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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2612008 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

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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 run by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. There were four children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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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 good

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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: 15 November 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2612008 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2023 Full Outstanding 13/10/2022 Full Outstanding 08/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2612008 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Each child has made exceptional progress from their initial starting point with the excellent care that they receive. This is due to how well the staff know and understand the children they care for. Staff have been praised by other professionals for their child- centred approach, with one professional saying, ‘Staff see the child behind the behaviours. They are invested and want to see them make progress.’ Staff take the time to show children how valued they are as individuals and that they are important. This support is evident through the remarkable improvement in confidence for all of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Each child is enrolled in an educational provision that meets their needs. They have made significant progress in their learning. One child had been absent from education for three years before coming to live at the home. The child is now on a college course that is tailored to their interests and future aspirations. The staff support the children to continue their education at home; for example, staff have purchased bikes and tools for one child to build up their mechanical knowledge in line with their educational targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from stable and trusting relationships with staff. Children enjoy spending time with staff and can share their feelings with them and ask for support. One child has struggled with sharing their feelings and trusting adults before coming to live at the home. The staff have dedicated themselves to helping the child to feel safer and cared for, which has resulted in impressive progress in the child’s ability to regulate their emotions. One professional said, ‘The child experienced a great deal of instability, loss and rejection. [Name of child] is now expressing they feel safe and happy.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are supported to engage in activities in which they are interested. All the children have hobbies or clubs that they regularly attend, which has supported them to make progress in different areas of their life. One child was initially struggling with health-related issues. The child has been supported by staff to attend the gym, and this has made a marked improvement on their overall health. One child wanted to join Brownies but felt a lot of anxiety about taking this step. To help the child attend, a member of staff volunteered themselves as a Brownie’s leader so that they could actively support the child during the sessions. As a result, the child has improved confidence and a range of new abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from staff who listen to them and strongly advocate on their behalf. Staff listen intently to children’s wishes and feelings and do everything in their power to support each child achieve their wishes. One child said, ‘The staff are massive advocates for me. They take the time to talk and listen to me. They will act on what I say, and if they cannot do something, they will tell me why.’ Children feel empowered as a result of staff practice, which allows them to have a sense of ownership over their own lives, knowing that they will be supported to make age-appropriate decisions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612008 4 Diversity is celebrated in the home, which helps the children to feel included, valued and seen. Staff take the time to understand each child’s identity and to ensure that they are promoted in line with the child’s wishes and feelings. Regular celebrations of different

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

cultures are recognised in the home. This includes children and staff learning about different cultures and religions through research, cooking and hosting events. One professional commented, ‘The children learn about diversity on a regular basis and also gender and sexuality, which is respected, accepted and openly explored.’

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

Children’s emotional needs are strongly supported by staff who know them well. The children engage with an in-house therapist who has a good presence in the home and supports the children in line with their care plans. The manager recognises that therapeutic intervention can take different forms and has worked to ensure that children have individualised support.

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

Staff understand the triggers to children’s behaviours and work effectively to de-escalate situations. When physical interventions are necessary, these are minimal and often include staff guiding children rather than holding them. Some unwanted behaviours have been reduced significantly as a result of having staff who know how to help them when they become upset. Staff ensure that the child’s voice is heard. Children are asked how they wish to be supported by staff when they are struggling in the moment, which has contributed to a decrease in incidents.

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

Children do not often go missing from the home, and when they do, staff make attempts to search for them. On one occasion, one child went missing from home while having time with their family. Staff drove over six hours to support the child and their family, which shows dedication to the safety of the child. However, staff gave incorrect information for when the police should have been notified, which was not in line with the child’s risk assessment and safety plan. There was no impact on the child, who was safely and quickly found.

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

There has been an occasion when one staff member did not act in line with their roles and responsibilities to safeguard the children. The manager has taken appropriate action, including liaising with the local authority designated officer. This has also resulted in disciplinary action being taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is inspiring to her staff and others. She is extremely ambitious for the children in her care and has unconditional positive regard for them. The manager knows the children well and is working hard to support them to achieve their dreams and aspirations. Her positive traits are echoed throughout her staff team members, who equally share her positive ambition and support for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has extensive oversight over the home and provides evaluative comments regarding all incidents or issues that she reviews. The manager consistently Inspection report for children’s home: 2612008 5 speaks with staff and children involved in incidents and ensures that their voice is heard, and this is used to develop practice in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The development of staff is a priority for the manager. She is perceptive to staff potential and ensures that they know what their strengths are, as well as areas for improvement. Staff are encouraged in supervision sessions and annual appraisals of their performance to set goals for themselves to further develop their practice and roles. This greatly improves staff morale, which has a direct impact on the children, who enjoy living in a happy, respectful home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager holds staff well-being as a priority in the home and supports staff to be happy and confident in their roles. Staff are provided with an hour of free time every day to take a walk outside or engage in an activity, which promotes their well-being. It is clear that staff are happy in their roles and often feel grateful for being in such a position. One staff member said that they find the registered manager ‘exceedingly supportive and approachable’ and spoke about the manager changing their hours so that they could still have a better work-life balance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from regular development days, which often incorporate a team meeting and training session relative to the needs of the children. Staff share practice subjects they wish to discuss or gain support with. These days are useful for staff to gather and reflect together on any recent incidents where they look at good areas of practice and what could have been done differently to support and safeguard children. Staff are actively learning from these sessions and implementing their knowledge in their work with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures excellent working relationships with other agencies, such as schools, the police and the general community. All professionals who were spoken to have provided positive feedback for the manager’s communication skills. One professional explained that they receive weekly updates about the children, and this has been useful in being able to support the child in school. This multi-agency approach to working has contributed to the progress children have made as they have been able to access expert advice and support for their needs. The manager includes the children as much as possible in these relationships, especially with their local community. Children have been included in local charity work and baking seasonal goods for the community, which has supported them to build positive relationships outside the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2612008 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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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)(v)(vi)) 14 April 2025

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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: 2612008 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: Compass Community Ltd, 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester LE7 1PF

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Inspector

Ladean Wilson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2612008 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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