Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report children’s home: 2483693 1 Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care and accommodation for a maximum of three children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home opened in July 2018 and looks after children and young people aged between 10 and 17 years. However, children under 10 years of age will be considered, subject to a robust impact assessment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 22 July 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

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

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2483693 2

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Recent inspection history

This is the first inspection of the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2483693 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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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

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(iv)(v)(vi)) 01/03/2019

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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. 08/02/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2483693 4 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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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most young people who have lived at this home have made good progress. Some young people have become more stable and their experience of living at the home is positive. One young person, who has now left, said, ‘My key workers were amazing. You could talk to any of them about anything. I trusted them all. They were so brilliant. I really miss all the staff, but I’m grateful that they stay in contact with me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have begun to build positive relationships with the two young people who are newly admitted to the home. Staff know the young people well and present as committed to ensuring that their needs are fully met. Given the limited period that staff have had to get to know the young people, this is very positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

None of the young people who have been placed in the home since it was opened have received any formal education. In respect of the young people currently living at the home, the manager and staff have liaised with the virtual school and other agencies to try to establish packages of education for them. However, to date this has not been successful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s health needs are met well. Because of the complex needs of one young person, specialised training has been provided to the whole staff team. When a health need is identified, staff and managers are proactive and access the appropriate service without delay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers understand the importance of promoting and supporting contact between young people and their families. They work hard to arrange and facilitate good- quality contact that is child-centred. For one young person, this tenacity has resulted in him re-establishing a relationship with his father, which had previously broken down.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For most young people, transitions into and out of the home are well managed. Staff and the manager ensure that, wherever possible, they stay in contact with young people who have left the home. A social worker for a young person who has now left the home said, ‘He formed excellent relationships with staff. They have continued to have contact Inspection report children’s home: 2483693 5 with him even though he is no longer in their care. They provided him with the foundation that he needed to successfully progress onto the placement that he is in now.’ This is a key strength of the home.

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improvement to be good

For one young person, who has now left the home, the use of physical intervention on two occasions was not proportionate or necessary. The registered manager was on leave when these incidents occurred. Upon her return, a robust management response was taken to address these shortfalls in practice.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff have failed to ensure that essential safeguards are in place for one young person while they are not in the home. Local authority plans are not effective and have left the young person vulnerable and potentially at risk. The necessary challenge of the local authority regarding these insufficient plans has not taken place. This requires improvement.

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improvement to be good

Most young people are kept safe. A young person said, ‘I like it here. It is just like home really. I’m safe and happy most of the time.’

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improvement to be good

Good risk assessments are in place for young people. Well-considered and planned key- work sessions help young people to begin to understand the immediate and long-term effects of their behaviours. Staff are skilled and able to work with young people to help them to feel cared about and valued within the home. A parent of a young person who has now left the home said, ‘Staff were fantastic. My child calmed down there and was kept safe. He benefited a lot from that home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is an experienced, passionate and dedicated individual who is fully committed to her role within the home. She speaks about young people with enthusiasm and has a drive to achieve excellence for them. This is admirable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands and speaks about the importance of ‘leading by example’. She spends considerable periods of time engaged with young people while remaining focused on management responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak about the manager in very positive terms. They respect her and admire her hard work within the home. Staff morale is good. A staff member said, ‘This home is the best one I have worked in. Every staff member brings something different. The manager is amazing. She is a proper role model who leads from the front.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Quality assurance systems are effective and enable young people’s progress to be tracked. The manager ensures that she has good oversight of any incidents that occur. She can critically analyse information and address any weaknesses in practice. Inspection report children’s home: 2483693 6

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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 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2483693 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Esland North Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suites 1 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector:

Davinia Lawton, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2483693 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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

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