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

Inspection report for children's home: 2723839 1 Registered provider: Compass Childrens Homes Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is owned by a large private organisation and registered to provide care for up to 5 children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023 and is dual registered as manager of another home.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, there were 5 children living at the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 17 December 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2723839 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2025 Full Outstanding 25/02/2025 Full Outstanding 01/11/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2723839 3

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Summary of findings

Children are well supported and make good progress living at this home. They share many positive experiences with staff.

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Summary of findings

A change in leadership at the home has impacted on the staff team. This has, on occasion, caused friction and disruption. There has been a lack of good management oversight, leading to poor decision-making at times. The registered manager and deputy manager have acknowledged shortfalls in leadership in recent months. They are working as a team to make improvements to address the shortfalls. These shortfalls have not noticeably impacted on the quality of care for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

No children have moved into or out of the home since the last inspection. Five children were living at the home. Time was spent with 2 children, and 4 children in total were seen during the inspection. Despite a difficult period with unstable leadership, staff have helped children to make progress and have a positive experience living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to communicate their wishes and feelings. Children are encouraged through the use of pictures and other alternative communication methods to share their feelings. This helps to provide children who are non-speaking with a voice. For example, one child placed their picture in the green zone of a pictorial feelings board, showing them to be happy before leaving for school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with education professionals and share information effectively. All children attend school full time and are making good progress. One child has started a new school recently and is settling well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are kept busy inside and outside of the home, and staff help them to be more independent. Staff say they like the children to spend time away from the home whenever possible. This gives the children lots of positive experiences. Staff have taken the children to trampoline parks, swimming, horse riding and dance classes. The children enjoy baking and cooking at home with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure the children's health needs are met. They ensure that the children attend regular appointments. Consequently, the children are making good progress in their health. Improvements are noted in the children's diet, coordination and levels of independence with their personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well presented, with personalised features throughout. A large canvas of the children all together takes pride of place in the lounge. Bedrooms are personalised, with items linked to children's interests placed around their rooms. Decorative ceilings Inspection report for children's home: 2723839 4 and other sensory areas add to the atmosphere. One child has a large painted mural on their wall, painted by staff. Another child has a blackboard in their room to help them express themselves creatively and share their feelings with staff. This attention to detail provides the children with a true sense of belonging. However, a window has remained boarded up in a child's bathroom for several weeks and not been replaced. This takes away some of the homely feel that has otherwise been created.

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

Children experience a safe, caring environment, with personalised care to meet their individual needs. Staff understand how to communicate effectively with the children if they are in pain or discomfort by using their preferred methods of communication. Staff help children to use visual communications to share when they are angry or upset. This helps staff to respond appropriately, making use of sensory areas and other places children can express themselves safely. When incidents have taken place in the community, staff have used their patience and understanding to help children to calm.

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

The children live happily alongside each other. Staff help the children to have positive experiences as a group, with regular trips out and time together in the home. Despite significant age gaps between the children, there have been no concerns around children's safety among their peers.

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

Staff keep the children safe when outside of the home. Staff support them with good levels of communication around road safety and awareness. This helps the children to understand the risks around them and how to manage them safely.

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

Staff have not always shared safeguarding concerns quickly and appropriately. On one occasion, a staff member left a child outside the front door at night, with a member of staff watching through the window. This was not reported promptly, and action was not taken at the time to address it appropriately. Leaders did not support the child to understand that this was not an appropriate way to be treated by adults caring for them.

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

Physical intervention has been used when required to keep children and others safe. The use of restraint has been necessary and proportionate. On one occasion, a child developed a mark following physical intervention. This was not shared with the local authority designated officer (LADO) or with Ofsted. This meant external safeguarding partners and regulatory bodies were unable to provide the level of external oversight required to oversee how this was managed.

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

The suitably qualified manager is also the registered manager for another home. A temporary manager was overseeing the home for a period of time, and they were not always available or providing effective oversight. The registered manager advises that their plan to deregister as manager for this home and focus solely on the other home Inspection report for children's home: 2723839 5 has been placed on hold at this time. This is to give the manager time to focus on this home after this period of instability.

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

The changes in leadership have meant inconsistency for the team and a lack of effective oversight at times. This has undermined the team working together and maintaining a child-focused approach. On occasion, this resulted in staff making poor decisions. However, staff have ensured that these shortfalls have not negatively impacted on children. Senior leaders recognised the emerging concerns, and the registered manager and deputy returned to the home. Their presence in recent weeks has shown to be a positive change, with staff reporting better working relationships and more confidence in managers.

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

Managers have not always reported incidents quickly and in an appropriate manner to external safeguarding partners. The registered manager, on their return to the home, shared an incident with LADO retrospectively, during the inspection. This delay in notification resulted in a missed opportunity to scrutinise staff practice at the time of the event. When staff were involved in a minor road collision, they contacted managers and medical professionals for advice. However, the temporary manager did not share this incident with Ofsted or update the travelling risk assessment.

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

At times, leaders and managers have not ensured appropriate deployment of staff who have worked excessive hours without rest. Consequently, on one occasion, a staff member made a poor decision that compromised a child's safety at the home. Senior leaders have reviewed this incident to explore lessons learned.

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

Managers undertake regular reflective supervisions with staff. Any poor decisions or areas for improvement in staff practice are discussed fully in these meetings. Staff now feel better supported. One staff member who left to join another home has returned with renewed enthusiasm.

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

Staff say there has been an improvement in the team in recent weeks due to the change in leadership . They are happy that the registered manager and original deputy manager are now more present in the home to support other leaders and staff.

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

Children's families and professionals say communication is good and children are safe and well supported by the leaders in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2723839 6

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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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 10 June 2026

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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— 10 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2723839 7 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 the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when a physical intervention results in a mark or injury to a child or if a child is involved in an accident away from the home. 10 June 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. It should be a homely, domestic environment and repairs should be carried out swiftly. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations 2015, including the quality standards,' page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2723839 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Compass Childrens Homes

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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

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Andreia Alves Da Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2723839 9 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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