Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2501397 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 children’s home provides care and accommodation for one child or young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, aged between eight and 18 years of age. The home is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered on 3 December 2018 and this is its first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since December 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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2501397 2

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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 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 fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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) and (2)(h)) 28/06/2019

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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 fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 28/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2501397 3 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 28/06/2019

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improvement to be good

The home’s first resident developed less chaotic behaviours during his placement. Incidents of challenging behaviours were rare. However, staff failed to ensure that he engaged in the daily routines of the home. Also, he was not in education for the duration of his placement. These factors limited his progress.

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improvement to be good

The home’s second resident has been in placement for a relatively short period. Notwithstanding this, staff have managed to secure him an alternative educational placement. A reviewing officer said, ‘The home has done better than any other place that this young person has been in. The young person is actively engaging with the staff, which is excellent. Staff are fantastic; they communicate well and have been proactive.’

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improvement to be good

The ability of staff to engage with young people who present challenging and complex behaviours is a strength of the home. The young person currently in the home reports having good relationships with staff. He trusts staff and is confident that staff will give him any help that he needs.

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improvement to be good

Young people are encouraged to be healthy and active. The staff team has managed to engage the young person in a variety of activities that develop his interests and help him to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Inspection report children’s home: 2501397 4

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improvement to be good

The home requires improvement because managers have not always identified and implemented robust safeguarding practices. Although this shortfall has not resulted in any young person being harmed, it had the potential to do so. Managers have not fully considered the wider context of one young person’s high-risk behaviours. A multi-agency approach has not been taken. The home’s inability to work in collaboration with other agencies who have specialist knowledge, skills and expertise has left the young person vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Preventative work, which could have assisted the young person to begin to understand the risks associated with some of his behaviours, has not consistently taken place. This is a significant missed opportunity.

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improvement to be good

Despite these shortfalls, there have not been any incidents of self-harm, substance misuse or physical intervention since the home opened. This is extremely positive and demonstrates that staff have been able to build strong relationships with young people.

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improvement to be good

The current resident has stopped going missing. This is significant progress, given his recent history. He has become much safer as a result. A parent said, ‘The staff are lovely. They are helpful and supportive. They do go out of their way to support my child and ensure that their needs are fully met.’

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

While the manager and deputy manager are highly committed and extremely passionate about the care offered to young people, good practice is not yet embedded at the home.

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

The registered manager is also the manager of another children’s home. She and her deputy divide their time between the two homes but are not sufficiently visible to staff. Some staff do not feel well supported as a result.

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

Good quality, reflective supervision is not consistently taking place. This means that staff are not always offered the opportunity to discuss concerns, share ideas and reflect on their practice.

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

Systems to monitor young people’s progress are not robust. As a result, managers do not have a comprehensive oversight of the quality of care provided to young people. 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 manager accepts the deficits that have been identified during the inspection. She, along with the senior management team, has strong, child-focused ideas and is fully committed to improving standards. The current management team has the capacity to quickly raise standards. Inspection report children’s home: 2501397 5

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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: 2501397 6

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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 inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2501397 7 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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