Children's Home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Kent

Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 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 privately owned. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three 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. The registered manager is currently on an extended period of leave for 12 months. An interim manager was appointed in November 2025 and is yet to register with Ofsted.

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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: 6 November 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: 2629861 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2024 Full Good 27/04/2023 Full Good 13/07/2022 Full Good 09/03/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children living at this home say that they have positive relationships with staff and feel that their views are listened to. One child said that staff show a genuine interest in their views and ‘drop everything’ to listen to them. Children express their opinions through one-to-one discussions with staff and during weekly household meetings. Children have the opportunity to discuss topics such as meal planning and activities and to celebrate their progress and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in activities that reflect their individual interests. They are given opportunities to spend time with the staff of their choice while engaging in these activities . Staff support children to develop independence skills, including budgeting, meal planning and personal safety, to help prepare them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in their education in relation to their starting points. One child had been out of school for a significant amount of time before moving into the home but is now attending college full time, with aspirations for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a positive welcome when they move into the home and are prepared in advance for what to expect. Staff visit new children and provide welcome books before they move in so that they are familiar with the home and its staff before they arrive. One child said that this helped them feel welcome and settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that the home is a warm, welcoming and well-maintained environment. It is clean, thoughtfully decorated and includes personal touches that reflect the individuality of the children living there. Professionals speak positively about the care and support that children receive from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children experience planned and positive endings when it is time to move on. Children receive thoughtful leaving gifts and memory books to help them remember their time in the home. However, one child’s ending was not planned effectively in alignment with the child’s placing authority and was not reflective of the otherwise positive experience that the child had living in the home.

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

Children say that they feel safe at this home. Staff understand the individual needs of the children and are skilled at supporting them. Staff respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, and professionals have confidence that children are safe as a result of the care provided by staff. Measures, such as door alarms, are in place and are reviewed appropriately in response to assessed risks.

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

Staff are understanding and encourage children to explore and discuss their emotions, helping them identify safe ways to express how they feel. Staff benefit from the input of Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 4 a therapeutic lead who offers supervision, facilitates child-focused meetings and identifies therapeutic support when required and accepted by the child. When children do not wish to engage in therapy, alternative therapeutic services are offered. Detailed risk assessments are in place, which outline practical strategies to help mitigate risks affecting children. These practices have led to positive outcomes. For example, there has been a decrease in the number of self-harming incidents among children.

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

Staff address relationship difficulties between children sensitively and support them to repair their relationships following disagreements. Children are protected and helped to keep themselves safe from bullying, racism and other forms of discrimination. Any discriminatory behaviours are challenged, and protective measures are put in place when needed.

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

Physical intervention is only used as a last resort after staff have made every attempt to use de-escalation strategies. When required, the least restrictive hold is applied, and the intervention is proportionate to the risk or need presented. The manager reviews all physical interventions in good time to ensure safe practice is maintained. However, while staff attempt to speak with children following any restraint, these conversations are not revisited if the child declines. Additionally, records do not fully capture details of what emotional support or medical assistance is offered.

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

Staff respond promptly when children go missing from the home, making good efforts to follow them and encourage their return. On occasions when children need to be reported missing from home, this is achieved in the timescales set out in children’s individual plans. Staff update relevant professionals while attempting to maintain or establish children’s whereabouts. When children return home, staff prioritise their well-being, and managers take action to ensure that return home interviews are completed.

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

When children make allegations, they are taken seriously, and information is reported to the local authority designated officer in a timely way. The manager ensures that thorough investigations are completed and that appropriate actions are taken in accordance with statutory guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An interim manager has been appointed for the period that the registered manager is on extended leave. This has been notified appropriately to Ofsted, and there are plans in place for the interim manager to register. The interim manager received a thorough and well-planned induction and continues to benefit from the support of senior leaders. Children and staff have adjusted smoothly to the changes, having already established a positive relationship with the interim manager during her introductory phase.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite her brevity in post, the interim manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. She has also acted on her own findings to improve the experiences of children living in the home. For example, she sought advocacy support for a child after discovering this had not been offered. Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 5 The ways in which managers and staff promote equality and diversity in the home is a notable strength. Day-to-day routines, language and activities reflect and support children’s religious beliefs and cultural identities. Diversity in all forms is routinely recognised and celebrated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by managers. They describe a positive work environment in which their views are respected and listened to. Staff and managers receive regular, good-quality supervision. Supervision discussions consider staff development needs and safeguarding practice. Team meetings and child-focused meetings provide extra opportunities for staff to express their views and to discuss children’s needs with a view to improving practice and outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well staffed to meet the needs of the children. The recruitment process has been reviewed and enhanced. There is a robust system in place to vet new staff, ensuring they are safe and suitably qualified to support the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have good oversight of incidents and identify where changes to practice might be beneficial. However, there are some records from a brief unsettled period that are incomplete, and a risk assessment was not updated in a timely way after a significant incident occurred. This did not adversely impact on the children’s safety, owing to the good lines of communication in the home and staff knowledge of the correct protocols and of the individual needs of the children. However, the omissions limit the records’ value to children who may wish to read them in the future. Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 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 registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1) (3)(a)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff offer medical assistance, that the child is spoken to following any use of physical intervention and that this is recorded. 31 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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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— 31 December 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 7 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child and support them to understand their experiences. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2629861 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: Compass Community Ltd, 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester LE7 1PF

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Inspectors

Gemma Bullen, Social Care Inspector Kerry Howarth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2629861 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 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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