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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2683331 1 Registered provider: Compass Childrens Homes Limited 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 company. The home is registered to provide care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: 19 February 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: 2683331 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2024 Full Good 27/02/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2683331 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home is generally positive about their experiences. They feel safe and well supported by staff and managers most of the time. The child has close relationships with some staff. The experiences of children who have left the home have also been taken into consideration during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are warm, friendly and treat children with respect and dignity. Staff speak positively about working at the home and the relationships they have with the child. Staff have a nice manner and a nurturing approach. This helps children to feel safe and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to take part in a range of activities, in line with their hobbies and interests. The child is supported to go swimming and fishing regularly. In the summer, another child was taken skydiving. Staff helped one child to arrange a Halloween party at the home, and this was attended by children from the provider’s other homes. Chickens are kept in the garden, and staff support children to raise chicks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home. One child had a well-planned and positive move into a semi-independent setting. The other child moved out because the home has not been able to support them. This was primarily due to the child’s circumstances changing beyond the home’s control. When both children left, the manager and staff strived to help the children move on in the most positive way possible. This included a celebration evening, a meal and a memory book for each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s meetings take place regularly and give a platform for their views to be captured and recorded. Records are child-centred, meaning children can look back and see what was said and what happened if they wish. The child knows that they can express how they feel or make a complaint. The child trusts the staff and the manager and feels confident that their complaints would be taken seriously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage children to attend school, college, or alternative education provision. Staff have good working relationships with school staff and provide one-to-one support to help with the child’s attendance. Staff plan activities for children who are not in full-time education to provide them with learning opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good support to meet their health needs. Children’s emotional well- being is increased by staff, who use a therapeutic approach to care. An on-site psychologist supports children through individual and group therapy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with people who are important to them. This includes supporting families to visit the home or taking children to spend time with their families. Children receive creative support to build and maintain friendships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2683331 4 The home is large, modern and well furnished throughout. The garden and other external parts of the property appear well maintained. An external room provides a quiet space for therapy or education. However, some areas of the home require maintenance or repairs that have not been completed in a timely manner. This detracts from an otherwise good environment.

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

Children are protected and safeguarded. Staff know the safeguarding procedures, and managers encourage them to raise any potential concerns. When safeguarding incidents occur, staff take them seriously and respond using their best endeavours. Leaders and managers review incidents effectively and encourage an open culture to enable learning from incidents.

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

Staff know children’s strengths and vulnerabilities. Staff use risk assessments for reducing children’s risks. These assessments show good detail and are individualised. Files include versions of plans and assessments written in language that children can understand. This helps children to know their own targets and how to work towards reaching them.

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

Physical interventions are only used as a last resort. There have been periods when restraints have been used more frequently. On each occasion, staff actions have been justified and necessary. Staff have had training in how to use physical interventions and have followed the training. Frequent refresher sessions assist staff to feel equipped. All incidents involving restraint have been reviewed by a manager, and debriefs have been offered to staff and children.

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

Staff have responded to significant incidents at the home. Some of these have been challenging for staff and unsettling for children. The staff have found this difficult. Despite this, they have shown a great commitment to supporting the children. Records of incidents are well recorded, and records show good management oversight. The manager has supported staff to reflect and identify any areas of practice that can be improved.

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

When children leave the home without permission, staff follow procedures and protocols and react responsibly. Staff work with other agencies, including the police, to help children to return safely. Missing-from-home records are detailed and accurate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has not been a registered manager in the home since August 2024. However, the deputy manager is assisted by an experienced manager from a nearby home run by the provider. The covering manager visits most days to ensure good management cover. The responsible individual has provided additional oversight and support. This has reduced the impact of the registered manager leaving. Inspection report for children’s home: 2683331 5 The deputy manager and covering manager have led a positive culture at the home. They strive for best practice among staff and pursue good outcomes for children. There is a good dynamic between the manager, the deputy and the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff show a positive and child-focused attitude to working at the home. The home has relied on agency staff previously but now has a stable workforce. While many staff are new to the home, they show enthusiasm and speak positively about their role. One staff member said, ‘I love working here. Everyone is lovely… a great bunch of staff. Everyone has a good relationship with the children. It is nice and family-orientated.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings are well structured and meaningful. The manager holds additional team meetings for further training and staff development. These include targeted sessions in response to incidents and behaviours and implementing the home’s therapeutic approach. The in-house psychotherapist provides staff with additional support in team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a good induction process for new staff. Staff receive a range of training, and this gives them all the necessary tools to be able to support children competently. The responsible individual follows safe recruitment protocols.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision sessions, which they say are helpful and supportive. Staff said that there is a culture that welcomes informal, ad hoc advice, supervision or discussion as part of a positive and supportive team ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional feedback is positive, both in response to individual children’s care and in respect of the management and staff support across the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have demonstrated that they have a good overview and insight of the home. They review staff practice and make effective use of auditing and monitoring tools, which helps ensure children receive a consistently good standard of care. However, the home has not made the best use of the independent visitor. All visits since the last inspection have been announced, and their recommendations have not always been acted on. In particular, the home has poor records of supervision sessions for regular agency staff, despite the visitor identifying this as an area for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2683331 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is decorated and maintained to a consistently good standard throughout, and in particular, ensure maintenance and repairs are carried out in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure they make the best use of information from external and internal monitoring. In particular, managers should ensure a proportion of independent person visits are unannounced, and they should follow recommendations and advice unless they can justify such action is not needed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2683331 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Childrens Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Daniel Rankin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2683331 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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