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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Ltd 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 operated by a private company. It provides care for up to five children aged between seven and 17 years. Children often experience social and emotional difficulties as a result of trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025 and is suitably qualified.

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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: 11 December 2024

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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: 1227869 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2024 Full Good 06/02/2024 Full Good 15/03/2023 Full Outstanding 08/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home. Three children spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned moves into the home. Managers ensure that children receive information about the home and the staff team before their arrival. Staff take proactive steps to visit children beforehand, and children are offered opportunities to visit the home, meet staff and spend time with other children. This helps to reduce anxiety and build familiarity. Children’s views and interests are actively sought and used to personalise their bedrooms, helping them to feel welcomed and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build and maintain warm, trusting relationships with children. They spend time engaging in activities that children enjoy. These interactions enable staff to develop a strong understanding of children’s individual needs, preferences and personalities. As a result, children form strong attachments with staff and feel confident seeking support when facing challenges. The presence of trusted adults helps children feel safe, valued and emotionally supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised at the home. All children engage in some form of education, and staff help encourage regular attendance and participation. Staff maintain strong and effective links with children’s education providers. This approach ensures that children are supported in making progress in their education and developing a positive outlook towards learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are regularly sought and valued. Staff use both planned and informal conversations to gather children’s views. Children receive timely feedback, which helps them feel heard, valued and involved in decision-making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from consistent daily routines, and they are encouraged to engage in various hobbies and activities. Individual interests are encouraged, with one child attending weekly karate lessons and another enjoying fishing. These opportunities help children develop new skills and build a positive sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are developing their use of the home’s therapeutic model in day-to-day practice. However, this approach is not yet embedded throughout the team and leads to some inconsistent staff practice. As a result, children do not always experience a therapeutic approach, and opportunities to support their emotional well-being are sometimes missed.

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

Staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of children’s risks and take appropriate steps to manage these effectively. Safeguarding procedures are understood, and risk Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 4 assessments are reviewed and updated regularly to reflect children’s changing needs. As a result, children feel safe and well protected.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond promptly and appropriately. They actively search for children and maintain contact where possible, and they work closely with the professional network to coordinate a strong multi-agency response. Children are warmly welcomed back, and staff offer support to help them feel safe and cared for. This approach ensures that children are located quickly and supported effectively on their return.

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

Allegations and complaints are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. Staff share relevant information with the professional network and implement safety plans to protect children while investigations are ongoing. Children are kept informed and provided with clear outcomes, helping them feel heard, respected, and confident that their concerns will be taken seriously.

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

Recruitment practices are safe and robust. Managers consistently follow safer recruitment procedures and appoint staff who are suitable to care for children. As a result, children are cared for by adults who are safe and appropriately vetted, contributing to a protective and nurturing environment.

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

Consequences used by staff are not consistently proportionate or restorative. They are often unrelated to the behaviours presented by children, and they do not support learning about the impact of their actions. For example, limiting children’s use of devices is frequently applied as a consequence, even when it lacks relevance to the behaviour. Management oversight of consequences requires some improvement, and there is limited understanding of restorative approaches. As a result, opportunities to promote reflection and positive behaviour are missed.

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

Although safeguarding incidents are generally managed well, the quality of recording is inconsistent. Records are sometimes unclear, lack important information, and do not consistently use child-focused language. This weakens management oversight and limits the ability to fully evaluate and improve safeguarding practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a child-focused manager who is committed to improving staff practice to ensure positive outcomes for children. The manager is supported by an experienced responsible individual who is reflective, supportive, and actively drives positive change in the home. Together, they provide strong and meaningful leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and speak positively about the leadership team. Leaders have made changes that have had a clear and positive impact on children’s experiences in the home. One staff member said, ‘The management has changed since December, and it’s been a positive big change. The house is going in the right direction.’ Another said, ‘One of the standout aspects of working here is the management. The leadership team is very supportive and well organised.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 5 The manager has established strong and effective working relationships with the professional network. Information is shared promptly, and decisions are made collaboratively to support children’s needs. The manager is confident in challenging decisions made by the local authority when they are not in the best interests of children. This demonstrates strong advocacy and a clear commitment to safeguarding and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good level of oversight of the home. However, this does not consistently lead to the identification of areas of staff practice that require improvement. Oversight can sometimes lack analysis and does not always result in action to address shortfalls. As a result, opportunities to strengthen staff practice and improve outcomes for children are sometimes missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 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

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive or unreasonable may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that consequences used by staff to support children’s learning and understanding are proportionate, restorative, and related to the behaviours that warrant them. 27 August 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they lead a team of staff who provide high- quality care for all children living at the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and therapeutic approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. This specifically relates to staff consistently providing care that is underpinned by the home’s therapeutic model. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  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 about 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

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Recommendations

the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that they are skilled in reviewing incidents and identifying shortfalls. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good staff practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 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: 1227869 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: 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester LE7 1PF

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Inspector

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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