Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2540927 1 Registered provider: Esland North Limited 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 and provides care and accommodation for a maximum of three children and young people aged between eight and 17 years. The home provides care and accommodation for children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties, including, but not exclusively, mild to moderate learning disabilities. This is the home’s first inspection following it being registered in July 2019.

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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: 2540927 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

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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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

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ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2540927 3 that staff—

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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; and

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

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an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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positive responses to other children and adults.

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

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meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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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

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2540927 4 have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(ix)(xii)(xiii))

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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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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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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

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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;

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ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e)) 28/02/2020

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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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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promotes their welfare. 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2540927 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should evidence what they have done to achieve engagement with the placing authority when seeking missing documentation and information, including any actions taken to escalate concerns. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3)  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

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Recommendations

children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report children’s home: 2540927 6

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improvement to be good

Children living at this home are not yet receiving good enough care that assists them to make and sustain progress in their lives. The home is not always a nurturing environment where children can become settled, feel secure and grow in confidence.

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improvement to be good

At times, the home is a chaotic environment. Several incidents have occurred that have affected the emotional well-being of other children living at the home. While staff work hard to try and de-escalate challenging situations, they have not always had the skills and experience to achieve this in a timely way. Consequently, on occasions, children become increasingly heightened and distressed.

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improvement to be good

Only one child is receiving full-time education. Another child is receiving some education, but more is required to ensure that they have every opportunity to achieve educational success. Additionally, there is a need for more structure to children’s days. Children are not encouraged or supported to engage in education-based activities and to understand the importance and value of learning.

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improvement to be good

The home environment requires significant improvement. Some areas of the home need decoration. In places, the home presents as untidy, unclean and unwelcoming. The current conditions of some parts of the home make it difficult for the children to take pride in their surroundings.

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improvement to be good

Senior managers have been overly optimistic in their assessment of the capability of the staff to support children with complex needs. This has resulted in children being transitioned into the home who were an unsuitable match. This has resulted in placement breakdowns and further disruption to children’s lives.

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improvement to be good

Despite these shortfalls, some children report feeling happy living at the home. Some children report having good relationships with staff and can identify staff members who they would go to if they had a problem. Children’s universal health needs are met, and they are supported to stay in contact with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Because staff are not consistently able to manage difficult behaviours effectively, they do not always provide children with a sense of safety. Management and staff are not always providing children with the high levels of emotional warmth that they need. Weaknesses in behaviour management mean that some children’s behaviour escalates and at times their behaviour becomes unsafe.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention in the home is only used when neceassry. The recording of such incidents is effective and enables the situation to be understood. When physical Inspection report children’s home: 2540927 7 intervention is used, it is appropriate and assists to ensure the safety and well-being of the child. While there is some oversight of these incidents, debriefs with staff are not always carried out. Subsequently, staff are not given the opportunity to reflect on their practice, to learn from incidents and to consider alternative ways of dealing with children in crisis.

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improvement to be good

Difficult relationships between children and name calling have occurred on several occasions in the home. For one child, this has resulted in them having to leave the home on a temporary basis. Management and staff have been slow to manage situations effectively and with the least disruption to children.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, when a child went missing, staff failed to follow the child’s risk assessment. There was a significant delay in staff following the home’s procedures and reporting the child as missing to the police. On other occasions, staff have been unsure of what action to take when a child has gone missing. They have relied on contacting senior management rather than understanding and following children’s risk assessments. This has left children vulnerable and although it has not resulted in a child being harmed it has the potential to do so. Return home interviews are also not routinely carried out. This is a lost opportunity to try and understand the reasons behind children’s behaviours.

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

There have been recent changes in management arrangements. The home had a registered manager when it opened, but, due to unforeseen circumstances, she has now become the deputy manager. An acting manager is in post and is yet to register with Ofsted. The acting manager has no previous experience of being a registered manager of a home.

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

Some of the staff team members do not have experience of working with children who have had traumatic life experiences. Some staff are unqualified and have not always been given the support and advice that a newly formed team requires. Furthermore, supervisions are not routinely taking place with staff. The senior management team has failed to identify the shortfalls in the home and to offer the level of input that is required to a newly established home and an inexperienced staff team.

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

Placing authorities have failed to provide the manager with all relevant information relating to children living at the home. Some information regarding children’s histories is missing or significantly out of date. Management has failed to challenge the local authority or to make attempts to obtain some of the missing documentation. There have been no attempts to escalate these concerns and to challenge ineffective decision- making in respect of children.

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

All staff spoken to reported feeling happy working at the home. They spoke about children in positive terms and presented as dedicated and enthusiastic about the care they were providing to the children. All staff demonstrated good knowledge of each individual child’s needs. Inspection report children’s home: 2540927 8 There are some monitoring and review systems in place in the home. Despite this, on occasions, managers have not always identified and understood the impact of the quality of care being offered to children. Although incidents are reviewed, there is a lack of professional curiosity and challenge of some of the practice that has taken place. This has the potential to leave children vulnerable. The management team was receptive to these shortfalls and is eager and committed to addressing them without delay.

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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: 2540927 9

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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 Limited, Suite 1, 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: 2540927 10 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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