Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd in Surrey

Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties. There were five children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2024 Full Good 04/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained and decorated to a high standard. Children speak positively of the environment and describe it as feeling ‘homely’. One child said: ‘It feels like an actual home.’ Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, and this means that rooms reflect children’s individual character and preferences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individuality is celebrated by staff, and support is based on staff’s knowledge of children’s needs. Staff recognise and praise children’s progress, including when they achieve something small but that is significant for them. This approach helps children to feel valued and encourages them to take pride in their achievements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff have mutually warm and caring relationships. Staff are dedicated to improving children’s outcomes and ensuring that children have positive experiences.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Significant emphasis is placed on helping children to live more independently. Children are helped to learn important skills, such as meal planning, budgeting, cooking, using public transport and attending appointments. Because of this, children are equipped with the essential skills required for their journey into adulthood.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote, encourage and facilitate children’s time spent with their family, fully recognising the importance of this for the children. This includes children spending time with family in the home. One child said that they prefer this arrangement as it allows them to spend time with their family in a more natural environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children are attending and achieving in education. For those children who are currently not attending school, staff are working closely with education professionals to ensure that this is addressed. Children are provided with informal learning opportunities in the meantime.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful planning takes place to ensure that children’s moves into the home go smoothly. Staff meet with children before they move in so that staff can answer any questions that children have and help alleviate any concerns.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are examples of children making such good progress at the home that they have been able to move back to live with their family or into semi-independent living. The registered manager advocated strongly for one child when there was a delay in a suitable placement being identified for them. Most of the children who have left the home have maintained contact with the staff, which is a true testament to the relationships they have built.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children interact positively with the other children living in the home, and several have formed valuable relationships with one another. However, there are times when some children struggle to live together harmoniously, and children say that this has a Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 4 negative impact on their experience of living at the home. Staff efforts to improve relationships between children have not been wholly successful.

p.3

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

Children say that they feel safe where they live and that they can approach staff with any worries that they have. They feel that staff take their concerns seriously and act on them.

p.4

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

Staff have a good understanding of the collective and individual risks that exist for children. Staff take effective action to mitigate risks. Staff balance this with the need for appropriate risk-taking to aid children’s development.

p.4

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

Staff make good use of the positive relationships that they have with children to help children understand their own vulnerabilities and help children to make safer choices for themselves.

p.4

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

When children are struggling to manage their emotions and are showing this through their behaviour, staff make effective use of de-escalation techniques. These are tailored to meet the individual needs of each child. As a result, physical restraint is seldom necessary. When it is required, it is solely to guide children away from danger.

p.4

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

There has been one isolated incident of a child going missing from the home since the last inspection. The staff acted promptly to find the child and facilitate their safe return. Staff sought to understand the circumstances that led to the child’s absence both to ensure their well-being and help prevent a similar incident happening again in the future.

p.4

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

Staff have received training and input from the home’s therapeutic lead that equips them to respond to children who display self-harming behaviour. One child said that the strategies offered by staff have helped them to find healthier and safer methods to cope during times of emotional distress.

p.4

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

When children make allegations about staff, they are managed well. Immediate steps are taken to safeguard children and thorough investigations are completed. There are, however, shortfalls in relation to the recording of the response to some allegations. Not all records clearly describe the reasons for investigations being deemed unnecessary.

p.4

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

There are gaps in records completed by staff, and the quality of records is not consistently good. As a result, they do not fully describe the ways that children are cared for and kept safe. This means that, if children seek to read their records in the future, they will not be able to fully understand their experiences and progress at the home. The responsible individual has recognised this shortfall but is yet to implement a plan to address it. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 5 Staff say that they feel well supported by the registered manager. New staff describe a helpful induction where they are provided with the information and training that they need to undertake their role efficiently. While staff benefit from regular supervision, there is inconsistency in the recording of these discussions. This means that records do not fully demonstrate how managers are making sure that staff know how to look after

p.4

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

Ofsted is not notified about serious incidents in a timely way. Additionally, some notifications lack the detail required for the regulator to be assured that there has been an appropriate management response to incidents.

p.5

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

Managers ensure that children’s wishes and feelings are regularly sought and acted on. One-to-one discussions and children’s meetings are effective platforms for children to tell managers how they want to be looked after and have a say in the way the home is run.

p.5

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

Children have a thorough understanding of the complaints process. There has been only one complaint since the last inspection. The manager took the child’s concerns seriously, acted on them and kept the child informed about the outcome.

p.5

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

The registered manager has established relationships with external professionals and children’s families. This ensures that there is a joined-up approach to meeting children’s needs. Professionals and children’s parents spoken to during the inspection commented positively about the manager in relation to communication and partnership working. Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

p.6

Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that all allegations are clearly recorded, including the rationale to when it is deemed not necessary to undertake an investigation. 11 July 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

p.6

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 11 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 7 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.6

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.7

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.7

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

p.7

Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

p.7

Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

p.7

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))(b)) 4 July 2025

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 8 and discussed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

p.7

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: 2692638 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Kerry Howarth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2692638 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10