Children's home run by Esland North Limited in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005067 1 SC005067

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Esland North Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and provides medium- to long-term care and accommodation for up to six children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2018.

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This monitoring visit

At an interim inspection on 5 March 2020, the home was judged as declined in effectiveness. As a result of the inspection, Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation notice due to concerns about children’s safety. In addition, three compliance notices were issued as well as one requirement and one recommendation.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this inspection is to check that managers have complied with the restriction of accommodation notice and to evaluate the provider’s progress in meeting the three compliance notices and one requirement in line with their set completion dates.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted did not physically visit the home. Inspectors gathered evidence in several different ways, including talking to the registered manager, children, staff, the designated officer for the local authority and a child’s social worker. The registered manager also provided electronic documents for the inspector to review.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has complied with the restriction of accommodation notice. No new children have been admitted and three children remain living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found good progress had been made in meeting the compliance notices and the requirement. As a result, the compliance notices had all been met. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005067 2 Arrangements for the maintenance of the home have improved. The registered manager has established contact with a local glazier. This means that previously broken windows have been repaired and there are arrangements in place to ensure that additional repairs are undertaken in a timely manner.

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This monitoring visit

Children told an inspector that they feel increasingly safe and that relationships between them and their peers are improving. Direct work that staff undertake with children is helping to build better relationships between the children, and is helping the children to understand how to keep themselves safe and to understand the impact that their behaviour has on others.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has made improvements to the arrangements for managing risk. Improved oversight from the registered manager is helping to make sure that children’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated and that risk reduction strategies take account of staff reflections on practice. This means that staff are clear about the risks posed to and by children and the agreed strategies to help reduce risk. Consequently, incidents that have occurred since the last inspection have been managed well. However, managers acknowledge that the format and the way that information is currently recorded in risk assessments has the potential to compromise clarity. Documents are lengthy, and it is difficult for staff to find pertinent and significant information. Improving the quality of recording and clarity of risk assessments are areas for ongoing development.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has improved the guidance for staff about checking the content on children’s mobile phones. Consequently, staff now understand expectations about the frequency of these checks and have specific information about what they need to check. Consistent oversight of children’s online activity by staff promotes children’s safety. However, it is not clear how one child’s use of a derogatory password on a mobile device has been addressed by staff. This is a missed opportunity to support the child to act in a socially acceptable way.

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This monitoring visit

When the registered manager has been concerned about the responses of other agencies, this has been escalated appropriately and has resulted in positive changes to practice. For one child, this means that the key agencies working with her are responding to her specific needs and the collaborative work with staff is helping to reduce risk through clear and effective safety plans.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have reviewed decision making processes related to the admission of new children to the home. This review allows for greater consideration of the timing of new children coming to live at the home and how this is managed. Because of the restriction of accommodation notice being in place, these improvements have not been tested out and will be considered at future inspections. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005067 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 05/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005067 4

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Recommendations

 Staff should understand the factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide

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Recommendations

to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005067 5

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Elisabeth Brownlees

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Inspectors

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Annemarie Parker, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005067 6 to 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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