Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2539201 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 privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation to up to three children who have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered in August 2019. The registered manager is no longer working at the home. Interim management arrangements are in place until a permanent manager is appointed.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded. The care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2539201 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 08/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2539201 3 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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; and 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

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.30)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Some of the strategies used by staff to meet children’s needs are very inappropriate. There is evidence of institutionalised practice which is not in children’s best interests, is unnecessary and does not protect the children’s dignity. Staff respond poorly to children who may have emerging or undiagnosed mental health needs. For example, instead of making appropriate health referrals, staff encouraged a child in her belief that she was having supernatural experiences. The staff and manager’s approach to the situation was unprofessional and very poorly considered. It has the potential to compound the child’s anxieties and impact poorly on her long-term emotional health. Staff do not provide carefully considered support to a child who has needs relating to her sexuality. Approaches do not take account of the child’s full range of needs, vulnerabilities and previous experiences. For example, the child has been allowed to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

learn about issues related to her sexuality through internet videos that she watches with Inspection report children’s home: 2539201 4 staff. There is no evidence to demonstrate that staff have sought advice or guidance about the suitability of these materials before allowing the child access to them. Children do not make progress in education. A school placement has still not been identified for one child who has been placed at the home for more than a month. This delay has the potential to result in social isolation. In addition, staff have not developed meaningful strategies to address the child’s social anxieties. These social anxieties are likely to present a significant barrier to attendance and achievement at school. Communal areas are kept clean and well presented. This means that the home has a warm, homely feel. Repair and maintenance systems are effective and ensure that all damage is repaired promptly. Children are helped to personalise their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

However, one child’s bedroom was untidy and disorganised. Staff are not assertive enough in ensuring that bedrooms are pleasant places for children to relax, study and sleep.

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

Staff have not been consistently able to manage challenging behaviour. At times, staff have been intimidated and have made inappropriate decisions in order to placate children. For example, staff agreed to take one child to watch a film that was not age appropriate. When the child was subsequently informed by a senior manager that he could not watch the film, he caused considerable damage to the home, broke into the home’s medication cabinet and swallowed a number of tablets. The failure of staff to manage his behaviour led to the breakdown of his placement. Failures to manage the behaviours of one child have meant that the other resident has felt unsafe at times. For example, one child has been too frightened to leave her room at night in case she wakes the other child. She has witnessed high levels of damaging behaviour. This is detrimental to her progress and well-being. Poor decision-making by staff resulted in alcohol being stored in the home. A failure to

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

monitor a child in line with their care plan and risk assessment meant that the child was able to drink the alcohol and become intoxicated. He became so intoxicated that staff required the support of the police in order to ensure his safety. In this instance, errors of judgement and poor practice placed the child at significant risk of harm. A child was permitted to leave the home late at night without staff. This poor decision was compounded by the fact that staff were aware of his significant vulnerabilities and aware of the fact that he required close supervision. He subsequently placed himself at risk by going missing from the home. Staff do not have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities when children make disclosures about their previous life experiences. Staff have given inappropriate advice and have failed to make appropriate referrals to safeguarding agencies. Inspection report children’s home: 2539201 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Following a disciplinary investigation, the registered manager is no longer working at the home. Interim management arrangements are not yet confirmed. Senior managers are ensuring that there is a management presence at the home each day. However, these arrangements do not provide the consistent, settled leadership that the home needs in order to address the current weaknesses. Senior managers say that the registered manager had not communicated effectively with them. As a result, they were not aware of many of the issues identified at this inspection. Poor information sharing at management level has contributed to poor decision-making, particularly in relation to the admission of new children to the home. For example, senior managers confirm that the most recent admission would probably not have taken place if a more thorough assessment of risks and vulnerabilities had taken place. A review of admission practice has now taken place to ensure that

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

admission decisions are carefully scrutinised by senior managers. The capacity of staff to deliver good-quality care is limited by a lack of guidance and practical support from managers. Regular, formal supervision has not been provided to staff. Inexperienced staff have not been helped to understand the primary needs of the children. Managers have not used quality assurance systems effectively to identify poor practice. For example, they have not recognised or addressed significant weaknesses in behaviour management strategies and have not identified failures in the responses to a child’s disclosures. Managers have not proactively addressed failures by placing authorities to provide independent return home interviews when children have been missing from home. As a result, they have not ensured that every opportunity has been taken to understand why children have run away. A lack of information hinders efforts to develop effective risk

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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: 2539201 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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Inspectors

Davinia Lawton, social care inspector Philip Cass, social care regulatory inspection manager Inspection report children’s home: 2539201 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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