Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 1 Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It provides care and accommodation for up to six children aged between 10 and 17 years of age. It is set over two buildings but in the same gated site. The home cares for children who have emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

No registered manager is currently in post.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 25 to 26 September 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(v)(viii) 29/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and 19/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 4 positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to their full potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h)) 19/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 5

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress and experiences are variable. Children are not always offered the nurturing and consistent care that they require. The staff team is inconsistent in its approach to behaviour management. The inability of some staff to appropriately engage one child has left him feeling isolated.

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improvement to be good

Not all staff understand children’s behaviours in the context of their traumatic histories. During the inspection, some children were unable to identify a staff member who they trust and who they could talk to if they had a problem. Some children said that they are not well cared for.

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improvement to be good

Minimal educational opportunities are being provided to children in the home. Two children are not in education. Another receives home tuition twice a week. When not in education, children’s days lack routine and boundaries. For example, some stay in bed until the late morning.

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improvement to be good

Some children’s health needs are not consistently met. For example, an essential referral to specialist services has not been made for one child. Although this has been raised with the allocated social worker, the management and staff have failed to escalate this further.

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improvement to be good

Children are not always encouraged to participate in activities and lead healthy, active lives. There are limited plans in place for children to attend activities and events. One child said, ‘I get really bored; we don’t do anything, not even at weekends.’

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improvement to be good

Notwithstanding the above shortfalls, some children report being happy and settled. Some staff work hard at trying to engage and support children. One child said, ‘It’s good here. Staff are nice and help me.’

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improvement to be good

When staff use physical intervention, it is proportionate and necessary. All incidents are appropriately recorded. Debriefs, however, lack any reflection and do not enable learning about how incidents could be managed differently.

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improvement to be good

Children are not consistently helped to understand the impact of their behaviours. The quality of key-working sessions varies. Some sessions are well considered, planned and unique to the child’s needs. Other sessions fail to properly explore the child’s risk-taking behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are detailed and clearly outline the concerns relevant to the child. They are updated regularly. The assessments do not, however, provide clear, direct and Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 6 helpful information for staff about how each area of risk should be managed.

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improvement to be good

The management and staff have failed to ensure that safeguards are in place for one child regarding their use of the internet, leaving them very vulnerable. The management and staff have been slow to consider and appropriately balance the child’s need for autonomy against their need to be protected.

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improvement to be good

Children reported feeling safe in the home. They become safer than they had previously been. For one child, incidents of self-harm have dramatically reduced. For another, incidents of challenging behaviours resulting in physical intervention have significantly reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home’s registered manager has recently left. There is now an acting manager and a deputy manager in post. The acting manager is yet to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Systems to monitor the progress of children are not robust. As a result, the management and staff team do not have a comprehensive oversight of the quality of care provided to children. This requires improvement so that any gaps in practice can be fully addressed and standards improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The acting manager is eager to make the necessary changes to the home. She is passionate about improving children’s outcomes. She has some good ideas about how to improve the home. Along with the senior management team, the acting manager has clear plans to address the shortfalls that have been identified during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some staff spoke positively about the support that they receive from the management team. Other staff felt unsupported and raised concerns about the ongoing demands being placed on them.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 7 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Esland Ltd, Suite 1, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector(s)

Davinia Lawton, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1257013 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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