Children's Home run by Compass Children‟s Homes Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2679801 1 Registered provider: Compass Children’s Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. All were seen and 2 were spoken to and contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2026.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2679801 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/10/2024 Full Outstanding 23/01/2024 Full Outstanding 11/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2679801 3

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Summary of findings

Children experience individualised care from staff who know them well. Staff build positive relationships with children. They seek children’s views in ways that enable children to have a voice in the home and about the care they receive. Children receive support with their education, health and relationships and in developing their independence skills.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns. Risk management reflects children’s individual needs. However, individual work with children in relation to their safeguarding needs could be undertaken more proactively. Verbal complaints must be recognised and progressed appropriately.

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Summary of findings

The home has recently reopened following a period of refurbishment. The new manager is developing a positive culture in the home. Staff describe supportive management and value opportunities for reflection and learning. One external professional reported positive communication and a shared understanding of children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff carefully plan children’s moves into the home. Managers review referral information for children, including known risks and compatibility with other children living in the home, before the move is agreed. Moves into the home then take place in a planned way, unless completed in an emergency. Children receive one-to-one care during their first 2 weeks in the home. Planning meetings help staff understand each child’s needs and plan their care. This helps children receive the support they need as they settle into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s routines, needs and behaviours are considered in their relevant plans. Direct work helps staff understand children’s health and wellbeing needs. Conversations also identify where children may need more support. Children have started sessions with an assistant psychologist, who works in the home. This helps identify and support children’s emotional and psychological needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff gather the children’s wishes and feelings about the care they receive in a thoughtful and considerate manner. Children do not always choose to attend weekly children’s meetings. However, staff use individual conversations and direct work to understand their views. Staff celebrate children’s achievements with praise and personalised monthly newsletters. They have developed care plans into a leaflet format that is accessible to children. This helps children understand their care and have a say in decisions that affect them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how children’s past experiences affect their engagement with education. Two children have education placements. Another child is exploring college Inspection report for children’s home: 2679801 4 options. When children struggle to attend, managers work with external professionals to understand why. Staff balance educational expectations with children’s emotional wellbeing and their individual starting points when moving to the home. This helps children make progress in education based on their current needs and abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their interests and make healthy choices. One child enjoys physical activities, including going to the gym and boxing classes. Staff are developing their knowledge of nutrition to further support the child. Children also receive direct work sessions about their physical and emotional health. This helps them understand how their choices can affect their wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are beginning to make the home their own. They choose items for their bedrooms when they go shopping. Staff help children stay connected to their home areas. This includes links with education and family. This helps children develop a sense of belonging while keeping important links with people and places they know.

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

Staff understand children’s known risks and vulnerabilities. Individual risk assessments identify current concerns and guide staff responses. The 24-hour behaviour support plans describe children’s routines, needs and behaviours. These plans give staff useful information about how to support children. However, this information is not always updated across all relevant records.

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

Staff respond appropriately when safeguarding concerns arise. Incidents are clearly recorded and relevant professionals are informed. Risk assessments are reviewed following incidents when required. Safeguarding referrals and notifications are made, and managers consider action to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents. Missing-from- care protocols are also in place. This helps staff respond to emerging concerns and take action to protect children.

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

Staff use direct work following incidents and when concerns are identified. This helps children understand issues that have affected their safety or wellbeing. The in-house assistant psychologist also supports staff practice. However, much of this work takes place after a concern has arisen. Staff could undertake more proactive direct work around adolescent risks. This includes risks linked to mobile phone use, vaping and alcohol.

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

Children’s records do not always contain consistent information. Changes made to one record are not always reflected in other relevant documents. This includes 24-hour behaviour support plans and impact risk assessments. Staff do not always update documents until their planned review date. Therefore, staff may have different information about the same child. This could lead to inconsistent care and responses.

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

Children are encouraged to talk to staff about their concerns. One child made a verbal complaint which staff recorded as direct work. Staff could not find a complaints form and Inspection report for children’s home: 2679801 5 gave the child paper and a pen. There is no evidence that the complaint was progressed or that the child received an outcome.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager creates opportunities for staff to reflect and learn together. All staff attend team meetings. They discuss children’s needs and vulnerabilities in detail. Some staff also use research to learn about issues affecting teenagers. They consider how this relates to their work. Separate discussions about each child take place every month. This helps staff develop a shared understanding of children and their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes a psychologically informed approach to children’s care. She uses the in-house assistant psychologist to support staff learning. The assistant psychologist reviews incident reports. This helps staff consider the trauma-informed language they use in records. Staff also reflect on how they interact with children. The assistant psychologist said, ‘Staff focus on developing meaningful relationships rather than completing tasks alone.’ This supports a more thoughtful approach to children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes staff development and provides support through supervision and training. Staff complete mandatory training, including physical intervention training, before starting their new roles. New staff complete shadow shifts with experienced colleagues before caring for children. Senior staff provide supervision to less experienced staff. The staff report feeling supported and empowered in their roles. This provides a developing workforce with opportunities to build their knowledge and confidence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager collaborates constructively with external professionals, who speak positively about communication with the home and staff’s understanding of children. Managers advocate for children when barriers affect their progress. They do not readily accept barriers that may limit children’s opportunities. They share their knowledge of children in professional discussions. This helps keep children’s needs central to wider professional planning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679801 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support and without any fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)  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. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children feel safe and are safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to

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Recommendations

understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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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: 2679801 7

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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

Susie Vere, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2679801 8 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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