Children's Home run by Compass Children’s Homes Ltd in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children's home: 2664035 1 Registered provider: Compass Children's Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 4 children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2026.

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Information about this children's home

Since the last inspection, 4 children have moved from the home, and 3 children have moved into the home. The 3 children living at the home during the inspection were spoken to.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 11 November 2025

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2664035 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/11/2025 Full Good 04/03/2025 Full Good 19/03/2024 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: 2664035 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive warm and nurturing care that meets their individual needs. They are supported to develop independence, maintain important relationships and enjoy activities that reflect their interests. Children's views are listened to, and their identities are valued.

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Summary of findings

The home environment is warm and welcoming, giving children a sense of belonging.

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Summary of findings

Children are safeguarded effectively, and management oversight is effective. The registered manager advocates strongly for children and supports staff to provide safe and consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive care that meets their individual needs and supports them to thrive. They are supported to develop and make progress from their starting points, build independence and enjoy experiences that reflect their interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children's cultural and dietary needs and ensure these are met. One child's family said that when their child lived at the home, the child was supported to practise their religion. This supports children to feel valued, and staff promote children's identities well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain important relationships and spend time with their families. One professional shared that, 'Staff work collaboratively to support family time arrangements, planning dates well in advance and ensuring all necessary arrangements are in place to facilitate positive and well-organised family time.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's moves into the home and when they leave are planned effectively. Children living in the home are prepared for children joining the home or moving on. When children have chosen to leave before their planned move date, staff visited them in their new home to support a positive ending and maintain positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in education, and staff support them with their learning. One professional said, 'There have been positive outcomes for [Name of child] since moving to the home, including improved placement stability, positive engagement in education, and the development of trusting relationships with adults.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's views shape their experiences. Staff reflect on children's requests, take these forward where appropriate and provide feedback about what can be done. For example, one child wanted to play football but did not feel ready to join a club. Staff supported the child to design football shirts at home, giving the child the opportunity to engage in a sport they enjoy and build their confidence. Inspection report for children's home: 2664035 4

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

Children's individual risks are understood, recorded and reviewed regularly. When children become anxious, they receive support that meets their needs. Staff are trained to respond to these risks. Clinical support is also available to provide direct work with children and guidance to staff, promoting consistency and safe care.

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

When children go missing from their home, staff take appropriate action. In addition, staff speak to children on their return and explore why they left. This information is used to improve support, assess risk and reduce future incidents.

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

Staff understand children's needs and ensure that children have individual support plans in place. Staff use de-escalation in line with these plans, reducing the need for physical intervention. When physical intervention is used, it is proportionate and for the shortest time necessary.

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

Children are supported to understand online risks, exploitation and healthy relationships. Staff complete direct work with children, informed by current research and guidance. This helps to educate children and supports them to become safer.

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

Children's complaints are responded to appropriately. Children receive feedback about the outcome and, where needed, are supported through reparative work to rebuild relationships.

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

Children receive praise and incentives for positive actions and have goals to work towards. Rewards are recorded and reviewed to ensure children are recognised for their achievements and encouraged to make positive choices.

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

Safer recruitment processes are robust. Appropriate checks are completed so that children are cared for by suitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well led by a suitably experienced registered manager. She is child-centred and has a clear understanding of the home's strengths and areas for development. She monitors children's experiences, incidents and progress and uses this information to inform practice. For example, following one incident, she identified the need to continue to develop learning and arranged for bespoke training to strengthen staff's understanding to support the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager advocates for children in line with their wishes. When one child said they were not ready to move to semi-independent living, the registered manager challenged the proposed move. This resulted in the child staying in the home to prepare for independence and enabled a planned move at the child's pace. Inspection report for children's home: 2664035 5 The registered manager supports children to access specialist support when needed. Through advocacy, she has secured earlier access for a child to access specialist services, which will result in an assessment being completed sooner and ensure the child receives the support they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported by management and have regular supervision. Staff have development plans that identify opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills and support them to complete their qualifications within the required timescales. Staff also have access to clinical support to strengthen their understanding of children's needs. As a result, there is a stable staff team that knows the children well and provides consistency and continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager works with the team around the children effectively. Families and professionals speak positively about the care provided to children. One professional described communication as 'excellent', while a family member spoke positively about their experience of the care provided to their child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor visits monthly. However, children's views, and feedback from families and professionals, are not regularly captured. This limits the visitor's ability to provide a full and impartial view of children's experiences. Inspection report for children's home: 2664035 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person undertakes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. This assessment should include the views of children and the wider professional network to inform the evaluation of their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2664035 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

Reshma Kodampur, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2664035 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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