Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Derby

Unique reference number SC478986 Inspector Caroline Brailsford Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Registered person Esland North Limited Registered person address Unit 1 & 5 Foundry Lane Milford BELPER Derbyshire DE56 0RN Responsible individual John Stamp Registered manager Erin Kellee Jones / POST VACANT Date of last inspection 26/06/2014 2 of 7 Inspection date 05/02/2015

p.1

Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

p.2

This inspection

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

p.2

This inspection

The judgement at the last full inspection in June 2014 was adequate.

p.2

This inspection

At the previous inspection, five requirements and four recommendations were made. Four requirements have been addressed. Improvements include the regular risk assessment of the risk of fire in the building. This ensures that staff and visitors are safe during their time at the home. Also Ofsted now receives relevant notifications about particular significant events. This allows for the proper regulation of the home in order to promote young people’s welfare. The arrangements for medication have improved overall although one label on one medication did not set out the full instructions. The acting manager had a pro-active response to this and this was put right during the inspection. In addition, the arrangements for surveillance in the home by the use of door alarms have been clearly set out to placing authorities. All the relevant permissions have now been obtained from all placing authorities involved. This means that there is now clarity about the use of door alarms on

p.2

This inspection

young people’s bedrooms in order to protect their welfare at night.

p.2

This inspection

The only outstanding requirement is regarding the environment. There have been substantial improvements to the building, particularly to the bathrooms which are significantly improved in their appearance. However the area to the side of the main building remains unsightly. There is graffiti on the walls and a wall which is broken. This requirement is therefore repeated.

p.2

This inspection

There were four recommendations made at the last inspection and three have been met. Improvements include staff training where staff have now completed training in self-harm. This ensures that they are working with the most up-to-date knowledge so that they can support young people through their difficulties. Other improvements include permissions from placing authorities about the reasons for locking the kitchen at night due to health and safety issues. There are also risk assessments in 3 of 7 the home, which now include different areas of the building where risks are presented. These work well to minimise risks to all who use the building.

p.2

This inspection

There is one recommendation which is not met. This is in relation to the home's records. Despite some improvements, one young person’s file did not contain clear information about action taken further to a safety issue. The matter was dealt with and the young person was safe. However the records in this instance did not provide a clear chronology of action taken. For another young person, the daily log did not evidence how they had been checked during the night when they had come back to the home and were possibly under the influence of drugs. However the acting manager has started to take action already on recording matters in the home. She has raised this at a recent team meeting with all staff, stressing the importance of good quality records. This recommendation has been repeated.

p.3

This inspection

The Registered Manager left the home in September 2014. Ofsted have been kept informed about interim management arrangements and an application has been received for the acting manager to become registered with Ofsted. However, this has caused a period of instability in the home, where several staff have left and new staff have been recruited. Staff at all levels report some difficulties within the team since the last inspection and say that the team has not always been functioning in a productive way. All are very clear that this has vastly improved over the last few weeks and that this has not impacted on the young people's safety or welfare. All are also very clear that young people have continued to make progress. Staff spoken with now feel happy with the current team and in their work. One member of staff said ’it’s a great team’. The more positive team ethos continues to develop, ensuring that good care and consistency to young people can be given. Staff and

p.3

This inspection

young people also feel very happy with the leadership change in the home. A young person said 'I love the manager to bits', illustrating a positive and trusting relationship with the acting manager. In addition, one staff member said that the acting manager is a 'great leader'.

p.3

This inspection

On admission to the home, young people feel welcomed and quickly settle in. One young person talked about her first days saying 'they were good to me'. The ethos of respect in the home enables young people to make good progress, particularly with their behaviour and personal safety issues. Young people commented that they had made improvements to their behaviour and were safer in a short space of time. They attributed this to the staff with whom they felt they had positive relationships. Young people are positive about staff and their key workers. One young person commented about their key worker saying 'me and him, we get on well'.

p.3

This inspection

The positive relationships with staff allow for lots of support and discussion. There are also more formal key working sessions around issues of safety to help young people to make progress. Where young people have self-harm issues, they feel that this improves and impacts positively on their emotional wellbeing. Young people soon learn that they can trust staff and talk to them openly about their problems. This allows for a very positive risk assessment approach and for risks to be identified 4 of 7 and minimised at an early stage which helps to protect young people from further harm. Risk assessments are well documented and incorporate the areas of risk which are pertinent to each individual. They also reflect the changing and emerging needs of young people well. Staff are very familiar with the risk assessments so they work well in practice to minimise the risks.

p.3

This inspection

During this inspection four requirements have been made. There has been a high level of admissions and discharges since the last inspection. There is no evidence that these admissions were not suitable for the home. However, the statement of purpose reads as very general in what is sets out to do and how it intends to help and care for young people. For example, it allows short-term placements alongside long-term placements and does not set out how emergency admissions will be managed against the existing group of young people. In addition, the acting manager feels that the staff have expertise in caring young people who have self- harm issues, yet this is not in the statement of purpose as something that the home sets out to do. There is mention of an activity programme in another property for the use of young people but information about how this is to be managed is not set out. The acting manager accepts that this document needs to be more specific. This

p.4

This inspection

will ensure that progress against the statement of purpose can be easily measured and that young people continue to be appropriately placed.

p.4

This inspection

The gas safety in the home could not be established during the inspection. The acting manager could recall the check taking place but the lack of evidence in the home does not allow for the proper monitoring of the safety of the environment and potentially could put people who use the building at risk.

p.4

This inspection

Where there has been a complaint made to the company about the home, there is no recorded information about this in the home as the Regulations require. Nobody in the home knew exactly what this related to other than the approximate date and that it had been a staff member who had complained to the company. Despite this, the responsible individual is very clear that the matters raised were not of a safeguarding nature.

p.4

This inspection

There are two recommendations made at this inspection. The first is in relation to the records in the home, which fall short of the National Minimum Standard. They do not always show a clear picture of progress, difficulties or safeguarding issues. The second recommendation is set because there is a set of strategy meeting minutes missing from a young person’s file. This does not allow staff to look back and check that any recommendations have been met or allow for the proper monitoring of the young person’s care. However, the acting manager is clear that the recommendations have been included in the young person’s risk assessment and so has not impacted on the young person to date. 5 of 7

p.4

Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to care for 7 young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is divided between 2 buildings on the same site, comprising of the main house (Oakwood House) and The Lodge.

p.5

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.

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

4 (2001) ensure that a statement of purpose is compiled, which shall consist of a statement as to the matters listed in Schedule 1, including a statement of the range of needs of the children for whom it is intended that the children's home is to provide care (Regulation 4, Schedule 1,1) 13/03/2015

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that a written record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response and the outcome of the investigation (Regulation 24,5) 13/03/2015

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all parts of the home used by children are kept clear and reasonably decorated and maintained (Regulation 31,2(e)) 13/03/2015

p.5

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all parts of the home to which children have access are so far as possible free from hazards to their safety, this is in particular relation to the gas safety in the building. (Regulation 23(a)) 13/02/2015

p.5

Recommendations

6 of 7 To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.6

Recommendations

 ensure that records are clear, up to date, stored securely, and contribute to an understanding of a child's life (NMS 22)  ensure that the result of all statutory reviews and reviews of placement plans are recorded on the child's file. (NMS 25.8) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.6

Recommendations

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.7