Children's Home run by Compass Social Care Limited in Southend on Sea

Inspection report for children’s home: 2816616 1 Registered provider: Compass Social Care

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider runs this home. It provides short- and long-term care for up to three children who may experience emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in April 2025. There are currently two registered managers.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of inspection. The inspector spoke with the child.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2816616 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has positive relationships with staff they trust and love. The home is decorated with the child’s artwork and photos of their time at the home. Staff celebrate the child’s achievements, give praise and encourage their talents. This promotes a sense of belonging for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff listen to children and use various ways to capture their voices. Weekly children’s meetings, planned key-worker sessions and daily discussions are used to support children in raising concerns or expressing their views. Children choose what they would like to eat, which activities they like, if they would like to change the decor of the home and how they would like their behaviours to be addressed. As a result, children say they feel in control of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers support inclusivity in the home for children. Staff listen to children about their faith, cultural heritage and how they would like to maintain their religious practices. The child in the home has their own prayer mat and follows a diet in line with their religion. Staff have organised for the child to visit the local mosque and developed cultural evenings for the child to share their cooking skills and celebrate their heritage.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is having all their health needs met. Staff support the child to attend their routine health appointments and promote access to specialist health services. When there are barriers to engagement, the staff organise home visits to encourage the child’s engagement in appointments. Staff make referrals via the GP to ensure life-long conditions are addressed and continually reviewed. As a result, the child understands the importance of good health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making progress in their education. Staff work with the virtual school, local authority and education providers to identify potential placements. The manager and staff work to overcome barriers when children are subject to court-ordered restrictions. Staff consult with teachers to develop safety plans that ensure the child can begin their new school placement. As a result, the child, who has been out of education for 12 months, is now attending a mainstream placement and enjoying their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has improved relationships with their family. Staff produce a weekly report with photos and images to overcome language barriers to keep parents up to date on their child’s progress and experiences. Staff organised an advocate to promote more positive family time. As a result, the quality and frequency of family time have increased.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child had a poor experience of moving on from the home. Following an episode of disruptive behaviour, staff called the police to the home to manage the incident. The child was moved to a new placement the following day with staff they had never met. The child had not unpacked from their move into this home and was not given time to end their relationships positively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2816616 3

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

The strategies staff use to manage children’s behaviour are highly effective. Each plan clearly explains how the child’s behaviour relates to their background and aligns with the home’s care model and staff training. Guidance for staff is clear and includes the child’s voice and their preferences for support during challenging moments. As a result, incidents of children going missing, requiring physical intervention or experiencing emotionally difficult periods have decreased.

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

The manager acts quickly and appropriately when there are concerns about staff conduct. Children are kept safe while fact-finding investigations take place and appropriate agencies are informed. The manager supports children and staff to understand the allegations process and provides emotional and practical support during a difficult period. This ensures the child’s voice is acted on, while staff are able to deliver continuity of care.

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

Children are helped to understand their vulnerabilities and work with staff to develop the skills to manage their own risks. The staff talk to children about specific concerns and reflect on incidents to explore how these can be managed better in the future. Staff are honest with children about restrictions and why these are in place. Realistic plans are shared, and children are supported by staff to reduce their risks, with positive engagement and progress. As a result, children see restrictions reducing, in line with their engagement with their plans.

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

When a child is missing from home, the staff act to locate them as quickly and as safely as possible. On one occasion the staff searched for the child and continuously called them to make contact and check on their safety and well-being. The police and other services were notified in accordance with procedures, while staff continue searching known areas. As a result, the child was found locally and returned in a short period of time. However, the child did not receive an independent return home interview. Managers requested this from the child’s placing authority but not until four days after the incident, and there are no records that the interview took place. This reduces the opportunity for children to share important information about why they were missing from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide an environment that enables staff to reflect on their practice. Managers use supervision to discuss how to improve the care that children receive and understand the issues that staff face in building relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Clinical professionals are commissioned to provide reflective space discussions with staff to improve staff knowledge and inform the children’s plans. Pastoral support is available for staff to access when they need an independent person to support them through difficult periods. As a result, the staff say they feel supported by their managers and one said they ‘love returning to work after annual leave’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2816616 4 Managers challenge agencies when services are below expectations. The deputy manager escalates her concerns when children’s plans have not been updated. When interpreter services are poor, the manager escalates his concerns quickly to organise alternatives. The manager’s determination has resulted in plans being received and a child’s family time has continued without concerns about interpreters not being present or being late.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers admitted a child into the home despite identifying them as unsuitable. A senior leader stated, ‘A 28-day assessment was offered to hold the child for a period of time,’ despite knowing the child’s history of regular placement moves. The manager served immediate notice after three weeks and informed the child on the day they were leaving, when they were moved to an unregistered placement with staff they had never met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2816616 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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

ensure the effective induction of each child into 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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iii)) 30 January 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report for children’s home: 2816616 6

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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: 2816616 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Social Care

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Madeira Avenue, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 3EB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Wendy Edward-Tsuro

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Osei Domfeh and Alfred Sarpong

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Inspector

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2816616 8 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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