Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited in Gateshead

Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 5 children were living at the home, and 4 children were spoken with.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Good 24/09/2024 Full Good 14/08/2023 Full Good 07/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children like living at this home, they make good progress and have positive relationships with staff, who provide therapeutic care. Children enjoy incentives and benefit from a range of activities. They do not always get on with each other, but staff respond well and help children to understand the effect of their behaviour. Children understand the expectations in the home and develop skills for independence. The home is comfortable, but would benefit from more regular cleaning and maintenance.

p.3

Summary of findings

The manager and staff know the children well and are committed to improving outcomes for children. Monitoring systems in the home are generally effective. There are some practice and operational gaps in the quality of family members’ feedback, individual staff supervision sessions, record keeping, and escalation to a placing authority.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop trusting relationships with staff who care for them. Most children have lived at the home for several years and have a sense of permanence. Children say they like living at the home, and one child scored the home a ‘9 out of 10’. Staff show the children that they care about them by listening and engaging with them every day. Children say they feel listened to and have a say about what happens in their home. These arrangements provide a secure foundation for children to flourish.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The importance of education is promoted. Most children attend full-time education and do well in their exams. Children have aspirations about their future careers and attend further education. When children are not attending education, staff ensure that children have structured and meaningful daily routines. This includes informal learning as well as completing work provided by children’s school. Staff work closely with education professionals to secure suitable provision and remove any barriers to children’s attendance.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The therapeutic approach is embedded into the home. A therapeutic practitioner attends the home twice a week to complete observations and help staff to apply therapeutic parenting strategies. Assessments of children’s needs are completed regularly. These assessments identify areas where children need the most support. This results in targeted and focused intervention that benefits children. Additionally, children have swift access to specialist support from an external therapist when they need it. Children who have previously been reluctant to attend appointments are now attending weekly. This is helping children to understand and manage their emotions and reduce incidents.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities for fun and social development. Memory books include photos that capture special occasions and events that children have enjoyed with staff. Additionally, children experience new opportunities such as going abroad on Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 4 holiday. Children choose where they would like to go and are involved in the planning and preparation. This provides children with experiences that help build positive memories of their childhood.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be kind. Staff promote respectful relationships between children, supporting them to live together harmoniously. When children do not always get along, staff manage these situations well and speak to the children to help them understand the effect of their behaviour. Children are learning strategies to avoid conflict and to be more tolerant of others.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The large and spacious home provides ample space for children to spend time together. Children like their bedrooms, which are personalised and decorated in line with their preferences. However, some areas of the home are not well maintained or clean. One child’s clothes were piled into the wardrobe with little care and attention. These features detract from an otherwise homely feel.

p.4

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

Before children move into the home, the manager completes detailed assessments based on the child’s needs, vulnerabilities, and individual risks. This helps staff to understand the effect of the move for new children and those already living at the home. Children are welcomed into the home sensitively. They visit the home and become familiar with staff who will be looking after them. This helps to remove some of their worries and helps children to settle. Children say that they feel safe living at the home and can identify a trusted adult who they would speak to for support.

p.4

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

The number of missing-from-home incidents has reduced. When children are missing from the home, staff take effective action to ensure that children return home safely. Staff follow protocols that include looking for children and informing relevant professionals who can also help in the search.

p.4

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

Positive behaviour is promoted. Children say that they understand the rules and boundaries and the purpose of them. The incentives and rewards used are effective, and some children have saved money to buy items of their choice. On occasions when consequences are used, these are restorative and natural. The manager ensures that consequences are reviewed and takes appropriate action when she disagrees with them. This helps to ensure that staff provide predictable responses to children.

p.4

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

Children’s plans are updated regularly and provide staff with actions to help children. Staff use effective de-escalation strategies during incidents. Restraint is only used as a last resort to keep children save and staff adopt the least restrictive options. Staff have reflective discussions with children to help them to explore how they were feeling and to better understand why staff held them. This helps to ensure that the relationship between staff and the child remains positive. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 5 Allegations against staff are taken seriously and responded to appropriately by the manager. Communication with safeguarding professionals is effective. The manager prioritises children’s safety, ensuring that procedures are followed and involve all the relevant agencies.

p.4

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

Children take age-appropriate risks as part of their development, such as independent travel, use of a smart phone and social media. Additionally, children learn independence skills in preparation for adulthood such as budgeting, cooking, and cleaning. This helps to prepare them for their move out of the home.

p.5

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

One child is spending most of their time outside of the home, choosing to live with friends. Staff complete regular welfare checks and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Some records lack detail, for example the time calls and visits took place or actions staff took when they have been unable to contact the child. This does not help the manager to be reassured that the child has been seen and is safe.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a dedicated manager and supported by a newly appointed deputy. The deputy has stepped up into this role, which means they are a familiar and trusted person to both staff and children. Both managers are visible in the home and know the children well. The manager and deputy ensure that they spend meaningful time with children, such as shopping trips and going to the gym.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and oversight systems are effective. The manager understands the strengths of the home and the areas for improvement. All but one member of staff have completed the relevant qualification. Staff are encouraged to complete an accredited therapeutic parenting qualification to improve their knowledge. This helps to ensure that staff have the necessary skills and experience to provide good-quality care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager takes appropriate action when children are not settling into the home or if they share their wish to live elsewhere. She takes children’s views seriously and advocates on their behalf. As a result, one child has moved to foster care in their preferred location. The child was supported to visit their new home, and staff transported the child on the day they moved. This shows children that staff care about them and promotes positive memories of their time in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly. They encourage discussion about practice and children’s needs. Additionally, staff share new knowledge gained from training courses. They are committed to their role and show compassion and understanding about children’s experiences and trauma. They work well together, saying that they feel well supported by the leadership team and each other. Children benefit from the predictable and calm environment.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff know the children well and attend regular meetings with professionals and the therapeutic practitioner when children’s needs and risks are discussed. Staff receive Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 6 regular supervision sessions. However, these do not include practice-related discussions about children. This is a missed opportunity to explore staff’s understanding and knowledge on an individual basis.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager welcomes external scrutiny and feedback from the independent visitor to make improvements in the home. However, a lack of direct consultation with parents or significant people undermines the independent visitor’s ability to make a rigorous assessment of children’s experiences and identify areas for improvement.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are unable to follow one child’s care plan as the child spends most of their time outside of the home. Although the arrangements have been assessed as safe, they do not provide security and permanence for the child. The manager has shared her concerns with the placing authority but has not escalated these to the appropriate person to effect any change. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 7

p.6

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.7

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

p.7

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

p.7

Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) 30 June 2026

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment for children. In particular, they should ensure that all areas of the home are well maintained and clean. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that there are systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice that 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)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. In particular, they should ensure that sufficient and accurate detail is recorded in daily logs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the

p.7

Recommendations

quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 8 the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. This should include consultation with children’s family members or significant person. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 65, paragraph 15.5)

p.7

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: 1232649 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes North East Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Rayns Way, Syston, Leicester, Leicestershire LE7 1PF

p.9

Inspector

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1232649 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10