Adults from Home H, in the South, are celebrating their third consecutive OUTSTANDING Ofsted rating. Led by Ellese and John, it’s clear that the team really do work as one; they show such enthusiasm, dedication and passion in their respective roles. And that solid teamwork means that the young people at Home H are genuinely thriving:

“Children receive exceptional care from staff who know them well. As a result, they
thrive. The manager and staff provide the children with warmth, care and nurture.
Children respond to such care and develop long-lasting and trusting relationships with
the staff. As a result, the children flourish and make excellent progress.” – Ofsted report, 2025

“Children receive highly focused support from experienced, knowledgeable staff. Staff
understand each child’s needs regardless of the complexity and help others to do the
same. For example, staff use a tool that shows how each child communicates. This helps
others who visit the child to communicate with them.” – Ofsted report, 2025

We understand the important role that food and a balanced diet play in a child’s mental, emotional and physical wellbeing, particularly for those in care, for whom food can bring many challenges and obstacles.

Within our homes, we always strive to involve our children and young people when it comes to menu plans, meal prepping, cooking skills and more: in doing so, we can help foster healthy relationships with food and support with independent skills for the future. From doing the weekly shop, to setting the table, taste-testing new foods to hosting bake-offs, sharing family meals together to dinners out at favourite restaurants, food plays such a vital role in creating stable, supportive and happy home environments.

Recently, Home L spent time creating smoothie recipes, experimenting with taste, texture and colour combinations. They managed to pack in their five-a-day, with carrots, cucumbers, kiwis, kale juice, berries and more. And the results… “Actually quite nice!”

Creating opportunities to play and experiment with food has huge benefits for our children and young people; smoothie making, for example, encourages positive curiosity around trying new foods, food dislikes and following recipes (or coming up with our own), and is a wonderful activity in which everyone can get involved!

We’re firm believers that learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom: it happens at home, in the community, with friends, in therapy sessions, at the shops, in the car, and everywhere in between!

For one of our young people, school is currently accessed through online learning, and as part of this set up, staff recently introduced equine therapy to support practical and life skills, and offer a space for emotional resilience and self-reflection too. Initially quite nervous to attend, U was really brave and showed commitment to the session despite her worries. Within minutes of her introduction to the animals, U was “running around the field with the horses and creating bonds with them… she came back home with a huge smile on her face”, voicing her excitement at being able to take the horses for walks in the village and independently look after the various animals on site.

Working with the horses, dogs, chickens and ducks (to name a few!) not only provides a chance to learn outside of the classroom – U will gain a wealth of knowledge, experience and independent practise ready for possible future employment and hobbies!

Meanwhile, at Home W, adults took one of their children out for a day at a local farm to support his learning through exploration and play. Using a communication pack to explain to K where they were going and what the journey would involve, they packed their backpacks and set off for a truly lovely adventure. K  fully embraced the farm life, petting and feeding the animals, exploring old tractors, running around in the sand pits and even managed to eat lunch in the busy restaurant area.

And it wasn’t just K who was learning; adults Jade and Mick also had a day of learning by watching K’s behaviours and were able to establish that with the right support and preparation, he will try new things and can withstand busy areas whilst enjoying exploring! They both loved watching K smiling and giggling, and have already made plans for similar trips in the future.

At the end of February, D moved to foster care after three years at Home F. This is a wonderful outcome and everyone is thrilled for him, and as part of the “moving on” process, the home held a big celebration to look back on all the memories and recognise D’s journey so far.

D took some time to reflect on his experiences, and made a speech on the day.  It’s a moving piece that sheds light on the multitude of emotions young people can experience whilst in care, and highlights the many ups and downs they face on their individual journeys. For the adults at Home F, perhaps the most special parts of D’s speech will be his recognition that family can come in various forms and that he found people who were ready to put him first and who he could trust.

We’re so grateful to D for sharing his thoughts, and here are a few excerpts:

“Three and a half years in a children’s home. Feels mad even saying it. Three years of ups and downs, of struggling but somehow still smiling, of feeling lost but also finding people who actually care…

At first, it was rough. Walking into a place that’s supposed to be home but doesn’t feel like it. New faces, new rules, new everything. And deep down, that feeling of “why am I even here?” Some nights, I’d just lay in bed thinking about how different things could’ve been. Missing people, even the ones that hurt me. Wishing things had gone another way.

But over time, things change. You meet people—other kids who get it, staff who actually listen… The late-night talks, the times when someone actually understands what you’re feeling, the realisation that you’re not as alone as you thought.

Being in care isn’t just being “looked after.” It’s learning to stand on your own, to keep going even when everything feels messed up. It’s realising that family isn’t always blood, and that sometimes, the people you least expect become the ones you trust the most.”

In January 2025, Compass Children’s Homes welcomed Emma Carrington as the new Director of the service.

Emma joins the organisation after many years in leadership and management roles within the same sector, having initially started in 2003 working for a small provider of residential care in the Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire areas. Emma gained experience in various roles before becoming a Registered Manager. In 2007, she progressed to Responsible Individual & Assistant Director for seven homes, before being appointed as Director of Operations in 2013 (for the same organisation). Six years later, Emma moved to a larger provider of residential children’s homes, which further added to her knowledge and expertise in the field. She remained here until her move to Compass.

Emma strongly believes in child-centred care that provides children and young people with opportunities and experiences that can support them to achieve and thrive, and believes that safeguarding is integral to achieving the highest standards of care. She also puts a large emphasis on the importance of a company’s investment in its staff (so that they have the skills, knowledge and experience to provide the best level of care) as a priority; helping colleagues to have their own personal development and opportunities to grow and take on new challenges and roles is crucial to high quality care.

