Children's Home run by Esland South Limited in Kent

Unique reference number SC059037 Inspector Helen Lee Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Esland South Limited Registered person address Unit 1 & 5 Foundry Lane Milford Belper DE56 0RN Responsible individual John Stamp Registered manager Kim Samantha Walder Date of last inspection 14/10/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 09/02/2015

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Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged adequate at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

The home is effectively led by a committed and suitably qualified manager who has taken effective action to address the majority of the issues from the previous inspection. The overall effectiveness was judged to be adequate at that time. Five requirements and three recommendations were made following that inspection. The service young people receive continues to improve and develop. Two young people have moved into the home since the last inspection. The manager completed a baseline assessment for each of them to demonstrate that they are appropriately placed. However, the written matching assessment was inconsistently completed.

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This inspection

Young people are proactively encouraged to make progress in all aspects of their lives. Staff link well with professional services to meet young people’s needs. There are good links in place with CAMHS and social workers and the home challenges placing authorities to promote young people’s health needs. Young people progress well with the strong network of support around them. The stability offered has allowed young people to build their confidence and understanding of their emotional health. Young people benefit from choosing healthy lifestyles including frequent gym visits, going for runs, giving up smoking and better night time routines which increase their quality of sleep.

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This inspection

Young people are making positive progress in their physical and emotional wellbeing. Young people’s care is responsive to their needs. All young people are engaged in education and are making educational progress. Young people have been supported to transition to and within school. Young people benefit from a staff team which persistently challenges anti-social behaviour and supports young people who are disengaging with society. Strategies include re-establishing relationships with family and friends through the development of positive contact arrangements.

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This inspection

Relationships between young people and staff are positive, warm and friendly. Staff 3 of 6 foster humour and clear boundaries and expectations to provide young people with a stable homely experience. There have not been any physical interventions since the last inspection. Young people continue to receive consistent and clear boundaries and high quality care and support.

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This inspection

The home now works more closely with the local safeguarding children’s board. Risk assessments evidence this with clear guidance including the preferred strategies the placing authority would like implemented. Young people have not gone missing from this home. This includes some young people for whom going missing was previously a frequent concern. This also includes the use of the child sexual exploitation toolkits and assessments. The home works with the police, placing social workers, local social workers and the local authority designated officer to ensure young people are kept safe.

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This inspection

The homes e-safety policy has now been updated to make clear reference to how the home will keep young people safe from internet abuse. The monitoring of staff’s internet use however is not consistent or tangible as it relies on the manager checking through the computer’s history sporadically. Additionally, there is no internet access available to young people within the home: however individuals are accessing the internet unsupervised when outside. Staff need to ensure that young people have knowledge of internet safety in safe care planning.

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This inspection

Staff have frequent appraisal and supervisions where practice is reviewed and challenged if necessary. However, staff files do not show a clear and comprehensive summary of any allegations or disciplinary investigations. Additionally, appraisals do not demonstrate how staff are made ‘senior’. This title gives staff and the young people the idea of seniority and leadership responsibilities.

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This inspection

The home environment is well equipped and nicely decorated. Young people have their bedrooms decorated to their own taste and style. The manager now routinely monitors the times of fire drills to ensure they are successful and to learn any lessons, such as extra support for one young person. The home is in the process of moving one of the staff’s sleeping-in rooms, therefore this recommendation is remade. 4 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children's home offering care and accommodation to four young people experiencing severe emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/10/2014 Full adequate 26/02/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 14/05/2013 Full adequate 21/11/2012 Interim satisfactory progress

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) implement the written policy which is intended to safeguard children accommodated at the children's home from abuse or neglect; in particular to review how the setting will monitor staff's use of the internet (Regulation 16 (1) (a)) 31/03/2015

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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

 reconsider the staff sleeping-in provision (NMS 17)  provide admission to children whose assessed needs the home can reasonably expect to meet, in particular to consistently producing a written 5 of 6 matching assessment (NMS 11.2)  maintain a clear and comprehensive summary of any allegations made against staff, how they were followed up, resolved, any actions taken and the conclusion, in particular ensure there are no conflicts of interest (NMS 20.7)  ensure a good quality development programme and up to date staff skills and competencies have a clear link to the senior role within the home (NMS 18.1)  encourage children to take appropriate risks as a normal part of growing up. Children are helped to understand how to keep themselves safe including outside the home and when using the internet or social media. (NMS 4.4) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information 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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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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