Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Derby

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been improvements in the home’s functioning. Two requirements and one recommendation have been met, with a resulting positive impact on improving children’s and young people’s experiences and progress. Specifically, the home environment has improved. Children and young people have been involved in choosing new colour schemes and decor. Their art work and photographs displayed around the home serve as a celebration of their achievements, and children and young people feel more valued as a result of this. Some have also had pets, such as a hamster and a fish. This makes it feel more like their home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

For a child who was not receiving an adequate amount of formal education, the manager has advocated on their behalf to ensure that he has every opportunity to meet his educational potential. All children and young people enjoy structured days, with full time bespoke packages of education, alongside informal opportunities for learning. A young person said: ‘I am doing really well at school. The staff really encourage me to do things. I am doing a performance tomorrow. Staff have really helped me believe in myself and achieve.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The majority of children and young people speak extremely positively about their experiences and the progress they make. One young person explained: ‘When I first came, I was going through a grim time and staff have helped me through it. They helped me open up and start to feel good about myself.’ Another young person said: ‘Living here has helped me a lot. I am calmer and less angry and staff are helping me fulfil my dream of doing music.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people are well prepared for transitions out of the home. One young person who is currently preparing to move on has developed a better understanding of relationships and his experiences. He has developed coping skills and a sense of self-worth. He said: ‘If it was not for these guys, I would never have been able to move to live with a foster family. They have changed my life for the better. I am now a happier, more confident young person who is looking forward to the future.’ His transition has been very carefully planned, and as a result of this and the good support provided during his time in the home, he now has a greater opportunity to achieve better outcomes in the longer term.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people are kept as safe as possible as a result of the positive and trusting relationships they have with a consistent staff team, high staffing ratios, and the implementation of comprehensive risk management and behaviour support plans. Additionally, well-established partnership working with specialist services, such as the child and adolescent mental health team and youth offending service, helps to ensure that each child or young person receives the targeted help and support they require. As a result, for one young person there has been a significant reduction in self-injurious behaviours, which is excellent progress from her starting point.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Because of the actions of the manager and staff in relation to one young person who was going missing and who was assessed as being at high risk of sexual exploitation, this young person has become safer. On the occasions when she went missing, staff robustly followed individual protocols and worked in close partnership with the police and specialist services to secure her prompt and safe return. This, alongside work undertaken with staff regarding risk, and some time out with staff away from the home to reflect on a period of crisis, successfully broke down the cycle of going missing and resulted in her developing insight into her behaviours and becoming safer. Following missing incidents, although independent return interviews are occurring, the written reports of such interviews are not being routinely shared with the staff in the home. This is a missed opportunity to learn more about the reasons why such incidents occur and to reduce risk further.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The leadership of this home is strong. The manager is very reflective and learns from experience, complaints and feedback in order to improve the quality of the service. For example, after an emergency placement broke down, she and her staff team have fully reflected on the reasons this happened. As a consequence, the manager has implemented an additional layer of scrutiny in relation to all future placement matching. Such reflective practice, alongside comprehensive monitoring and quality assurance systems, has facilitated ongoing improvements to this home.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to care for up to seven children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is divided between two buildings on the same site.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 31/05/2016 Full Good 22/12/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/05/2015 Full Good 05/02/15 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 recommendation:  Ensure that the home takes into account the information provided by return home interviews after any missing from home incident, when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30).

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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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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