to review plans to keep them safer.

p.3

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

Children sometimes go missing from the home. Staff consistently follow the missing- from-home procedures to locate children as soon as possible. Staff speak to children Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 4 when they return home and ensure that they are offered an independent return home interview. Information gathered from these discussions is analysed to help the manager and staff to understand what drives children to go missing from home. This understanding has contributed to staff being able to achieve a consistent reduction in the number of times children have been missing from home.

p.3

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

Consequences are used to help children learn about the impact of their behaviour. Where negative behaviour continues or increases, the manager tracks incidents and explores possible triggers. This gives staff a better understanding of the children’s needs. As a result, children are supported more effectively at those times when they are angry or upset.

p.4

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

Children can raise complaints and concerns with the manager. When children make allegations against staff, these are dealt with swiftly and thoroughly. The manager completes an investigation, and the findings are shared with children. Children are supported to rebuild relationships where appropriate. This helps children feel listened to and have confidence that the manager and staff will act to safeguard them.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment practice helps to ensure that all new staff are checked and vetted before working in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas for further development. The ownership of the home has changed since the last inspection, and this has led to some changes to how the home operates and in the staff team. The registered manager has worked to stabilise the staff team and remains focused on providing good care to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager builds strong working relationships with other multi-agency partners. They are proactive in establishing and maintaining good communication. This helps to ensure that care planning for children is kept up to date and that any issues can be addressed quickly. The registered manager advocates for children in their best interest. One professional said, ‘She is a warrior for children and exceptional at being their voice.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Child-centred decisions are made by the registered manager about who comes to live in the home. She considers the competing needs and risks of the children alongside the ability of staff to meet those needs. This ensures that children receive personalised care from the start and are better able to settle into the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision of their practice. This allows them space to reflect on the care they provide to children. Each session shows a discussion about the children, any issues or concerns and what actions may be needed to improve outcomes. This helps the manager to maintain oversight of the development needs of staff and ensure that practice in the home is safe and effective. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 5 Most of the staff working in the home do not possess the required qualification. This is because there have been changes in the staff team, with a number of new staff coming to work in the home. The manager has ensured that staff are enrolled on the diploma course and are working towards their qualification. There is also a structured induction programme to help new staff learn the skills they need to care for the children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 6

p.4

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.

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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 1 December 2024

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home meets the children’s basic day-to- day needs and physical necessities. This should include prompt repairs and maintenance of the home environment. This is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as individuals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

p.6

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: 1232649 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 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.

p.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8