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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited

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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 is a privately owned home. It provides care for up to six children who have social and emotional needs. At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home and were spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024 but has been away from the home on an agreed absence since June 2024. An interim manager is in place who is not registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2025 Full Outstanding 28/02/2024 Full Outstanding 13/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 3

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improvement to be good

Overall, children have developed positive relationships with staff and children are supported to make progress. However, the quality of care being provided to children by staff is mixed. Some children do not consistently receive the help and support they need in line with their plans and staff retention has been an issue which has negatively impacted on children.

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improvement to be good

There are areas of the home that are well presented. However, in other areas where there has been damage or disruption, this is not consistently repaired or cleared up by staff in a timely manner. For example, screws remained in a lounge wall after pictures had been taken down. There were also items littering the garden that had not been cleared up. This serves as a reminder to children about events that have not been positive for them. One child raised this as something that they are unhappy about.

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improvement to be good

One child who recently moved into the home had some of their personal items left in the hallway. The child was not supported by staff to store their items in a safe place that respected their privacy.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers carefully plan children’s moves into or out of the home with children and other agencies. Children leaving the home are given books to take with them with photos and messages celebrating their time with staff and the progress they have made.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Children are taken on holidays and take part in activities they enjoy with each other and staff.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported in their education, and all children have access to suitable education placements. The home and school have supported one child to remain in education with a bespoke college timetable to provide consistency at a difficult time for them. Staff and education professionals work closely together to support children’s wide- ranging needs and to address any barriers to learning or engagement.

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improvement to be good

Children have individualised risk assessments and care plans to support them. However, staff do not consistently follow these or adhere to the agreed routines, boundaries or supervision arrangements for children. This is a shortfall because it negatively impacts on the quality of care and safety planning being provided to children.

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improvement to be good

Children are well supported by individual self-harm and suicide risk reduction plans. Children are supported to access therapy in the home and to access support from specialist external agencies when this is required. Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 4 Staff have not supported one child to manage their online risks effectively; this is despite the child having known vulnerabilities online. Not all risks were escalated effectively to the child’s social worker.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to vapes, which can impact their health and the safety of everyone in the home. These risks have not been assessed or mitigated effectively. Staff have been unable to support children to reduce these risks effectively.

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improvement to be good

Care planning for children is at times inconsistent. For example, staff are sometimes unclear about when they can and cannot search a child’s bedroom. Similarly, when children are using their technological devices in their bedrooms instead of communal areas, staff are unsure when they can remove these items from children to reduce risk

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improvement to be good

Staff are unable to support some children to have healthy sleep patterns. This disruption at nighttime negatively impacts other children, who then struggle to sleep. Nighttime has correlated to an increase in behavioural incidents for children. The manager has not assessed the suitability of the staff team during evenings and weekends to assess what could be done differently to support children more during these times.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not shown professional curiosity in addressing areas of the environment which may increase risk for children. For example, children have been able to climb onto the roof of a school building and have accessed the home roof from a bedroom window. This risk has not been reflected on or mitigated. Furthermore, children were able to access an unlocked car and attempt to start it. These incidents put children at increased levels of risk.

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improvement to be good

Some children have recently struggled with disruptive behaviours, including causing damage and throwing items. Despite this risk, there are a pile of rocks in the garden that are fully accessible to children. No professional curiosity has been shown by staff to recognise why these rocks could increase risks for children during behavioural incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been several changes in the management and senior leadership team. Additionally, some key staff members have left the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The remit of this home is to support children with specific risks as outlined in its statement of purpose. However, the interim manager and some staff have not had the required training to understand these risks effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and senior leaders have not ensured consistent approaches across the staff team to manage children’s needs and risks effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers understand and follow safer recruitment practices for staff. New staff have an induction process and team meetings take place regularly. Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 5 Allegations are responded to appropriately and safeguarding processes are followed. When children have raised concerns, they say that they feel listened to. One child described the interim manager as ‘firm but fair’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Overall, there are improvements that need to be made in the three main areas of judgement for the home, and the effectiveness of leadership and management affects each of these areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The recommendations for the previous inspection have been superseded by the requirements set below. Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 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 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;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to children’s risk assessments needing to be followed and implemented by staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that the home and garden are safe for children to use, with hazards being removed. 22 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 7 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;

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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 staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to leaders and managers ensuring that staff understand and respond to children’s needs effectively.

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Requirement Due date

Staff should undertake the required training to meet children’s specific needs as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. 22 December 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; 22 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 8 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This relates in particular to All staff are to understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose and deliver care that is consistent, respectful and tailored to each child’s needs.

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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: 2666161 9

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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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Inspector

Caroline Hose, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2666161 10 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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