We are very much looking forward to working with Emma to continue our mission to make a lasting and lifelong difference to children’s lives.

After over a decade of dedicated leadership, Bernie Gibson will be stepping down as CEO of Compass Community. Under her guidance, Compass has grown into a thriving and compassionate organisation, positively impacting the lives of countless children, young people, and families. We extend our deepest gratitude to Bernie for her unwavering commitment and inspirational leadership.

We are delighted to announce that Stacy Wallace is taking the reins as our new CEO. With a career spanning global roles in the healthcare and education sectors, Stacy brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for learning and development. As she transitions into children’s services, Stacy is eager to continue Compass Community’s mission of providing outstanding care and support.

Please join us in thanking Bernie for her incredible contributions and in welcoming Stacy as she embarks on this exciting new chapter with Compass.

Five Compass homes have received GOOD ratings in their recent Ofsted reports, and we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate that 90% of our homes have either GOOD or OUTSTANDING Ofsted ratings.

We are so proud of our staff teams, who put in an incredible amount of effort and energy into supporting our shared aim: to provide every young person in our care with a positive childhood. Whether they are attending team meetings, doing the shopping, preparing meals, helping with homework, supporting new hobbies, teaching life skills or doing admin in the office, Compass staff are always striving to come up with new and exciting ways to provide the very best care with an approach that’s as unique as the individuals themselves.

The combination of amazing staff teams and wonderful homes is what enables us to achieve the best for our children and young people. Compass homes are located throughout the country, and at present we have 50 open and many more in developmental stages.  We take pride in our houses, which are thoughtfully designed and decorated to the highest standard to ensure we are providing not just a house, but a home. With multiple communal areas, outside spaces, personalised bedrooms, high quality furnishings, calming colours, and often dedicated therapy rooms on site (as well as education facilities for many too), we strive to create welcoming, warm and comfortable environments where our children and young people can thrive.

Here’s a little glimpse into the sorts of homes we provide:

Our staff recognise the significance of moving in and out of homes and the huge impact this has on children’s and young people’s lives. These events can bring complex challenges that require careful navigation (settling in, building relationships, learning routines and expectations, saying goodbye and the fear of the unknown to name but a few), which is why it’s crucial to have the most prepared staff teams who can support these transitions.

Naturally, each home will have a varying approaches, especially when taking into consideration the needs and personalities of the children and young people already living in the home. It is not always a smooth process, but as the following stories will highlight, Compass staff always strive to make these transitions as positive as possible.

Home L have been preparing to welcome a new young person into the home, and as part of this process, they will always include their children and young people in the planning to reinforce feelings of unity and inclusion. On this occasion, the young people chose to hold their own meeting to consider what things made them feel welcome when they first arrived, so that they could reciprocate and ensure the new young person understood they were in a safe and friendly environment. They decided that balloons, bunting, chocolates and a teddy bear would be the best welcome, and so with adults’ help they set about getting things ready.

Meanwhile, Home T bid farewell to B, who, after more than two years living at the home, is now moving on to semi-independent living. In order to support all the young people with this big transition, adults set up a huge goodbye party that everyone attended; photos filled with memories were displayed throughout the house, some of B’s favourite foods were made, and all of her favourite songs were on repeat.

Having made “exceptional progress” in therapy, showcasing her ability to manage emotions and navigate challenges, and after successfully completing GCSEs, B felt ready for this next chapter, noting to staff that “I wouldn’t be who I am without you”. These goodbyes are always bittersweet: the team are incredibly proud of B and all of her accomplishments, and are thrilled for the positive opportunities she has in this next part of her journey, but they are also sad to see her go and will naturally really miss her.

One of our northern homes has just introduced a lovely “shoutout box”. Placed centrally so that everyone has access to it, the aim is to encourage the acknowledgment of kind, thoughtful or positive actions and deeds (for both young people and adults).
It can sometimes be tricky to say things out loud or to remember to praise others when life is hectic, so the box is the perfect chance to take a quiet moment to say thank you to someone else.
The notes are read out at every house meetings, and the box is already working really well!

As a new year begins, Compass Community is proud to be thinking about the future – and its role in making it better for everyone. In keeping with its mission to reduce its carbon footprint – whilst continuing to grow – the company has recently published its Net Zero (NZ) report. The report analyses Compass’ current greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and makes recommendations to reduce them, in line with established UK policy.

Using baseline data gathered from its 2022 financial year, the company has laid out its plans to cut down GHG emissions, with the goal of reaching net zero by 2045 – 5 years earlier than the UK government’s own target. In the report, Compass’ chief financial officer, Jamie Wright, commits the company to “working closely with our stakeholders to help the UK transition to a low carbon economy.”

The report states that, “Compass Community are committed to ensuring that we play our role in working alongside other UK organisations to achieve the UK Government’s Net Zero target of at least a 100% reduction in the net UK GHG emissions by 2050.”

Compass’ net zero report contains detailed analysis of each of the main activities it is engaged in – and the proportion of GHG emissions each one is currently responsible for. Although the report identifies 10 main activities, it is just 3 to which ¾ of Compass’ total GHG emissions can be attributed: purchased goods & services 32.5%, employee commuting 26.2% and business travel 16.9%.

The report also makes recommendations to reduce the company’s carbon footprint over time. Although some of the improvements will come as a result of policy development, it is also clear that much of the reduction will come from the support of all members of Compass Community being mindful of the small differences they can make on a day-to-day basis.

In light of this, Compass are launching a community wide competition – open to staff and children – to produce an A4 poster encouraging people to cut down on an aspect of their current GHG producing behaviour. Examples of themes for posters could include encouraging car sharing, buying in bulk, reducing printing and turning off lights in empty rooms. (Full details of the competition will follow in due course.)

The report is available to read using this link.