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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2816084 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

This home provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home, and one child was receiving overnight care in preparation for moving into the home. They were all observed as part of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post, who is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered with Ofsted in December 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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2816084 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home was registered with Ofsted, two children have moved in. At the time of the inspection, staff were also supporting a child’s planned transition into the home. Managers and staff use effective care planning processes to support children’s moves. Where possible, children and their families are encouraged to visit the home beforehand, helping them to become familiar with the environment, staff and other children. On one occasion, a child moved into the home in an emergency. Staff worked closely with the child’s school to ensure the child felt supported and settled. These well-considered transitions help to reduce children’s anxieties, settle quickly and develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with individualised, good-quality care and support, which enhances their well-being and experiences. As a result, children make progress in important areas such as communication, independence and social interaction. Children are developing trusting relationships with staff, who know them well and take pride in their achievements since moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and their health needs are promoted. Staff ensure that children are registered with local and specialist health services, as required. One child has been engaging with weekly play therapy which was commissioned by the provider. Children are encouraged to eat a varied diet, try new things and take regular exercise. For example, one child visits the park most days as they enjoy being active, while another attends weekly swimming sessions. These opportunities support children to develop healthy lifestyles and improve their overall health outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of education and the structure it provides for children. Staff supported one child to re-engage with learning through a tutor after a significant period out of education. When this provision did not meet the child’s needs, the manager advocated effectively for an alternative. Another child has 100% attendance at school. In addition to formal education, staff provide opportunities for children to learn new skills and gain additional qualifications that support the development of their independence. These experiences help to prevent gaps in learning and enhance children’s future life chances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop their independence. Staff use individualised prompting techniques during daily routines to help children build self-care skills. As a result of this personalised support, one child has recently begun using the toilet. These approaches enable children to make meaningful progress in their independence and self- care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their hobbies and interests and try new things. Children have participated in a variety of activities out in the community, including trips to animal parks, National Trust properties and local parks, swimming and trampolining. This Inspection report for children’s home: 2816084 3 supports children to have fun, learn social skills and build their self-confidence. One child who struggled with the loud noises in the park now regularly enjoys trips to the park with staff. The child’s social worker said that staff are keen to challenge the child in different environments so they can develop their skills ready for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is spacious, and most areas are well decorated. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and communal lounges are suitably furnished. However, staff have not ensured that the cleanliness of the home is consistently maintained to a good standard. There were marks on walls, one child’s bathroom was dirty, the lawn needed mowing and there was dirt all over the garden paths. These shortfalls detract from the homely and welcoming environment for children.

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

Safeguarding practices are effective. Children are looked after by a core staff team whose members know them well. Staff use their experience and knowledge of the children to keep them safe. Also, staff ensure that children’s support plans are comprehensive and easy to follow. As a result, serious incidents involving children are rare and have reduced.

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

Staff use physical intervention as a last resort to keep children safe. Staff use their knowledge of children and effective de-escalation techniques to support children when they are feeling anxious. As a result, the need for staff to physically intervene is reducing. Managers have effective oversight of all incidents. They ensure that children and staff have opportunities to reflect after incidents. This ensures that any actions taken by staff are necessary and proportionate.

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

Staff ensure that the risks of self-injurious behaviours are minimised. Action is taken after any self-injurious behaviour to lower the risk of this happening again. Children receive swift medical attention when needed and parents are kept informed.

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

Staff support the children with their social interactions through high supervision levels and consistent, familiar routines. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

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

Children live in a well-equipped, safe environment. There is sensory and specialist equipment available to meet the children’s individualised needs. The home is currently undergoing some renovations to further adapt the environment to better meet children’s needs. Managers and staff complete regular health and safety checks. Personal evacuation plans are in place for all children. There are regular fire drills to ensure that staff and children know how to exit the building in the event of an emergency.

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

When parents raise concerns, the manager takes prompt action to address them. However, records do not always clearly reflect the actions taken or any resulting changes in staff practice. On one occasion, the action taken by the manager was not clearly communicated to the parent. This represents a missed opportunity to reassure parents Inspection report for children’s home: 2816084 4 that their concerns are taken seriously and to promote their confidence in raising issues in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced manager. She has high aspirations for children. The manager is an excellent role model for staff. She is supported by an equally resolute and ambitious deputy manager. Together, they have created a positive team culture that maintains a persistent drive to improving children’s outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring and review systems are in place. Leaders and managers understand what is working well and the areas for improvement. This means that the manager and staff can identify and act on shortfalls to improve the quality of care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers support the staff team well. There is a robust induction plan in place to support new staff working in the home. Staff receive regular practice-related supervision and there are regular, reflective team meetings. These practices help staff to feel valued and support their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While there is a core staff team in place, there has been a turnover of staff and there are several vacancies. Managers and staff work hard to cover the gaps in the rotas. However, staff from other homes and agency workers have been used to cover the shortfalls, which does not always ensure that children receive continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is comprehensive training programme in place to support staff. This helps to meet children’s needs and helps staff to understand the additional risks to children. However, managers have not ensured that all staff have received training to support children’s communication needs. This shortfall means that some staff may struggle to communicate with children using children’s preferred communication methods.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that an independent person visits the home monthly to complete an assessment of the home. However, the independent person does not seek feedback from all children, and at times information has been factually incorrect. As a result, this impacts on the effectiveness of the assessments in supporting the home to continually develop. Inspection report for children’s home: 2816084 5

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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

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the home environment is consistently clean and maintained to a good standard. 24 July 2025

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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— 24 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2816084 6 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; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is a stable staff team in place who can provide consistency of care for the children that meets their needs and keeps them safe. In addition, staff must be provided with training to enable them to meet children’s communication needs.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, the registered manager should ensure that there are clear records of any concerns raised and the action that they have taken in response to these, including feedback to the complainant. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children

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Recommendations

in the home’s care. This includes seeking feedback from all children, ensuring that all information is accurate and that the assessments support the home’s continuous development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2816084 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: 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester LE7 1PF

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Inspectors

Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2816084 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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