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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2613849 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A large national provider owns this home, which provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 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

Date of last inspection: 16 January 2024

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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: 2613849 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/01/2024 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2613849 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress in this home. Moves into the home are carefully planned and focused on the needs of the child. Children develop trusting and secure relationships with the adults who care for them, and this enables them to become more confident. Staff talk to the children about a range of sensitive issues and take time to understand the uniqueness of each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and support the children to attend school. Staff provide a range of educational opportunities for children who are not able to access full-time education. Although there has been a challenge to the wider network regarding part-time timetables, one child continues not to have full access to education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to ensuring that children enjoy regular, meaningful time with their family. When this is not possible, staff take the time to help children understand why decisions have been made. Family members are welcomed into the home, and staff support with the arrangements for children to see their loved ones. Staff have built trusting relationships with family members, which has helped to develop a consistent network of trusted adults around the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with a wide range of age-appropriate, social, and recreational activities. Meal times are social occasions, and children are included in meal planning and preparation. Children are supported by staff to maintain healthy routines and sleep patterns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is welcoming and homely, with photos and pictures on the wall to celebrate memories and special occasions. The children’s bedrooms are personalised to their tastes. Door alarms are used but reviewed on an individual basis in response to risk and need. There are shared spaces in the home for eating together, relaxing and playing games. One child’s bedroom is in need of some attention, and there is a plan to rectify this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Language used to describe behaviour is not always child focused or trauma-informed, and managers are taking steps to address this in their oversight of practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence planning and expectations for behaviour are not always clear, and this has caused uncertainty for children at times.

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

Safeguarding concerns are well managed, with robust and timely action taken to address issues. Plans that support staff to minimise risk for the children are clear and concise. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613849 4 Allegations and complaints are responded to in a timely manner and thoroughly investigated. The children and individuals involved are supported throughout, and the outcome is clearly communicated.

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

Staff use a variety of de-escalation techniques to support children who are experiencing distress. Restraint is used as a last resort, and as a result, there has only been one incident.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff are persistent in their attempts to locate them, and they ensure that family and relevant professionals are kept up to date. When children return home, they are warmly welcomed back and offered food and nurture. Managers have sufficient oversight of the incident reports and lessons learned to try to reduce missing episodes.

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

An age-appropriate approach is taken in relation to monitoring mobile phones and internet use. Staff have open conversations with the children about any concerns, and they take an educative approach.

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

Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of their development and to learn skills to help keep themselves safe. Children enjoy spending meaningful time with their friends and family in the community without any unnecessary restrictions.

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

Leaders and managers fill vacancies by following a robust safer recruitment process. New staff receive a thorough induction and are required to complete all mandatory training. Medication is safely stored and administered by knowledgeable staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Leaders and managers have made improvements to the monitoring and oversight in the home, and these changes Have made a positive difference to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers respond to children’s views in a number of ways and are continuing to improve practice in this area. Children are confident to express their views about decisions made in the home and know who to speak to if they are unhappy or wish to make a complaint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff know the children well, show compassion and are clear on the management structure within the organisation. Supervision takes place regularly and is used to support staff development and reflect on practice for improved outcomes. Staff benefit from regular team meetings and reflective practice that is child focused and led by clinical specialists. Staff report that they enjoy their role and feel supported by leaders and managers. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613849 5 Leaders and managers have carefully thought-out plans to fill vacancies and reduce the need for agency staff. New members of staff receive comprehensive training and shadowing during their probationary period. Leaders and managers ensure that staff are up to date with mandatory training, and they organise bespoke training to support staff to respond to the individual needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of building relationships with children’s families and the multi-agency network. Professional feedback is positive about staff, the care of the children and the progress that they are making. One parent talked about the trust they have in staff and how the manager has taken action to address their concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613849 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting, and personal self-care. As the home will have a day to day understanding of young people’s capabilities and needs, children’s homes staff will have a valuable contribution to make to the pathway planning process. They should actively seek to make the fullest contribution, working with other relevant persons. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 17, paragraphs 3.27 and 3.28)  The registered person should ensure that positive behaviour and relationships are

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Recommendations

reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour is challenged and discussed. Staff should understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. In particular, the language used to describe behaviours should be strengths based and child focused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 39, paragraphs 8.11 and 8.13)

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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: 2613849 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Stacey Pellow, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2613849 8 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 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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