Children's home run by Compass Children’s Homes Northeast Limited in North Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home: SC403472 1 SC403472

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Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes North East 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and who may have learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were 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 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC403472 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2023 Full Good 24/08/2022 Full Good 01/12/2021 Full Good 11/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC403472 3

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outstanding

Children enjoy secure and trusting relationships with staff who nurture and protect them. Staff know the children extremely well and enjoy spending time with them. Children receive warmth and affection from staff, and one professional stated that staff ‘genuinely love the children’. This contributes to a supportive environment where children are thriving and making exceptional progress.

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outstanding

Children benefit from a warm and homely place to live. They are involved in choosing their spacious and thoughtfully decorated bedrooms to reflect their interests. This is a family home with plenty of space for children to spend time together. There is an abundance of play opportunities in a sensory room, games room and book corner. This helps children to develop a sense of ownership and belonging in the home.

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outstanding

Staff are attuned to children’s individual communication styles and use a variety of methods to help understand children and their needs. Staff work with the children to help them make progress with their communication and develop their speech. This has helped one previously non-verbal child to significantly exceed expectations by learning to speak and extending their vocabulary.

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outstanding

Specialist help is made available to children and tailored to their individual needs. The manager invites a team of therapists to a monthly meeting to share their expertise. Staff use this knowledge to adapt their practice, which has helped one child make extraordinary progress with their personal care.

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outstanding

Staff understand the importance and value of education for children with additional needs. Children have excellent school attendance and enjoy being there. They are fully engaged and making good progress from their starting point. One child, who was not attending school, now attends and enjoys school.

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outstanding

Staff recognise the importance of family relationships and give children support to maintain them. Staff work impartially and diligently in breaking down barriers to important relationships and ensure that the focus remains on the child’s needs.

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outstanding

Children are learning to live more independently. While they are always supervised, they have been able to develop skills to provide care for themselves. Therefore, children are making remarkable progress from their starting point.

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outstanding

Children are encouraged by staff to try new activities and experiences. One child expressed the wish to go on a holiday abroad. Staff were creative in helping the child to achieve this goal. The child showed a sense of pride and achievement when they recounted their memories. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403472 4 Not all areas of the home are accessible to the children. Some bathrooms in the home are set aside for staff. This creates a barrier for children and restricts them from using these areas. This labelling creates an institutional feel to the home.

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outstanding

Staff know and understand children’s individual risk assessments and care plans, which are comprehensive and well thought out. The manager is involved in updating all plans and holding regular reflective discussions with staff. Staff’s efforts mean they intuitively know what they need to do to keep children safe. Children say they feel safe both in and out of the home.

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outstanding

Staff are well attuned to children’s behaviours and are highly skilled in de-escalating incidents. Children are only held as a last resort to ensure they are safe. Staff know children’s triggers and recognise the signs that they are becoming distressed. Staff understand the impact trauma has on children’s behaviour, and they work tirelessly to help them understand how their feelings impact on them. This has helped one child to learn how to better manage their feelings, and therefore the use of physical restraints has significantly reduced.

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outstanding

Staff are creative in encouraging children with complex needs to be involved in activities that help them to understand danger. One child took part in producing a role-play video depicting scenarios of stranger danger. This is effective in helping them retain the information that will help them to stay safer.

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outstanding

Staff follow the process for responding to safeguarding concerns about children and staff practice. There is an open culture within the home that encourages staff to raise concerns with the manager. The manager follows the provider’s investigation and disciplinary processes thoroughly and fairly, taking effective action to protect children.

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outstanding

Robust measures are in place to ensure that new staff are recruited safely. This helps to ensure that those employed to work with the children are suitable to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by an inspirational registered manager who has developed a safe and nurturing environment for children. She has an excellent understanding of children’s needs and childhood experiences. The registered manager ensures that the best interests of children are at the centre of all decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is well respected and supported by a diverse staff team with a range of skills and experience. Staff share the manager’s vision for the home and high expectations of the children. Staff speak highly of the manager and attribute strong staff retention to the support she provides. This in turn ensures that children have continuity of care by a stable and secure workforce. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403472 5 The manager and staff have developed excellent relationships with partner agencies, which allows them to work together effectively. Professionals spoke of the high quality of care provided to children and the excellent communication with the manager and staff. Managers and staff are invested in the children and genuinely care about them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers work together to share research and knowledge with the staff. The manager also ensures that the therapeutic professionals provide up-to-date advice, and guidance from the therapy team is shared. Children’s planning is updated regularly with new information and professional expertise, and staff use new learning to improve their practice. This approach ensures that children are supported consistently and enhances their experiences and overall progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has effective monitoring and review processes in place to ensure she maintains full oversight of all aspects of children’s care. She scrutinises information carefully to analyse staff practice and identify patterns in children’s behaviour. This allows the manager to make ongoing improvements to the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff receive regular supervision that is consistently reflective and focuses on the progress for children, their plans and staff practice. When practice falls short of the consistently high standard set by the manager, performance plans are implemented. These plans are effective in improving practice, which in turn raises the quality of care provided for children .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff have worked with the local community to include children in helping others. One child talked of her pride in being able to raise money for charity. This supports children to feel they can contribute to their community and have a greater sense of self-worth . Inspection report for children’s home: SC403472 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are able to access all areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: SC403472 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC403472 8 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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