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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 1 SC031220 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

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to six children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home and all were spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024. The registered manager was absent at the time of the inspection. This inspection was supported by leaders and managers from the organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

This inspection was brought forward in order to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

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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 serious and 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: 27 January 2025

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/01/2025 Full Good 12/02/2024 Full Outstanding 22/03/2023 Full Outstanding 14/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Although children have made some progress, staff do not always take appropriate action to keep them safe and ensure their welfare is promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not feel valued or cared for. Their wishes and feelings are not asked for, listened to, or acknowledged. Children gave many examples where they have asked for items, such as their bike to be repaired, or to work towards earning new items, but these requests have been ignored and not acted on. Children said that they asked for staff’s time, but instead of time, they have experienced being ignored or shouted at. Children have not been provided with the care and support they need to take part in activities, such as go-karting, which they have specifically requested.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Communication with children’s families is poor. One family member said, ‘I only know what is happening for my child because they tell me.’ Staff do not make families aware of concerns or plans, and families are not kept updated. Children have told their families that they were going away on holiday because staff failed to notify them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

When children move out of the home this is poorly managed. Children were not helped to feel safe, supported and prepared for their new home. In one instance, staff did not know where a child had moved to; there was an absence of care and concern about the child’s well-being during this critical period. Decision-making to end children’s placements is poorly recorded, and joint working with other professionals is not evident in records

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

All the children attend the company’s school. Staff encourage them to attend, and children make varying levels of progress and academic achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to see their families, and they have the opportunity to meet their cultural and religious needs. One child is regularly supported to attend church to join the religious service with their family.

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

The management of allegations does not keep children safe. Documentation is not available to support the rights and protection of children. Some documents contain conflicting or inaccurate information. Children have been found to have bruising to their bodies that corresponds to the allegations that they make. Kind and nurturing care and support is not in place for children who make allegations. Recent reviews of allegations have resulted in a number of staff being suspended.

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

Incident recording is poor. Documents are not reflective of the full incidents or the facts. There is a lack of management oversight regarding the implementation of care plans and actions taken to reduce future incidents. The voice of the child is missing from all Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 4 recordings. There is no learning from incidents to help to prevent them from reoccurring. Staff do not ensure that children are kept safe.

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

There are clear and detailed care plans for each child should they go missing from the home. There are detailed recordings for each of the missing-from-home episodes that have occurred. However, the recordings are not reflective of the episode, with inconsistent dates, times and events when reviewed as a whole. The manager provides summaries and reflections following children going missing from the home. However, care plans are not discussed or reviewed following these reflections to support the disruption of future incidents. When children have been missing from home, staff have not routinely checked for injuries or sought medical support to monitor health concerns.

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

Risk assessments and care plans are not reviewed frequently or updated following incidents. Staff do not have access to relevant and up-to-date information, which hinders their response and ability to keep children safe. The children are not provided with sensory care items to help them to regulate their emotional and behavioural responses and needs, including during the allegations process.

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

The home is not maintained as a safe and hazard-free environment. Effective oversight of health and safety is not in place. While fire drills are carried out in line with the provider’s policy, records lack sufficient detail to demonstrate learning and evaluate effectiveness. Serious failings in fire safety have not been addressed in a timely manner. Several fire doors remain non-compliant, and although remedial work is now planned, delays have left children exposed to unnecessary risk.

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

Poor risk assessment practices demonstrate a limited understanding of potential dangers. The registered manager failed to identify that the garden posed a hazard to children. They also failed to identify or act on the risk of children climbing on the easily accessible roof of the house. This does present a risk to children.

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

The management of medication is not effective. There have been two medication recording errors. These have not been found during weekly medication audits, and therefore, no action has been taken with staff to support retraining or review their knowledge and competency.

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

There is detailed and clear recording of consequences. The records indicate that children have received positive consequences in acknowledgement of their achievements. Children did not recognise or validate this practice and feel that staff do not praise or recognise positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are ineffective at implementing change and have not responded to the children’s needs. The registered manager does not respond effectively to whistle- blowing by staff. They have failed to escalate concerns to senior leaders. They blame Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 5 children when they are injured, rather than carrying out work with the staff involved in the incident and exploring lessons learned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the findings from this inspection, the registered manager’s weekly and monthly audits did not identify any concerns regarding the care offered to the children or the condition of the home. Social workers were not kept informed about their children, and one social worker said, ‘The registered manager never made contact with me, and they were never present when I visited the home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supportive supervision sessions are not regularly carried out with staff. Where supervision sessions take place, incidents that have occurred are not discussed, or there is no practice direction provided for staff. The supervision records do not recognise or identify any concerns regarding staff conduct or professionalism.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meeting minutes are not informative. They do not give staff consistent information about the running of the home or of the provider’s expectations. Children are discussed during the team meetings, but this does not always lead to an action or improvements in the children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An interim manager is now in place. They have clear plans to improve the home and the support that the staff require. The manager is spending time with all the children and is motivated to understand the children’s experiences, wishes and views. Children said the covering manager listens to what they need. The manager and responsible individual have a good awareness of the staffing concerns. They have developed plans to provide training to all staff to ensure they are knowledgeable about their role and responsibilities and about the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The ethos in the home has changed, and staff now talk kindly about the children in their care. They have improved awareness and understanding about children’s care plans and can confidently explain safeguarding processes, including how they would support a child who was missing from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Concerns regarding the leadership and management of the home were discussed with the provider’s senior leadership team. This team has submitted a plan to provide support to strengthen the leadership and management of the home and to help ensure the safety and well-being of children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet he 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 11 October 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 11 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 7 promotes their welfare.

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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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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;

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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; 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)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 11 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 8 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(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

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 11 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 9 strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c)) 11 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(d)) 11 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

must include details of— 11 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 10 the matter;

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter.(Regulation 40 (5)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 11 October 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 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: SC031220 11

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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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Inspectors

Rachel Moore, Social Care Inspector Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC031220 12 regulates 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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