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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 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 is registered to provide care for up to four children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. It is owned and run by a private organisation. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since October 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2025

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/07/2023 Full Good 26/07/2022 Full Good 26/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 3

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inadequate

Children’s overall experiences and progress has been judged to be inadequate due to widespread shortfalls in practices assessing, understanding and responding to children’s needs. Care and support have not been delivered in line with children’s health and care plans. As a result of this, children’s welfare and well-being are not being promoted. Children are experiencing low standards of care and are achieving poor health and educational outcomes.

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inadequate

Systems designed to assess the home’s ability to meet the needs of children have failed to identify when a child’s needs have fallen outside of the home’s statement of purpose. Consequently, a child has been living in the home without staff being suitably trained to respond to their complex health, care and communication needs. Although some training has been provided, this has not been sufficient in helping staff to understand the complexity of this child’s needs or how to consistently support their communication and health needs on a day-to-day basis.

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inadequate

Children’s care plans have not been created in line with guidance from placing authorities. Plans do not accurately reflect information available in children’s individual education, health and care plans or other assessments. Leaders have not consulted with other relevant professionals to ensure that children with communication and sensory needs have these needs met. Challenges in communication, alongside difficulties in staff understanding how the child experiences their world, have resulted in one child being unable to develop positive relationships with staff.

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inadequate

Managers have not maintained appropriate and timely communication with professionals to ensure that children’s needs and best interests remain at the forefront of care planning. Children who are approaching independence have not received timely support to understand upcoming changes. Care planning arrangements do not help children to prepare for their future or allow children and staff to contribute to ongoing planning. One child, who is due to move into semi- independent living, has not been supported to engage in their pathway planning.

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inadequate

Children living away from their home area have not been supported to enrol in suitable education. One child has been supported to increase their attendance at school since the last inspection and is now attending full time. However, one child who has been living in the home for 10 months has not been enrolled in full-time education. Consequently, they have been unable to undertake any formal examinations alongside their peers.

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inadequate

Children are supported to attend activities that they enjoy. Their interests are considered in the activity plans created and their views are sought through one-to- Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 4 one discussions and group meetings. Families and professionals are involved in creating activity plans to help children get the best out of their free time. Children have been able to go on trips to the cinema, hairdressers, nail salons and to go swimming and shopping.

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inadequate

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Practical and emotional support is provided to children to help them prepare for time with their families. Care and consideration are given to the planning of visits to ensure that, whenever possible, anxieties are reduced and children have positive experiences.

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

Children are not consistently receiving the guidance, support and education that they need to maintain their health. A failure to ensure a consistent approach to monitoring and supporting healthy eating, exercise and physiotherapy has resulted in one child’s physical health and well-being being placed at risk.

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

A lack of understanding of how the child experiences their world and the impact of their complex needs has led to avoidable incidents. Staff have not shown sufficient awareness of children’s needs and have been unable to prepare children for changes to familiar routines and activities. Children do not feel that they are supported to prepare for and understand changes to their plans. As a result of this, one child has experienced increased anxiety and does not always feel safe or secure.

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

There has been a reduction in the number of times that children go missing from home. Staff have worked closely with children and the professionals that support them, to identify plans to reduce such incidents and help to keep them safe. Plans support children to stay in contact with staff, helping them to play a part in keeping themselves safe. When children are away from the home without permission, staff take appropriate action to support them to return.

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

Allegations are managed well. Concerns are reported promptly to relevant safeguarding partners. Advice from the local authority designated officer and social workers is acted on, and the organisation ensures that risk assessments and investigations are undertaken in a timely manner.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place. When staff move from other homes in the organisation, the manager ensures that they were safely recruited prior to them working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not assessed the capacity of the staff team to meet the needs of the children in line with their statement of purpose effectively. Managers have been unable to identify when staff’s skills do not align with children’s needs. As Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 5 a result of this, one child has experienced inconsistent care and support and their needs and well-being are being negatively impacted on.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have failed to identify shortfalls in care planning, practice and support provided to children. Leaders, managers and those in positions to review care have not made effective use of feedback to make changes or improve the standards of care. Managers have been unable to identify areas for development and have not ensured that feedback, incidents and practice are consistently reflected on to consider areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Complaints are not consistently recognised as such and are not always recorded. Challenges in establishing positive relationships with families have created barriers in responding to the concerns of some families and children. When complaints are formally recognised, there are clear systems in place to ensure that they are investigated, and children and parents receive a written response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been unable to promote a culture of high aspirations for children and has failed to identify when care and support do not align with children’s wider care planning. When the manager has identified some areas for development, they have not always taken reasonable steps to ensure that changes are made in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been a stable and consistent figure in the home for children and staff. Staff value the support that they are given by managers and reflect on how this helps them both personally and professionally. Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)) 6 August 2025

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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— 6 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 7 understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) (2)(b)(viii)) 6 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii)) 6 August 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;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; 6 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 8 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. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 6 August 2025

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 9 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: 1252937 10

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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

Georgia Carty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1252937 11 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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