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

Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 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

The home is privately owned. It is registered to care for up to 5 children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

There were 4 children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Their views were sought during the inspection. Five children have moved out since the last inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager post has been vacant since July 2025.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: 2613483 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2025 Full Good 27/02/2024 Full Good 28/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are currently settled and in good health. However, there have been periods in recent months where incidents have impacted on children's emotional wellbeing. Two children were impacted by the behaviour of other children who were struggling with their emotions. One child is starting to spend more time in shared areas following a period of withdrawing into their room. Managers have plans to support children to recover from some difficult times. All 4 children provided mixed feedback about the home. They say that they feel safe and like some staff. However, they do not always want to attend the therapy sessions offered to them. While therapy is not mandatory, there is a difference between the expectations of the provider and how children feel at this time. Following inspection, leaders and managers recognise the importance of exploring this issue further. Five children have moved on since the last inspection. Some children moved on to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

supported accommodation or returned to family. Two children moved because they did not settle well and alternative placements were identified. Managers have learned from these experiences. They have strengthened their approach to ensure that they gather full information about children before accepting them into the home. Changes to practice are in the early stages and yet to be embedded. Children have positive relationships with established staff. They are building connections with the new staff, but are not yet at ease with all staff. Changes to staff have impacted on children at times, which has been acknowledged by managers. Despite this, children enjoy spending time with adults doing activities and developing new interests. They are supported to gradually increase their independence. Children are learning how to cook and clean for themselves. Two children have been on holiday, which brought excitement

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and adventure. Three children are in full-time education with good attendance. They are making progress. One child has not been in education for several years and is currently receiving some online tuition. Set learning is not always completed and staff are still working on ways to support the child more effectively. Children are supported to see people who are important to them. Staff take children to see their family and friends and ensure that they speak on the phone. This is very important for children's stability and sense of identity as they are living away from their hometowns.

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

Children say that they feel safe and have people to talk to about their worries. Some children experience low mood and feelings of distress. Staff support children to express Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 4 themselves, and refer to specialist agencies where necessary. There is ongoing therapy available, which children do make use of despite their reservations about the sessions. Staff set boundaries for children and help them to learn about how to manage their feelings and behaviour. This is helping children to develop social skills and positive relationships. The managers and staff have managed some difficult incidents when children have become overwhelmed by their feelings. Staff have been hurt during these incidents but have shown resilience throughout. There has been learning when incidents have not been managed effectively. Additional training and support have been provided to staff who need to build their confidence when intervening to keep children safe.

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

Two children have been missing from home on 4 occasions. The manager and staff provided well-coordinated responses, ensuring that children returned safely. They worked constructively with other professionals and children's families to achieve this. As such, risks of exploitation are minimised. Children have made a number of allegations about staff. Most of the concerns were raised by a child who was unhappy with their wider care plan, and the majority were withdrawn soon after. Allegations are always investigated and reported to the relevant professionals. Children are safeguarded while investigations are undertaken. Overall, the manager and staff respond quickly to emerging concerns about children. One child who was dependent on substances has been supported to reduce this use significantly. One child is playing adult online games that are inappropriate for their age and stage of development. The manager and staff were not aware of this prior to the

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

inspection. Therefore, it has not yet been addressed.

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

A number of managers have been appointed in recent months but have quickly moved on. A temporary manager has been in place since December. The instability in the management arrangements has unsettled children and staff. Leaders and managers are aware of this, and a new manager has been appointed. It will be important for this manager to register with Ofsted as soon as possible to establish permanency in the home.

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

Staff have not always received formal supervision during the period of instability. This has recently improved under the current manager. Despite this, staff say that they have been supported and there is evidence of attention to their health and wellbeing.

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

Some members of the staff team are relatively new and inexperienced in care work. They are building their skills and confidence. This has impacted on some children who feel less inclined to approach unfamiliar staff. Managers are providing training and development to strengthen the skills and confidence of the newer members of staff.

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

Professionals have confidence in the care provided to children. They say that children are safe and well cared for. Communication is good between the provider and external Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 5 agencies, which encourages children to take part in important meetings and contribute to decision-making processes.

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

Managers are aware of the areas for development in the home. Senior managers have devised an improvement plan to address and strengthen areas of practice to re-establish consistency of care for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff are able to provide consistency of care to children. This also relates to ensuring that managers and staff have a full understanding of and address issues in the home that may be impacting their emotional wellbeing. 12 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children's home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that an acting manager registers with Ofsted without delay. 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children who have experienced severe trauma, have mental health difficulties or have been excluded or out of education for significant periods are supported to work through their past experiences and present needs so they can positively participate in learning activities and formal education. Staff in children's homes will play a key role in supporting these children in line with their personal education plan or education, health and care plan and recommendations from education and health professionals. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 26, paragraph 5.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where positive relationships exist between children and staff, these are respected and maintained as far as possible when making any decisions to alter staffing arrangements. The registered person should respond to children's views about changes to staff and be aware of the potential impact these may have for the child's stability and emotional wellbeing. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 39, paragraph 8.12)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 8

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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: 2613483 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: Compass Community Ltd, 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester LE7 1PF

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Inspector

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children's home: 2613483 11

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