Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report for children’s home: SC472795 1 SC472795 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. The home can provide care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of inspection. Three children were spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since August 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: SC472795 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/04/2024 Full Good 20/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/05/2022 Full Good 02/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC472795 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a stable staff team. The staff team has not changed in over six months, which provides the children with familiar people caring for them. Children have developed trusted relationships with the adults looking after them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to participate in decision-making about their care. Staff have created a culture where children are encouraged to speak up about what they want. Children influence decisions about what the home looks like, what they eat and the activities that they do. Children take part in meetings regarding their care. Children are confident in sharing their views and feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and encourage children’s attendance. When children do not attend school, staff continue to promote education through activities such as going to the museum. Staff support children to find employment and alternative training courses, to support their progress. One child has gained employment in preparation for moving on and another child has secured a place on a practical college course for the coming academic year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to be healthy. Children attend routine health appointments and are registered with local services. Where children have specific health needs, staff ensure that professional help is sought. Children lead active lives and are encouraged to follow a healthy diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn the skills that they need to be prepared to move on from the home when the time is right. Children work through a recognised programme to highlight areas for improvement, and staff provide the opportunity to gain those skills. Children are confident in their own ability to be able to live more independently; one child reported feeling ready to move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining relationships with family and friends. Staff work hard to develop good relationships and to create a welcoming environment for children to spend time with those who are important to them. Children enjoy time with their family and friends and see that those involved in their lives get along.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a warm and welcoming home that is well decorated throughout. Children have personalised bedrooms and communal areas to spend time together. Children benefit from a well-kept outdoor area, with a decked area and BBQ. This reflects a family home and helps children to have a sense of belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472795 4

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

Staff know the children and their risks well. Staff have helped children develop good relationships with them and with each other. Staff understand the role these relationships play in protecting children by helping the staff to recognise early indicators of concerns for children. Children can identify a trusted adult they would turn to for support and say they feel cared for and protected.

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

Staff work effectively with partner agencies to protect children. Staff help the police to build a picture of the contextual risks children face when out in the community. At the same time, staff work effectively with children to help them understand risks and their consequences. This has directly reduced the significant risk posed to one child when out in the community.

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

Staff respond effectively when they have concerns about substance misuse. Staff complete key work with children to educate them about the risks of substance misuse. This helps children to consider the impact of this and has helped two children to reduce their misuse of substances.

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

Children sometimes go missing from the home. When this happens, staff follow the children’s plans and search known locations and the local area. The police are informed if the risk to children means that police support is needed to find the child. Staff work creatively so that children want to be at the home. This has significantly reduced one child’s missing episodes.

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

Children are only held as a last resort. Staff are skilled at helping children step back from conflict and provide effective positive reinforcement. This has reduced the need for children to be held, and there have been no physical interventions in the past six months.

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

There is a robust process in place to ensure that the people who work with children are appropriately checked and vetted. This safer recruitment process means that those who are employed are suitable to work with children. This helps to ensure that children are cared for by staff who can keep them safe.

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

Staff support children to understand risks and their own behaviours. Staff complete a high number of planned and targeted sessions. These sessions help children to explore a wide range of issues, such as online safety, substance misuse and safe relationships. This empowers and enables children to make better choices and develop their ability to keep themselves safer.

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good

The judgement for leadership and management has been impacted by the length of time the home has been without a registered manager. The staff and children have had a period of instability due to management decisions and a lack of leadership. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472795 5 This has created an inconsistency in the care provided to children, specifically regarding behaviour management. Leaders and managers have identified shortfalls in practice and have a plan in place that continues to improve practice.

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good

Not all moves into the home are well planned. The impact of a new admission on children already living in the home, as well as those moving in, is not consistently considered. This has resulted in two children moving in and out of the home in a relatively short space of time. The children living in the home experienced disruption, with an increase in missing-from-home episodes and significant damage in the home. The two children who transitioned through the home experienced unnecessary placement breakdowns.

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good

Leaders and managers have struggled to collaborate effectively with distant local authorities. While local partnerships tend to be stronger, long-distance working relationships do not receive the same level of attention. Leaders and managers have not challenged effectively when practice falls below standard and have not followed their own escalation policy. For one child, this has contributed to an extended period of uncertainty .

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good

Action is taken to address issues of concern. Allegations are thoroughly investigated, and the children are appropriately protected. Staff receive additional supervision and training where needed.

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good

Staff receive consistent and regular supervision in line with the statement of purpose. Staff reflect on their practice with the manager, and areas of learning are identified. This contributes to the quality of practice improving.

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good

Team meetings are regular and well attended. These provide leaders and managers the opportunity to share new learning and updates within the home. Staff say these are helpful to their learning and have supported the development of a strong team culture. Inspection report for children’s home: SC472795 6

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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 registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 31 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 31 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; 31 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC472795 7 seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide appropriate boundaries in relation to the children’s behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: SC472795 8

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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: SC472795 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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