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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 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

The home is owned and operated by a private company. It provides care for up to five children aged between seven and 17 years who may experience emotional or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025 and is suitably qualified.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/07/2025 Full Good 11/12/2024 Full Good 06/02/2024 Full Good 15/03/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 3

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Summary of findings

The home provides good-quality care for children. Children make good progress from their individual starting points as a result of the support they receive. Leaders and staff are committed to building nurturing and positive relationships with children, which helps to promote children’s emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging.

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Summary of findings

Some shortfalls were identified in the consistency of leaders’ monitoring and review systems. This impacts the provider’s ability to consistently demonstrate effective oversight. Leaders have recognised these areas for development and are taking appropriate action to strengthen systems to ensure that children continue to experience consistently good-quality care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders take appropriate action to maintain a safe, welcoming home environment for children that protects them from harm and promotes their wellbeing. When damage is caused to the home, effective plans are in place to ensure that repairs are completed promptly. Children’s views are regularly sought regarding their home environment and how it can be improved to better meet their individual needs. This approach ensures that children feel confident in actively contributing to decisions about their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a wide range of activities that support their emotional and social development. Staff encourage children to participate in activities that reflect their individual interests, promote positive experiences and help them to build confidence and social skills. Children are supported to engage in both home-based and community activities, which positively contributes to their overall wellbeing and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children understand how to make a complaint and are supported to do so when needed. When complaints are raised, children’s views, wishes and feelings are listened to and acted on to help ensure that their rights are upheld. Leaders keep children informed throughout the process and provide regular updates so that they understand the actions being taken and the outcomes reached. This approach ensures that children feel valued and supports them in developing trust in the adults caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress educationally. They are consistently supported by leaders and staff to access appropriate educational provision that meets and reflects their individual needs. Staff also provide children with additional learning opportunities in the home to complement their formal education plan. Each child has their own bespoke plan of additional direct work. This gives each child an extensive range of educational resources that support areas such as building independence skills and assessing their understanding of risks, such as online safety. This approach to learning ensures that Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 4 children’s needs are identified early and that any presenting barriers to their progress within education are reviewed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are consistently supported to build and maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Leaders and staff recognise the significance of these relationships for children’s identity, emotional wellbeing and their sense of belonging. When leaders and staff identify any emerging risks within these relationships, appropriate action is taken to ensure that children remain safe and that any arrangements are effectively reviewed.

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

When children share concerns with trusted adults about the relationships they have with peers in the home, staff and leaders respond appropriately to reduce the likelihood of children experiencing similar incidents of conflict with their peers. Staff and leaders provide clear and age-appropriate challenge to children to help them understand the impact of their behaviours on others and to reinforce expectations regarding safe and respectful behaviour in the home. Leaders work closely with key professionals involved in children’s care to ensure that appropriate support and safeguarding measures are in place to help children feel safe and protected from harm.

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

Staff use proportionate and approved behaviour management strategies as a last resort to protect and prevent children from experiencing serious harm. Staff demonstrate an understanding of children’s individual needs and use techniques in line with children’s individual care plans to prevent the use of restriction wherever possible. Records relating to safeguarding incidents are not always sufficiently detailed or evaluative. This limits leaders’ ability to consistently evidence management oversight, evaluate the effectiveness of responses taken and identify ways to further strengthen safeguarding practice.

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

Staff and leaders take a proactive approach in the direct work they complete with children to promote their understanding of risk. For example, robust systems are in place to review children’s access to online content, which enables staff to identify potential risks at an early stage. This has led, where necessary, to the implementation of appropriate restrictions and a review of the tailored support provided to children to address new and emerging risks. This approach enables children to better understand and manage risks, promoting their ongoing safety and wellbeing.

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

Children’s achievements are consistently recognised and celebrated by staff and leaders, Individual milestones and progress are acknowledged, reflecting each child’s individual starting point, thus ensuring that recognition is meaningful and tailored to the child’s development. Staff use a range of approaches to re-enforce positive behaviour, building self-esteem and confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have not reviewed and monitored the quality of care children receive. This shortfall has been identified through external auditing systems, and improvements have been evidenced. The leadership team consistently reviews areas of practice that require prioritisation to ensure consistency in the quality of practice from all staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals regarding the timeliness of information shared following some safeguarding incidents in the home has been mixed. Leaders have recognised these shortfalls and have taken appropriate steps to address them. Improvements have been identified and appropriate action taken to strengthen communication processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders respond promptly when there are concerns about staff practice, which positively impacts the safety and quality of care that children receive. Leaders ensure that appropriate professionals are informed and that, where required, disciplinary processes are followed. This consistent practice promotes children’s safety and has led to good- quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff development is prioritised. Staff benefit from regular team meetings. Individual supervision focuses on staff wellbeing and how the leadership team can support their continued development. As a result, staff speak positively about the support they receive and the commitment by the leadership team to invest in their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A continuous commitment to learning and improvement by the leadership team contributes directly to better outcomes for children. Leaders use feedback from a range of external sources to drive ongoing improvements in the home. This approach ensures that practice evolves to meet children’s needs more effectively, leading to improved care and experiences for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 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 maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all information within children’s records are recorded clearly and factually. 19 June 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care by implementing robust quality assurance and monitoring systems, and maintain effective oversight of the home to improve the quality of care provided. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person should work in close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting and caring for the child. In particular, all relevant safeguarding incidents should be shared in a timely manner with those providing care and protection for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3) Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 7

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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: 1227869 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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Inspector

Charlotte Tippett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1227869 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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