Children's home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s 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 organisation. It provides care for up to seven children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 20 January 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/01/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/03/2024 Full Good 03/01/2023 Full Outstanding 01/03/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 3

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improvement to be good

The inspector spoke with two children as part of this inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children receive care from a child-focused team of staff who want to learn about them and their interests. Staff speak warmly about children and have a good understanding of their lived experiences and how they influence their behaviour. However, shortfalls in leadership and management and safeguarding have affected the overall progress and experiences of children living at the home.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean and tidy, and children’s bedrooms are well presented. There are noticeable signs of damage to paintwork throughout the home. This does not encourage children to take pride in their environment.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved into the home and two have moved out. Staff have supported children in moving out of the home in a planned way. One child confirmed that staff supported them in visiting the home as part of the transition and helped them move in.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans clearly outline their specific health needs and how they should be managed. However, an incident where a child refused their medication is not appropriately recorded. As a result, one member of staff was unaware that the child had refused their medication. This means that crucial health information about children is not being communicated effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children in developing and maintaining a sense of identity. They nurture children’s interests by helping them access activities of their choice. Connections with family members are promoted. Staff demonstrate their commitment to maintaining these relationships by taking children to spend time with family, irrespective of the distance.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education is prioritised. The independent reviewing officer for one child praised the staff team for its proactive approach to finding a school place for the child, which meant they were not out of school for a prolonged period. For children who struggle to engage in full-time education, alternative education plans are in place to support their progress and development.

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improvement to be good

Strategies to manage children’s behaviour are not always appropriate, and they put them at risk of harm. On two separate occasions, staff have physically held children as a method of de-escalation, which is not in line with the home’s behaviour management Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 4 policies. Despite these incidents being reviewed by the registered manager, no action was taken to prevent this unsafe practice from being repeated.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention records do not show that staff are routinely spoken with following a hold. This means that there is no opportunity for critical reflection with someone who was not involved in the hold to identify areas for practice development. Furthermore, children are not routinely spoken with following a hold. This prevents them from raising any issues or complaints about being held with an independent person.

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improvement to be good

Missing-from-home protocols are in place to ensure that there is an effective response when children are missing. Staff are proactive and search for children. However, the police are not always notified about incidents within the time frames outlined in the children’s plans. Furthermore, there are delays in staff requesting independent return home interviews.

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improvement to be good

Medication administered to children is not always recorded in accordance with the home’s policies and procedures. Staff have not always signed the records when children have been given medication, and medication is not administered at the specific times described in the child’s records in accordance with their prescriptions.

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improvement to be good

Children engage in direct work on subjects such as vaping and internet safety. This improves their understanding and awareness of important subjects and supports them in making informed decisions about their personal safety, enhancing their safety.

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improvement to be good

Individualised risk assessments outline children’s risks and vulnerabilities and how staff should respond to them. Staff spoken to demonstrate that they are aware of the actions that they should take to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff are appropriately vetted in accordance with safer recruitment processes to ensure that they are suitable for the role and can provide safe and effective care to children.

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improvement to be good

Children’s privacy is respected. Room searches take place only when there are concerns about the safety and well-being of children. Searches are well documented and include details of what was found during the search and whether the child was consulted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is managed by a registered manager who is suitably experienced and qualified. The post for a deputy manager is vacant, which has contributed to limitations in management oversight in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not demonstrate that they have effective oversight of the home. Shortfalls in staff practice have not been identified and addressed by the registered manager to ensure that children’s safety and well-being are not compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have recruited three new members of staff since the last inspection. New and existing team members say that they feel supported and are Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 5 confident in the registered manager’s ability to lead the team. Staff have formed a positive relationship with the home’s programme psychologist and rely on her guidance to ensure that they are attuned to children’s needs. However, if the registered manager is absent, the programme psychologist takes responsibility for leading the team. This practice does not meet the expectations set out in the home’s statement of purpose around the management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Safeguarding partners are not immediately notified when significant incidents involving children occur. As a result, the independent oversight process that makes sure children are appropriately safeguarded is delayed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the quality of care review report includes feedback from children in accordance with statutory requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff supervision sessions and team meetings regularly take place. Staff also participate in quarterly sessions with the home’s programme psychologist, which helps them develop their knowledge and skills around therapeutic practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers should ensure that internal and external areas of the home, such as the rear garden are well maintained. (Regulation 6 (1)(c) (2)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that the home is decorated according to the standards outlined in the statement of purpose. Specifically, some areas of the home require repainting. 5 September 2025

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and 5 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 7 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. Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that: missing- from-home protocols are followed by staff; children are offered an independent return home interview within 72 hours of returning to the home after being missing; and staff do not use unapproved holds to manage children’s behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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; and

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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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that: plans accurately reflect children’s current care needs, such as what action should be taken when they refuse to take their medication; regular audits of medication records are carried out to ensure that staff are recording and administering medication correctly; and staff are helped to reflect and learn from any shortfalls in safeguarding practice. 5 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 5 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 8 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b)) 5 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children can take part in an independent return home interview within 72 hours of returning to the home after being missing from care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 9

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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: 2587047 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Bowker

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2587047 11 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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