Children's home run by Esland North Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 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 owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2021.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 31 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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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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

Date of last inspection: 18 February 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 2

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/02/2020 Full Good 31/10/2018 Full Outstanding 07/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s overall experience of living in the home is variable. Not all children have a sense of permeance despite being in the home for over a year. Staff do not know what children’s care plans say or what diagnosis children have. This lack of understanding means that staff do not have all the information needed to provide consistency of care to children.

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improvement to be good

Children have trusted and secure relationships with some staff. However, there has been a period of instability which has seen many changes related to the staff team. This means that children are often looked after by unfamiliar staff. One child told the inspector that this makes them feel anxious. The consistent use of agency staff or staff from other homes means that children are not always supported by a trusted adult.

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improvement to be good

The home is welcoming and is decorated to a good standard. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to reflect their likes and their interests. However, there are no photographs of the children or any other evidence of their presence anywhere in the home. This does not promote the children’s identity and sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide children with opportunities to express their views on a regular basis, and staff respond to them, where appropriate. ‘Chat and chill’ meetings now take place instead of children’s meetings, at the children’s request. These meetings are less formal and appeal to the children. Children learn that their views matter, which improves their sense of self-worth.

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improvement to be good

Where children have not attended school in the past, they are now engaging with education, and there are clear education plans in place. The manager engages with relevant professionals, including the virtual school, and attends education meetings and advocates on the children’s behalf. This supports children with their education progression.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are met. Children receive support from a range of professionals, including specialist services. One professional described how staff are always willing to take part in conversations about the children and to take on board any suggestions given. The professional said, ‘The care and commitment given to [Name] is excellent.’

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint, and the forms are readily accessible in the home. This means that if children want to make a complaint confidentially, they can. Children have used the procedure effectively to raise their concerns, and the manager has responded appropriately. This gives children confidence that their concerns are being heard and that they are valued. Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 4

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improvement to be good

Decisions to admit new children to the home are made before impact risk assessments are completed. The manager seeks information from relevant professionals; however, there is no analysis on the impact of this placement on either the children living in the home or on the child being admitted. The lack of a robust matching process means that children may be placed inappropriately; thus, placing all children at risk.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are well written and child focused. At the last inspection, a requirement was made as risk assessments did not always contain the current risks for children. A review of documents shows that this shortfall has continued. This failure means that staff do not have the up-to-date information about children and how to manage the risks effectively. This can leave children at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans are detailed and are easy to understand. They are written from the child’s perspective and include helpful visual aids throughout. One child’s care plan, however, is not complete and has missing information. This means that staff do not have the correct information to be able to provide consistent care.

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improvement to be good

The recording of physical intervention is not completed in line with the relevant regulations. Staff who undertook the intervention complete their own debrief and that of colleagues as well as with the child. On one occasion, the manager requested a ‘lessons learned’ exercise following a physical intervention. The review undertaken is thorough and an action plan is in place with regards to staff learning and training. However, the lack of consistent management oversight means that it cannot be established whether the holds are safe, necessary and proportionate. This means that children may be at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff on occasion lock all internal doors downstairs. The locking of doors is not undertaken in line with the relevant regulations. This denies children access to these areas of the home and creates an institutionalised environment for children.

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improvement to be good

There is an inconsistent approach to recording information in all documents. There is a lack of attention to detail in some records while others contain blaming and unhelpful language. Daily handover logs lack the detail that is necessary to inform other staff members of any specific issues. The lack of consistency means it is confusing for both children and staff to understand what is expected of them, which potentially places children at risk.

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good

The home has a relatively new and inexperienced manager in post. She has a clear vision of how the service needs to develop and to improve. She has a strong presence in the home and ensures that she spends time with the children. The manager role models good practice and is child focused. Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 5 The manager has failed to ensure that there are effective and consistent internal auditing processes in place to monitor the performance of staff and how the home functions. A new communications tool has recently been implemented to improve information sharing. The lack of consistent management oversight, however, means that the manager is unable to identify shortfalls in the quality of care provided and to understand the impact that this has on children’s progress.

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good

The manager completes an assessment of the location of the home and considers potential risks and the measures required to help protect children. However, this does not include all known risks within the community. As such, there is no clear plan in place to manage these risks. This has not had an adverse effect on any children, but this means that potential risks may go unassessed.

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good

A previous requirement to ensure that all staff have the skills and the qualifications to meet each child’s needs has not been actioned. Not all staff have completed mandatory training, including first aid. This means that not all staff are able to respond appropriately to the specific needs of each child.

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good

Staff meet monthly with the company’s clinical team to talk about the children’s progress. This enables staff to improve their knowledge of the impact of children’s backgrounds and experiences on children. However, not all staff receive regular supervision from the management team. This does not ensure that any practice issues are addressed and that staff have consistent opportunities to reflect on their practice and their care of the children.

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good

A wealth of positive feedback has been received from parents, social workers and other professionals as part of this inspection. One parent said that they cannot believe the difference in their child since the child moved to the home. They said, ‘[Name] is appreciated and valued for who they are. [Name] has unconditional support and is responding to that.’ Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and

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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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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(b)) 27 August 2021

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 27 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 7 This specifically relates to all staff, including agency staff, completing all mandatory training.

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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 the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)(h)) 27 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c)) 27 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 27 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 8 the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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, 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)) 27 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 27 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 9 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision so that they can reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered manager should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a

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Recommendations

non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 10 information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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’. Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 11

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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 DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Paula Shepherd, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1253008 12 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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