Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC433430 Inspection date 13/03/2014 Inspector Catherine Honey Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 09/01/2014 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The children's home is run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The main house can accommodate two young people and the cottage annex on the other side of the driveway can accommodate one.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

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Progress

At the previous inspection in January 2013, the overall effectiveness was judged as good. In the relatively short time since the last inspection, the home has met the two requirements made and the vast majority of recommendations are met. This demonstrates the home's capacity to improve. Quality of care in the home remains high and young people continue to make progress.

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Progress

There are good levels of informal consultation with parents, stakeholders and young people. Since the last inspection, the management team have devised a more formal consultation questionnaire for placing authorities to enable placing authorities and social workers to give their thoughts and ideas on the running of the home. A summary of the impact of consultation on the home's quality of care will be shown in the next report on internal monitoring sent to the regulator. The home's statement of purpose has benefitted from further revision and now clearly shows information about staffing and how electronic monitoring systems such as door alarms are used in the home. This provides anyone accessing the home's Statement of purpose with a better overview of the operation of the home. The policy on the use of electronic monitoring devices has been reviewed and revised. It now describes how electronic monitoring devices should be used, how

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Progress

children will be informed of their use, how legitimate privacy of children will be protected and how children will be protected from potential abuse of such measures. In addition, young people's bedroom doors now have thumbscrew locks which enables them to lock their doors should they wish to. These measures increase protection and privacy for young people. Young people have also benefitted from new bedroom carpets which add to the homely and highly personalised feel of their rooms.

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Progress

Physical intervention is now recorded in a bound book meaning they are more tamper-proof. One recommendation made at the last inspection, relating to ensuring staff have the skills to meet young people's needs, has been acted on. Training has been sourced on issues affecting young people and staff are booked on to a course. Although training dates are imminent, the recommendation remains unmet and is repeated. This shortfall has not impacted negatively on the welfare of young people as staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of how to meet young people's needs.

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Progress

Young people continue to receive well-planned care from an enthusiastic staff team, who are thoughtful in their approach. Some staff are working towards their nationally recognised level 3 care qualifications and are supported by the home to do this. This helps ensure young people are cared for by a staff team who are suitably qualified and competent to meet their needs. Staff have clear boundaries which have enabled young people to take steps to positively manage their own behaviour while learning how to manage their emotions. Positive links with external agencies, such as education, help inform care plans, ensuring consistent approaches to supporting young people achieve good outcomes. The culture within the home celebrates individuality and diversity and young people receive quality care and support based on their individualised needs. This considerably benefits their well-being now and in the future.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of the children and purpose of the setting. (NMS 18.1)

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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