Children's home run by Esland North Limited in Amber Valley

Inspection report children's home: SC063794 1 SC063794 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 private home provides care and accommodation for up to three children who have complex social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager started in June 2020 and registered with Ofsted in December 2020. A new responsible individual started in December 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, Ofsted suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited this home on 5 to 6 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC063794 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2018 Full Good 10/07/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive nurturing care and support, and this helps most children to have positive day-to-day experiences of living at the home. Staff make sure that care plans reflect the aims and objectives of the placing authority, and staff provide care in line with these plans. As a result, most children receive coordinated and effective support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is well presented with good-quality fixtures and fittings throughout. The communal areas present as homely. The inspector observed the children making good use of the space during the inspection. Children’s bedrooms are clean and have all the necessary furniture. The outside space is well kept. There is a separate building with sensory and games consoles available for children to use. One child is currently using the flat in the annexe as part of their learning to be more independent. Children invest in their home because staff help them to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain those relationships which are important to them. Time with family is encouraged, both in and out of the home. Developing and maintaining friendships are also encouraged by staff. This support enables children to value people who are important in their lives and also promotes their understanding of their identity. One child has recently moved in, and their sibling lives at another of the provider’s homes. Through appropriate assessment and planning, this relationship has been rekindled. Another child is now accessing the local football team. This is progressing well and gives this child the opportunity to meet friends and integrate into the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage well with education. One child has started at the organisation’s school following a significant period out of education. Another child who recently moved into the home is attending the same school, and they travel there together. One child receives online lessons from his previous school. The manager has Inspection report children's home: SC063794 3 advocated for him with the virtual school’s team to source a local school placement, and this work is ongoing. Good support from staff helps children to make progress with their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supporting children well through the COVID-19 pandemic. Children enjoy activities in the home with each other and staff, including gaming, pamper nights and movie nights. This has helped to keep children engaged and in good spirits during periods of national lockdown. With restrictions lifting, children have engaged in various leisure and sporting activities in the community, which is helping to broaden their horizons and experiences once again.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector observed warm and friendly relationships between children and staff. Children’s wishes and feelings are listened to and advocated for by staff. Children contribute to their care planning, and they have told the inspector that the staff treat them really well. Staff offer children help when they need it. One child was admitted to the home from a hospital setting. Although leaders and managers had undertaken an impact assessment, the child’s needs were more complex than anticipated. Staff did not have the training and skills to meet this child’s sensory, communication and behavioural needs, and the child moved on sooner than anticipated. The outcomes for this child were not good. Other children have had positive experiences and outcomes. Transition and independence planning are thorough and child focused. One child has recently moved on following a period of independence planning and discussion involving key people.

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

Children have told the inspector that they feel safe at the home. Staff use planned and ad hoc key-work sessions to talk through topics that are relevant to children’s care and safety. For example, staff discuss with the children the need to stay safe online and how children can do this. They have talked through issues about sexual orientation and embracing diversity, as well as things like the national lockdown ending and preparing them for a return to school. These discussions reiterate key messages to the children to help them keep safe, feel safe and be able to adapt to changes.

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

Staff receive training to raise their knowledge and awareness of how best to safeguard children. Staff use this learning in their day-to-day practice. This promotes children’s safety. Staff have received specialised training to help them to know how to respond to incidents of self-harm, including ligatures. Staff were able to explain to the inspector how to use this training should the need arise.

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

For the most part, children’s individual plans and risk assessments are reviewed and updated by managers and staff. This ensures that staff are aware of the risks posed to and by children and that staff implement the measures needed to reduce risk.

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

When children have displayed behaviours which place themselves and others at risk, staff have intervened appropriately. Incident records are informative, reflective and overseen by the manager. Children have the opportunity to discuss such incidents Inspection report children's home: SC063794 4 and reflect on how they feel and on coping strategies to reduce any further occurrences. When physical intervention has been used, this has been well managed. Although records provide good detail about what has happened, staff and witnesses do not always sign these records to confirm that these are a true account.

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

The manager has not ensured that fire safety information is conveyed to visitors. The inspector was not made aware of the fire escape routes or the fire evacuation meeting point. Not sharing this information places visitors at potential risk of harm should an evacuation be required.

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good

Staff have not achieved the necessary childcare qualification within the time scale set out in regulation. Organisational issues affecting this training and the assessment process mean that most staff do not hold a recognised childcare qualification. In addition, not all staff have undertaken training in the therapeutic model outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. This shortfall means that staff have not had the opportunity to develop their knowledge and learn all the skills needed to support children.

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good

Potential employees are subject to an assessment of their suitability to work with children. This includes references and criminal records checks. However, managers have not ensured that all staff have had their employment history explored and gaps explained. This increases the risk of unsuitable people being employed to care for children.

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good

The manager has worked hard to ensure that the requirements raised at the assurance visit in October 2020 have been met. This shows that she uses learning from inspection to develop the quality of care provided to children.

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good

It is clear that the manager has an in-depth knowledge of the children, their strengths, needs, progress and potential. The manager’s oversight of the home is thorough and promotes positive outcomes for the children. Children and staff speak positively about the support they receive from the manager.

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good

Relationships between the manager and external professionals and parents are good. Professionals speak well of the good communication and information sharing between staff, the manager and themselves. As a result of good partnership working, children remain central to the care they receive, and this contributes to them receiving good care. Inspection report children's home: SC063794 5

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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 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

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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

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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff have received the training to deliver the approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose and the needs of each child. 15 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. 31 January 2022 Inspection report children's home: SC063794 6 For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff have completed the relevant childcare qualification as soon as possible and moving forward within regulatory timescales.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they comply with relevant health and safety legislation. In particular, ensure that the fire evacuation procedures are explained to visitors. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15 paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This relates to ensuring full employment gaps are explained when recruiting staff (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61 paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that restraint records are signed by all staff and witnesses involved in an incident. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards ‘, page 49 paragraph 9.58) Inspection report children's home: SC063794 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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’.

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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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Inspector

James Tallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC063794 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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