Children's Home run by Esland North Limited in Derby

Inspection report children's home: SC478986 1 SC478986 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 children with complex social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and aged between 11 and 17 years. The home can offer care provision for up to five children, over two sites. The accommodation comprises the main house and a separate lodge. The main house can accommodate up to four children and the lodge can accommodate one child.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 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: Good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children's home: SC478986 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/05/2019 Full Good 04/09/2018 Full Good 17/07/2018 Full Inadequate 22/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC478986 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are receiving good care and support from a committed staff team. They are very settled in the home. Staff have developed an in-depth understanding of the children and take a sensitive and innovative approach to their care. Children can talk openly to staff and managers, knowing they will be listened to. They know their rights and are learning to advocate for themselves. The staff adapt their care as the children develop and their needs change. As a result, children are making progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a lively and supportive atmosphere in which children enjoy a range of activities and competitions. Children frequently go out to play sports or visit places of interest. Staff promote exercise as part of the daily routine, and incentives are in place for their achievements. Children grow in confidence as they master new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and emotional needs are met well. Children are encouraged to choose healthy meals. They are supported to take pride in their appearance. Staff take children to routine health appointments and refer them to specialist services when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff place great value on education. Children attend schools or have tutors at home. The staff do not give up on children when they are struggling to engage in education. They work extensively with education providers to find an approach that works. Teachers say that children are making very good progress due to the consistent support and encouragement they receive from the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported to see family and friends, who are often some distance away. The staff have helped children to rebuild relationships in situations where they had previously broken down. This has helped children to strengthen their self- esteem and sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported well when they move into and away from the home. Currently, one child needs to move to a new placement. Great care is being taken to ensure his emotional needs are met during this sensitive time, to lessen the impact of the change. Agencies working with the home have commended staff on their commitment to this process.

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

Staff and managers understand the risks posed to and from the children well. Risk assessments are thorough and reviewed regularly. Where appropriate, children are supported to self-assess their levels of safety in different situations. This helps them to understand potential harm and the reasons for implementing rules and boundaries. Inspection report children's home: SC478986 4 The home has good links with safeguarding agencies. Concerns are shared appropriately with the relevant agencies. When children are missing from care, the staff and managers ensure that there is a coordinated response and that children are offered independent interviews on their return. Creative strategies are used to reduce missing-from-home incidents and increase safety for children.

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

Children have developed trusting relationships with staff and managers. They are able to share their concerns. Staff have the confidence to explore a range of subjects such as sexual exploitation and the impact of trauma on behaviour. As a result, children develop insight into their own behaviours and become more aware of their needs.

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

Overall, the staff manage situations and behaviour well, making good use of their skills and training. Although some incidents have been allowed to escalate, the manager has actively addressed the issue with the staff so that they have a clear understanding of suitable de-escalation strategies. Priority is also being given to ensuring that all records of incidents are carefully scrutinised to maintain safe practice.

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

The managers and staff have not ensured that all areas of the home are completely safe from hazards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The energy and commitment of the management team define the culture in the home. The registered manager provides strong leadership. He is ambitious for children and talks with pride about their achievements. The manager has an ‘open door’ policy. As a result, the children frequently come to him to help them to make sense of their lives. They value the manager’s approach very much and have trust in his decision making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home, and they describe it as like being part of a family. They benefit from reflective supervision and regular training. Staff have great respect for the manager. They appreciate his experience and his guidance which helps them to build confidence and develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They scrutinise shortfalls and translate learning into action plans for improvement. For example, managers have learned from problems with previous placements and have strengthened the admissions process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable, established staff team. This means that children experience consistent care. The use of agency staff is kept to a minimum and when they are required, the manager requests regular workers who know the children. This prevents unfamiliar adults from caring for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers regularly contribute to multi-agency meetings, providing robust advocacy for children and ensuring that children’s views are heard. Managers Inspection report children's home: SC478986 5 challenge effectively, where they believe that children’s needs are not being met. Managers offer creative solutions to managing risks and often take the lead on this within professional networks. Inspection report children's home: SC478986 6

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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.

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that the building is maintained to prevent potential hazards to children. 1 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring all incidents are managed safely to prevent situations from escalating and putting children at risk of harm unnecessarily. 11 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC478986 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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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair, and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36). Inspection report children's home: SC478986 8

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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 DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC478986 9 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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