Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Derbyshire

Unique reference number SC433430 Inspector Rachel Griffiths Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Esland North Limited Registered person address Unit 1 & 5 Foundry Lane Milford BELPER Derbyshire DE56 0RN Responsible individual John Stamp Registered manager Lynn Allen Date of last inspection 15/10/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 10/03/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

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

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This inspection

Young people continue to make good progress in many aspects of their lives. They enjoy improved health, improved confidence and improved self-esteem. This is a result of the nurturing care provided; the wide-ranging activities young people participate in, and the opportunities they have to develop life skills in the community. Young people start to experience stability, consistency and security in their lives. They start to work towards realistic goals for the future. As a result, their life chances significantly improve. A social worker commented: ‘After a number of placement breakdowns, the priority for this young person is a stable base, emotional warmth and security. The staff are providing this. From their starting point, the young person is making as much progress as possible. They are building positive relationships, their behaviour has stabilised, they have done some education and they are doing lots of activities.’

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This inspection

Staff continue to provide young people with an excellent quality of care. The managers and staff are very knowledgeable in respect of young people’s complex individual needs. A parent said: ‘The staff know their onions. They understand my child well. They are fair and consistent. This has helped them settle well.’ A core group of committed and well-trained staff have extremely positive relationships with young people. A young person described them as ‘ten out of ten’. Staff work closely with parents and partner agencies to ensure that young people receive appropriate support and specialised services to address and meet individual needs. This provides young people with a better opportunity to reach their full potential.

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This inspection

Young people feel safe and are so much safer while living in this home. A young person said: ‘This is a safe place to live. We have locks on our doors, the staff really care, and there is always someone to talk to.’ The positive relationships young people have with staff provide them with a strong sense of safety. Implementation of the home’s anti-bullying policy and work undertaken with young people in respect 3 of 6 of this ensures that young people are safeguarded from bullying. It also helps young people develop mutual respect for one another and helps them improve relationships with their peers.

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This inspection

Although some young people move into this home with a significant history of going missing from home, instances of this happening significantly reduce or stop. Work undertaken with young people about the risk associated with going missing, as well as robust missing from care procedures and high levels of supervision by staff, provide young people with a high level of protection. A parent said: ‘My child is so much safer than in previous placements. They used to go missing. They felt unsupported and as a result, their behaviour was extreme. This is not the case in this home. They are now happy and settled.’

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This inspection

Young people’s behaviour continues to be well managed. Young people are motivated by incentives which are offered in return for positive behaviour. On occasions when physical intervention has been deemed necessary, incidents are well recorded and young people are always debriefed. This enables managers and leaders to effectively monitor the use of physical interventions and provides them with increased potential to improve practice in this area.

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This inspection

The management of this home continues to be strong. One requirement and one recommendation set at the last inspection have been met. There is now a clear system in place to ensure that any allegation or concern raised about staff practice is recorded in detail, outlining all actions taken and how outcomes have been reached. The Statement of Purpose has been updated and it now provides clear and accurate information to parents and placing authorities about the care, support and services the home offers.

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This inspection

The management team continue to be very reflective and learn from their experiences in order to improve the service. For example, as a result of experience in respect of placement matching, the Registered Manager, is extremely mindful about how crucial it is to ensure that the mix of young people living in the home at any one time does not pose safeguarding risks. Age and gender as well as individual needs and vulnerabilities of young people are carefully balanced. As a result, the potential for instability in the home is minimised and young people are better safeguarded from risks they may pose to each other.

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This inspection

Monitoring and quality assurance systems continue to be effective. The progress young people make is monitored. Internal and external quality assurance reports identify strengths and minor shortfalls in the home. The views of young people, staff, parents and stakeholders are gathered through regular consultations. This ensures that monitoring reports consider their views and are more effective in driving improvements.

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This inspection

One regulatory requirement for improvement has been identified as a result of this inspection. This is in relation to the décor and maintenance of the home. The home 4 of 6 is clean, warm and welcoming. However, some parts of it are in need of decoration and maintenance. A cracked pain of glass in the front door needs replacing and the architrave on a bedroom door is missing, exposing plaster. Bedroom doors and the hallway require decoration. Although these shortfalls have been identified by the management team and the external quality assurance visitor, there has been a delay in work being carried out. As a result, although not having an impact on the safety of young people, the environment is not as homely and attractive as it should be. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

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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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2014 Full good 13/03/2014 Interim good progress 09/01/2014 Full good 03/01/2013 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) ensure that all parts of the children's home used by children are kept clean and reasonably decorated and maintained. (Regulation 31 (2) (e)) 08/05/2015 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Reg. Requirement Due date

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.

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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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