Esther House

Inspector Emeline Evans

Previous inspection judgement Improved effectiveness Enforcement action since last inspection None

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has begun to stabilise in recent months as a result of a consistent staff team and the management team understanding the need to ensure that referrals are very carefully considered prior to placement. Since the last inspection in November 2015, two young people have left the home and three have been admitted. Two of the young people who were in placement at the time of the last inspection are still living in the home. A decision was made to end one placement because the home was not able to meet the young person’s needs. The impact of her behaviour on other young people was significant and staff felt they could not keep this young person safe. The other young person left in order to live closer to her family home. She was then placed in another home within the organisation. These were not easy decisions for the management team, and there is evidence that the staff team worked with professionals and the young people to try and

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the statement of purpose has been updated and now contains all the necessary information. It states that the home ‘offer[s] 24 hour therapeutic residential care and education for young people with complex needs which can present in the form of emotional behaviour disorder or mental health problems’. In discussion, members of the management team said that they had learned from previous placements and that mental health would not be the primary support need for a young person placed at this home. The statement of purpose would therefore benefit from clarifying admission criteria to ensure that placing social workers are confident that the home is the right one for the young person concerned.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people are beginning to thrive in a nurturing and welcoming environment where they feel safe and well supported. From observations and discussions with young people, it was evident that they have, and are continuing to form, solid and positive attachments with the staff team and each other. One young person explained how she had taken one girl ‘under her wing’ because she had recently moved in. In recent months, the home has experienced a decrease in challenging behaviour because the consistent staff team is working effectively together to support each other and the young people. Young people are beginning to reflect on the impact of their behaviours and they describe things to be ‘good’ because of the relationships they have with the staff team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been significant reductions in ‘risky’ behaviours. In particular, self-harm and instances of young people going missing have decreased considerably in recent weeks. The home has worked very closely with everyone involved, and all professionals have made an impact by ensuring that information is shared effectively in order to keep young people safe. The local neighbourhood officer commented on how well the staff team works with her, and how proactive the staff are in sharing information. She said, ‘I couldn’t ask for a better partnership with the home.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are well supported with contact visits and telephone calls, and they benefit from the emotional support of staff at these times. Individual contact arrangements are both fully supported and facilitated by staff. Staff have now had training in facilitating these arrangements to ensure that they are confident during these visits. However, care planning does not detail the reason for the supervised contact and individual arrangements. Therefore, staff are not given enough information to support these visits to ensure that meaningful and safe contact is promoted.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

External monitoring is carried out by an independent visitor and internal monitoring by the manager. The monitoring now challenges and reflects an awareness of any crucial issues and identified trends. There is a high degree of monitoring of the professional support and care that young people receive. Internal monitoring is now being used to ensure continuous improvement. It is evident that the manager and staff team intend to improve the experiences of young people in the home still further. Staff have positive and realistic aspirations for young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has received two complaints since the last inspection and staff supported a young person to make a complaint against someone outside the organisation. The manager has introduced a new format for making complaints, which he feels is more accessible to young people. There is evidence to show that these complaints have been fully investigated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Significant events have been notified to Ofsted, which ensures that the regulator has full oversight of any issues or concerns in the home. Since the last inspection, discussion has taken place about when events should be notified, and the manager has changed practice as a result. The current policies and procedures do not make clear precisely when to notify the regulator if a child is at risk of being exploited, and then goes missing from the home. The procedure available to staff refers to out-of-date regulations. This could lead to a delay in reporting concerns and staff not being clear as to how to respond to an event. The staff team is proud of the young people’s achievements and has their well- being at heart. The staff and managers are clearly very passionate about promoting good experiences for young people, and they work as a team to ensure that this is achieved.

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Information about this children’s home

 This children’s home is registered to take up to four young people with emotional or behaviour difficulties. The home is owned by a private organisation. The organisation is registered to provide education to young people it cares for.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/11/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

09/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the information set out in the statement of purpose clearly states the support staff can give children so that the placing authority can be confident that the home is the right one for the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the processes in place for notification of a serious event are explicit when a child is subject to or at risk of being exploited when they go missing from the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that appropriate forms of contact are promoted and facilitated for each child, including, when appropriate, visits to the child in the home; visits by the child to relatives and/or friends; letters, emails and texts; and use of social media and other forms of contact via the internet. This is with specific reference to ensuring that staff have access to all the necessary information to facilitate this. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.8)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children’s home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference that adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This 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 Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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