Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC433430 1 SC433430 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

The home is privately owned by Esland Care.

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers accommodation on a medium- to long-term basis for up to four children or young people aged between nine and 17 years. It offers care for very challenging children who have emotional, social and behavioural difficulties because of past emotional and/or physical abuse. Children may display moderate learning difficulties, may have a history of self-harm, sexual exploitation, absconding and/or antisocial or persistent offending behaviour.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC433430 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/05/2018 Full Good 31/05/2017 Full Good 25/05/2016 Full Good 11/04/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC433430 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people living in this home are making excellent progress in several areas of their lives. The home is a warm and welcoming place for young people to live. Young people invest in the home because of the very positive relationships that staff build with them. All young people spoke with great pride and enthusiasm about living in the home and about the excellent care that they receive from the dedicated staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The relationships that staff build with young people are outstanding. The highly committed and consistent team knows the young people very well. Given the emotionally warm and predictable care that they receive, young people learn to fully trust staff and in turn, begin to flourish. A child said, ‘The staff are all fantastic. I know I could go to any one of them and they would do whatever they could to help me. They really, really care about us and I know I can trust them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff see young people’s behaviours in the context of their histories. Young people’s emotional well-being is seen as an absolute priority. All the young people spoken to during the inspection said that there was nothing that could be improved in the home. Young people recognise the remarkable difference that living at the home has made to their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A significant strength of the home is the way in which staff support and promote young people’s education. Staff are aspirational for young people and help them to achieve the best possible outcomes. The commitment that staff have demonstrated to young people to support their education is exceptional. All young people are in full-time education. Two young people have recently taken their GCSEs and college places have been secured for them. This is extraordinary considering young people’s educational backgrounds. A young person said, ‘If I was not in care, I would not have got through my exams. I would not be the person I am today without all the help and support that staff have given to me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are valued and respected in the home. They are fully supported to share their views and opinions and staff respect what they have to say. Young people know how to make a complaint. When complaints are made, they are taken seriously and given careful and due consideration. Young people are provided with feedback and complaints are actioned in a professional and diligent way by the manager. The voice of young people is central to the running of the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Young people are fully safeguarded. Staff understand the risks relevant to each young person and work hard to ensure that a proactive response is taken to minimise any concerns. Risk management procedures are underpinned by the well-documented and individualised risk assessments. Inspection report children’s home: SC433430 4 The use of physical intervention is rare. When physical intervention is used, it is done so with skill, sensitivity and for limited periods of time. The manager and staff discuss the use of restraint through debrief sessions. Effective debriefs are also carried out with young people. This is extremely effective in ensuring that incidents are dealt with in the best possible way and with the least distress for the young person.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Incidents of young people going missing are also very rare. When incidents do occur, they are well managed by a determined staff team who understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. A police officer said, ‘The home is absolutely brilliant. The staff are amazing and are doing some brilliant work to ensure young people are kept safe. They are very, very impressive.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Young people are given clear boundaries and proactive behaviour management is highly effective. Staff are very tenacious if young people push boundaries or try to reject their help. Because of this steadfast commitment, young people grow in confidence and self- esteem. In turn, they display fewer potentially harmful behaviours. The approach in the home is one of high praise and low criticism, which for young people with traumatic histories is extremely beneficial.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Key-work sessions are outstanding. They are planned and are carried out in response to the young people’s emerging needs. The sessions are creative and fully engage the young person. Given this, key-work sessions comprehensively promote young people’s awareness and understanding of current and emerging safeguarding concerns. In turn, their risk significantly reduces.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

All young people in the home have lived there for a very long period. They have all experienced extensive and invaluable placement stability. This is because staff are skilled and highly effective in their response to the diverse and complex needs of the young people. Staff do not give up on young people and demonstrate unwavering commitment towards them. This is extremely impressive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is aspirational and ambitious for young people. She has high standards and demands that young people receive the highest quality of care in the home. She is tenacious in ensuring that any decisions made in respect of children are planned, well thought-out and in the child’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has developed an extremely positive culture in the home. She leads by example and staff learn from her calm and nurturing approach. A happy and cohesive staff team means that staff morale is extremely high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff spoke about the manager in exceptionally positive terms. A member of staff said, ‘If I had a worry or a problem, she would help and support me 100%. She loves the job, she loves the young people and she fully respects all of her staff. She is an excellent manager and definitely the best one I have ever had.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC433430 5 Staff receive regular and highly effective supervision. This enables them to reflect on and develop their practice. They also attend regular team meetings and have good peer support. The care and professional development of staff form a high priority. The drive and passion of the whole management and staff team ensure that all the young people are receiving an outstanding level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring systems are excellent. The manager makes sure that she has very robust oversight of what is happening in the home. This ensures that any shortfalls are quickly identified and addressed. The manager is very forward-thinking and an extremely strong advocate for all young people.

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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: SC433430 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 1–5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector:

Davinia Lawton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC433430 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 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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