Children's Home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2740402 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to six children who have experienced childhood trauma and have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 18 September 2024

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2740402 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/09/2024 Full Good 23/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2740402 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

All four children were present during the inspection and the inspector made efforts to speak with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s relationships with staff have deteriorated due to poor boundaries, lack of routine and inconsistent care. Children have lost trust and respect for staff and, consequently, they have looked to older children to be their role models. This shift in relationship dynamics has coincided with an increased number of incidents and elevated risk in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There have been significant shortfalls in placement planning. Former managers have overlooked children’s needs and vulnerabilities. This has resulted in a weak understanding of the collective risks in the home and how these could impact children. The children have developed unhealthy relationships, which has compromised their safety and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Former managers failed to recognise when children’s behaviours were negatively influencing their peers. Children have learned unsafe behaviours through witnessing incidents and copying what they have seen. In some incidents, children have climbed onto the roof of the building, which put them at risk of serious injury or fatality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home environment has been chaotic for the children and they have made limited progress over the past six months. Interim managers have identified that the therapy offered by the home is not suitable for some children. These issues had not been fully understood or addressed by former managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

To ensure the children’s safety and settle the home, managers served notice on four children’s placements. Two children moved out with minimal notice and they did not have the opportunity to say goodbye to staff or peers. Other children are being supported to move out in a planned manner with the aim of giving them a positive ending.

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

Former managers had insight into children’s lived experiences, needs and vulnerabilities. However, they overlooked concerning behaviours during placement planning and minimised concerns after placements were made. This meant that staff had a skewed perception of risks that were developing between children.

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

Former managers and staff had a weak understanding of sexually harmful behaviour. They failed to identify and take action to address concerning behavioural patterns that left children at risk of harm. Children had sexual intercourse in the home and this went unnoticed by staff due to poor supervision. Inspection report for children’s home: 2740402 4 Children have witnessed each other’s sexualised language and overly tactile behaviour. Sometimes, this has been directed towards staff. Former managers and staff often described these behaviours as ‘accidental’ or ‘involuntary’, showing a lack of curiosity, which has prevented children from accessing the right support.

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

Children have been emboldened by their peers’ behaviours and lack of consistent boundaries. They are showing high levels of distress, communicated through self-harm, episodes of going missing and causing damage to property. Children are becoming withdrawn, showing signs of deteriorating mental health and isolating in their bedrooms.

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

Staff try and have supportive and educational conversations with children. However, these have no impact because children have lost respect for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s previous registered manager stepped down from his post in July 2024 after being promoted within the company. He decided to reapply for the manager post in October 2024 and was working in the home while seeking Ofsted registration. On 27 March 2025, he informed Ofsted that he had resigned and intended to leave the company. The responsible individual and assistant director (south) also left the company shortly afterwards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior leaders recognised the children were in crisis and appointed an interim management team to support the home from 19 March 2025. Interim managers described the children as exhibiting ‘riot-like’ behaviours and expressed concerns about poor boundaries and placement decision-making. Their primary focus has been on reducing serious incidents, ensuring children’s safety and supporting the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have expressed concern about events in the home. Two staff whistle-blowers have contacted Ofsted about poor leadership and serious incidents between children. Staff have said their training did not prepare them for the high-risk incidents they have been expected to manage and they have felt overwhelmed at times. This has resulted in some staff leaving the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have made efforts to intervene during incidents but their approach is inconsistent and agreed strategies have not had impact. They have been further hindered by insufficient staffing numbers. Consequently, there is a high reliance on police to help manage children’s behaviours. Three children were recently arrested in the home and held in police custody overnight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Interim managers recognise that staff have development needs and they are working on helping them to strengthen their knowledge, skills and practice. However, they also recognise that staff need clear guidance, which has been lacking. Interim managers have devised an action plan to stabilise the home. Changes are under way but they are in their infancy. Inspection report for children’s home: 2740402 5

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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.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should take account of children’s needs, vulnerabilities and risks at the point of referral to determine their compatibility with existing children and the staff team.

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Requirement Due date

Also, the registered person should ensure they develop a good understanding of sexual abuse and sexually harmful behaviours. 15 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2740402 6 *The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(f)(h)) 15 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. 15 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2740402 7 (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(viii)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(viii)) 15 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2740402 8

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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

Tara Webb, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2740402 9 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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